It has been rumored for years that there is no love lost between former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). While they are both Democrats, Pelosi represents the Democrat establishment, while Ocasio-Cortez is a proud member of the far-left faction of the party.
In the wake of Democrats’ Election Day debacle last month, which saw them lose control of the presidency, the House, and the Senate, liberal lawmakers have been pointing fingers at one another as they try to figure out who is to blame. It seems that Pelosi may think that it’s the radical left who turned off the majority of American voters.
That’s likely why she decided to step in when she heard that Ocasio-Cortez had her sights on a powerful Democrat position. Unfortunately for Ocasio-Cortez, however, Pelosi wasn’t about to let that happen.
From Daily Wire:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s (D-NY) bid to become the most powerful Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee took a fatal blow Monday after the party’s steering committee selected Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) over the progressive “Squad” member.The Democrats’ steering committee selected Connolly, who had the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), over Ocasio-Cortez during its meeting Monday evening, according to reports.
Connolly has served 16 years on the Oversight Committee, but his candidacy faced concerns due to his recent cancer diagnosis. House Democrats have also been reckoning with the party’s 2024 losses, sparking a movement to usher fresh voices such as Ocasio-Cortez into Democratic leadership.
As she tried to get this position, Ocasio-Cortez had the support of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Meanwhile, the New Democrat Coalition was backing Connolly, as was Pelosi.
Pelosi suffered a major setback over the weekend when she fractured her hip in a fall. Despite this, she was still rumored to be whipping up votes for Connolly. That goes to show just how desperate Pelosi was to ensure that Ocasio-Cortez wouldn’t obtain a position of power in the Democratic Party.
Pelosi And AOC’s History
The rumored tension between these two Democrat lawmakers goes back to 2018, when Ocasio-Cortez was first elected to Congress. Her win came as a surprise at the time, likely even to Pelosi. Indeed, Ocasio-Cortez defeated a powerful Democrat incumbent who was considered to be a member of his party’s establishment.
In October 2018, Ocasio-Cortez joined protesters in storming Pelosi’s office, demanding that she take action on climate change. This undoubtedly got things off on the wrong foot when it came to Ocasio-Cortez building a bond with Pelosi. Last week, far-left journalist David Dayen suggested that Pelosi could be trying to stop Ocasio-Cortez from obtaining this position because she’s holding a grudge.
“Pelosi can’t stop being a puppet master,” Dayen argued. “It is so infantilizing to the House leadership to have a B team of octogenarians scheming behind their backs and aiming directly at their most promising young talent. (Because AOC once showed up to a protest? Is that what this is about?).”
Does Pelosi See AOC As A Threat To Democrats?
A potential grudge could be part of Pelosi’s reasoning here. However, it’s more likely that Pelosi sees the threat a radical liberal like Ocasio-Cortez poses to the Democratic Party. The results of last month’s election were a clear referendum on the entire Democratic Party and its woke agenda. The American people let it be known that they have had enough of the far-left, and Pelosi has taken notice.
In the end, Pelosi working so hard to stop Ocasio-Cortez from achieving more power could be an indication of where the Democratic Party is headed in the years to come. It could also suggest that this is only the beginning of a potential Civil War within the Democratic Party. All the rest of us can do is get out our popcorn and watch. This is shaping up to be quite a show!
Key Takeaways:
- Ocasio-Cortez fails to become ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
- Pelosi-backed Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) was selected instead.
- There’s rumored to be no love lost between Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, X