Several far-left figures in the media are upset that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost her bid to become the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly defeated Ocasio-Cortez in a vote taken by the Democratic caucus on Tuesday by a margin of 131-84. The day prior, the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee voted for Connolly over Ocasio-Cortez by a margin of 34-27.
As noted by Mediaite, several Democrats and progressives whined about House Democrats’ decision.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid reacted to the loss by declaring that “At this point almost nothing the Democratic Party does makes any damned sense. They are hanging onto their gerontocracy and consultant class at the expense of their most loyal voters. And let’s just be clear, they’ll be fine while our communities pay the price.”
Progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen said, “Democrats refuse to learn their lesson. Refuse to take generational change seriously. Refuse to spotlight the party’s most effective communicators.”
Pod Save America‘s Dan Pfeiffer concurred, submitting, “Valuing seniority over political and messaging chops is exactly how Democrats got into this mess in the first place.”
Another left-wing podcaster, Matt Lech, responded to Pfeiffer’s tweet by declaring, “It is maliciously misleading people to say this is about ‘seniority,’ which was not determinative last time. Are we gonna grow the fuck up and confront this blatant corruption here or just shadowbox.”
The Democrats’ largest caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, supported Connolly for Oversight ranking member before Friday’s vote.
“New Dems are proud to endorse our colleague, friend, and fellow New Dem Rep. Gerry Connolly for Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Rep. Connolly is a strong and talented communicator and a dedicated workhorse prepared to expertly lead the committee in defending our Democratic priorities and standing up to the Trump administration’s extremist actions. He is the right choice to advance the interests of our full caucus,” the caucus said in a statement.
“Throughout his sixteen years on the Committee, Rep. Connolly has been a courageous and formidable force fighting against extremist GOP conspiracy theories and advancing thoughtful, commonsense legislation. As we prepare for the new Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, the Oversight Committee Democrats will play a critical role in protecting our democratic institutions and pushing back on bad faith actors. We are fully confident that Rep. Connolly will lead the committee with a no-nonsense approach and a steady hand,” the statement added.
Ocasio-Cortez’s bid was being deliberately thwarted by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to a report published by Punchbowl News.
“Pelosi is making calls on behalf of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who is running against AOC to be ranking member of Oversight,” the publication wrote. “Pelosi has made her support for Connolly publicly known. But her behind-the-scenes maneuvering shows the amount of political capital Pelosi’s willing to put into the contest, which will be decided next week.”
From Punchbowl News’ newsletter: “Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively working to tank Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Pelosi is making calls on behalf of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who is running against AOC to be ranking member of Oversight. Pelosi has made her support for Connolly publicly known. But her behind-the-scenes maneuvering shows the amount of political capital Pelosi’s willing to put into the contest, which will be decided next week.”
Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez have been feuding for many years.
Ocasio-Cortez participated in a sit-in protest in Pelosi’s office in 2018, which sparked a long-running conflict between the young, progressive lawmaker and Pelosi.
Ocasio-Cortez had cause to rejoice when Pelosi resigned as head of the Democratic caucus, according to a book written by left-wing writer Ryan Grim last year.
“I thought a lot of my misery was due to leadership more broadly having a thing against me. But … my life has completely transformed. It’s crazy. And it’s that that made me realize it was kind of just [Pelosi] the whole time,” she told Grim.
