It's obvious, but I didn't see it mentioned in the above conversation. But Pelosi is not a national campaign figure for the Democrats, so when she's in the minority she effectively disappears. Same for Hoyer. This isn't really Pelosi's fault as much as it is a combination of factors. She's in a safe seat, that's in a "far left" seat for the D's, and her organizational prowess is distinct from her personal politics in a way that many leadership politicians refuse to learn. Pelosi learned it from the pre-Gingrich Revolution Democrats who had to be able to wrangle multiple wings, including the Southern Conservatives. The Hastert Rule is the Republicans attempt to avoid this and as a result, their leadership is not ever to Pelosi's personal level. Pelosi also realized probably a while ago that power in the House is her limit, she can't ever run for President, and Senate leadership power is less so than the Speaker.
As Chris Murphy repeated the old joke about every Senator is running for President. Pelosi has the advantage of locking herself into the House, whereas lots of other House members are at least eyeing the Senate, maybe a Governorship, and maybe someday a Presidential bid. Either that or they've landed in safe seats and will soon realize their career is the House.
Pelosi and Hoyer have such a stranglehold because the incumbents in the House know the leadership skills that don't escape the House. But the newbies probably have the same view of the casuals when Pelosi is in the minority she seems like a nobody, they NEED A NAME, A BIG TIME PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER, etc. Who almost never last or make it in leadership in either party, in either house anymore.
One advantage the Democrats have had that the GOP has not entirely had, is that Pelosi and Reid both understood their leadership power within their body. Obama didn't take over the show outside the media. McConnell seems to understand this, and Frist somewhat did, but others that have been in leadership kinda just said "fuck it" when Trump and earlier when W. was in the White House. Hastert again being a great example. I think even Trump recognized this, especially in the House, when he suggested that he might be able to work better on certain issues with a D Congress, and I think if he can somehow get past this wall obsession, he still has a good chance of that compared to his first two years. Pelosi is not going to let every little subcommittee chairman act like they're the Speaker like Ryan was allowing. McConnell is the type of wrangler to make sure the Senate doesn't block both the House AND Trump if they come to an agreement. He's not the worst person to have in that majority leadership to let the D's + a few R's vote things through that Trump/House are for, while the rest of the R take a "principled stand."
The real problem will remain Trump.
