I suspect Neera, et al, respond to criticism of Pelosi by trying to change the subject because they know her record won’t really withstand scrutiny. The last few years have been constant screwups and missed opportunities, and they want to keep any deeper analysis at bay.

I think some Pelosi allies know that all it takes is one mainstream reporter to write a contrarian take, arguing that Pelosi’s been ineffective at holding together the party and opposing Trump, and it opens the door to a bunch of questions they don’t really have answers to.

Worse still, there’s really not a lot of evidence to the widely accepted notion that Pelosi somehow maneuvered Dems to the 2018 midterm victory - they were leading by even more in 2017, after all. Questioning that idea attacks the root of her influence, though. Can’t be allowed.