• $35,000 to see the shiny new cars source

• » That’s taxpayer money, by the way: While it’s a drop in the bucket, it’s understandable why Pelosi might get guff for this — because the Detroit Auto Show is a gaudy showcase event if there ever was one, and she used taxpayer money to send a dozen congressmen to the event back in 2010, when she was speaker. Pelosi’s spokesperson, Drew Hammill, defended her actions: “Congress made an historic commitment to the auto industry to drive innovation and modernization, and to save hundreds of thousands of jobs,” he said. “It was critical that taxpayer dollars received proper oversight, and the bipartisan visit was critical to that process.”

• It wasn’t about winning or losing this race. It was about truly making a difference within our caucus, to ensure that the moderates were heard.
• Rep. Heath Shuler • Explaining why his loss in the race against Nancy Pelosi for House Minority Leader was still a bit of a victory. The caucus may have voted for Pelosi, but they gave Shuler 43 votes, which is more than a fifth of the 193 Democrats still left. There’s dissent within her own party, which will be hard for her to get past. As for Shuler, a Blue Dog Democrat, he gets to go back to North Carolina and tell his constituents that he took on Nancy Pelosi. This is why Shuler is still here and other Blue Dogs are not. source

• At this point, no one has come forward, no one in leadership for a long time. It will be very tough. It is probably a race we can’t win. But we need a moderate voice in the Democratic Party.
• Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Heath Shuler • Suggesting he might challenge Nancy Pelosi for the House leadership. Shuler, known as much for being conservative on social issues as he is for his mediocre NFL career, has been one of Pelosi’s strongest critics in the wake of her planned run for House Minority Leader. Shuler would be an interesting wrench in the whole House Leadership mess, and we bet he’d get a bunch of support simply because he offers a clear alternative to Pelosi, who’s not exactly popular right now. source

• one She’ll lose access to a ride home to San Francisco on a military plane, instead of flying coach like the rest of us.
• two Her office budget – currently around $5.1 million – will cut by ten percent, and her staff of 50 will cut by nearly half.
• three Her offices – currently in a plum location adjacent to the Capitol rotunda –will move to a much-less-sexy place. source

• The tax cuts at the high end have not produced any jobs; it only increased the deficit. We’re still paying the price that they have contributed to the deficit all along.
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi • Regarding extension of the Bush tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 a year (and families making over @250,000).

But not everyone agrees with Nancy …

• 31 House Democrats support extending tax cuts for the rich source