With Democrats out of power in the House, the number of leadership positions has been reduced. The old leadership was:

Speaker: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Majority Whip: James Clyburn (D-SC)

Well, the speakership position is no longer open to Democrats. So the leadership has to shift downward. We already know that Pelosi is seeking the minority leader post, and she’ll probably win that race. The Democratic caucus is smaller but further left, and they’re more than happy to keep the toxic politician responsible for their minority status.

So that leaves the minority whip position for her second-in-command, Steny Hoyer. Right? Well, yes, but the majority whip post is currently inhabited by Clyburn, and he’s not going silently into the night. That has left Hoyer and Clyburn competing against one another for the same position. And that could mean trouble for Hoyer.

Clyburn has the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, and removing the black guy from the House leadership isn’t the imagery Democrats want right now. As things are going, Democrats will need to turnout the minority vote in numbers similar to 2008 in order to win in 2012. Hoyer could get thrown under the bus, with the minority whip position going to Clyburn.

That leaves Steny Hoyer, current Majority Leader, out of the next Democratic leadership.