President Biden’s age And whether he stays or goes It nearly divided Democrats this summer.
In fact The president’s decision to bow before and give opportunities to other applicants Including Vice President Kamala Harris, there is a chance to run for the Oval Office. It may be possible to salvage the party’s elections.
Separation between old and new And the party’s direction is threatening to drive a wedge through the Democratic coalition. In fact, the race between Sen. Jerry Connolly, D-Va., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., does. Serving as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee represents a microcosm of that melee.
Connolly, 74, who is recovering from esophageal cancer Beating Ocasio-Cortez, 35, in a high-profile Democratic primary recently, the panel’s ranking Democrat will duel daily with Speaker James Comer. R-Ky Oversight Committee Connolly is also expected to serve as the party’s attack dog due to its tangle with the incoming Trump administration.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., lacked a bid to lead her party on the House Oversight Committee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Comer is rooting for Ocasio-Cortez He knew that selecting her would help expand her position in the direction of the party.
“I hope they put her there because she symbolizes what the Democrats stand for. She is a socialist She was the architect of the Green New Deal in the House,” Comer said.
It is the choice of the Democrat generation.
Youth and experience
But what about the future of the party?
Ocasio-Cortez is a symbol of a progressive movement She is one of the most high-powered stars in Congress. Even if sometimes it is a lightning rod.
The party wants to influence liberals like Ocasio-Cortez. Will that be reflected in left-leaning, culturally diverse districts like Jackson Heights and College Point, New York? Or figure out how to talk to large numbers of voters and even moderate Democrats in Omaha, Nebraska, parts of Ohio and the Dakotas?
It wasn’t that long ago that Democrats represented many of these places. All North and South Dakota delegations include the House of Representatives and the Senate. Made up of Democrats, former Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., are political icons in the Cornhusker State. Ohio is a presidential swing state.
Connolly is not a Democrat. But he lacks the political charisma of Ocasio-Cortez. That’s not a good thing or a bad thing. Connolly is a working man. He is a serious legislator with a quick mind and can speak one-on-one with the best of them verbally in a committee meeting or in parliament.
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The question is: Is the House of Representatives making progressives active again? Are they once again hiding their youth and strength?
Not clear.
Ocasio-Cortez’s victory could be a sign that Democrats are shifting left. That is one of the party’s problems in the election. But when it comes to “youth” and “turning the page” in the party, few have more currency on the matter than outgoing Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., in part. of the Democratic establishment angered Phillips when he challenged President Biden at the party. Now Phillips is retiring from Congress.
“It is time to elevate the best and brightest. We have prevented them from reaching leadership positions. Which means they will go somewhere else,” Phillips lamented. “And when we lose that kind of talent of ambitious, talented, patriotic young Americans, we are in trouble.”
Democrats are trying to figure out where they will end up after a brutal election loss. The path to rebuilding a viable coalition is a challenging one. Especially after President Donald Trump figured out how to expand the GOP base and lure disaffected voters in his direction.
“It is clear that the Democratic caucus cares about the people who have been here for a long time,” Phillips said. along with criticizing the party for not recruiting He said that Democrats They “will continue to lose” if they don’t “open their minds” to younger voters.
For his part, Connolly argued that the old versus young debate was “The false, straightforward narrative presented by the media”
But even if Connolly wins The party also elected several younger lawmakers. (And remember, “younger” is a relative term when referring to Congress.) To serve as a senior member on a number of committees.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who was 77 years old, resigned from his position as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. to support cheerful 62-year-old Representative Jamie Raskin, D-M.D. Raskin recently recovered from lymphoma.
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Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., 78, has been out of cancer for nearly a year. Grijalva serves as the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He resigned from that position while 60-year-old Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., defeated a newcomer to Congress — 45-year-old Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., — to serve as the panel’s top member. Consider such
“Only in Congress would I get to 60,” Huffman quipped. “It’s like the fountain of youth.”
Like Grijalva, 79-year-old Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., has been absent from work intermittently. in the past year due to health problems He is the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. Scott refuses to step down. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., 72, and 52-year-old Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., challenged Scott as Democrats clashed over age and experience.
“I don’t know if it’s a clash,” Costa said before the vote. “We have a great group of Democrats in the Democratic Party. Elected members of the most recent class But of course we have experience. Great experience and a stable throne.”
The younger Craig beat out both Scott and Costa to claim the agricultural rankings title.
After his victory, Craig didn’t stress his age. Instead, she addresses political practice.
“Democrats overall are not connected to rural communities. That’s what we can do in my district. I represent a D-plus one district and I just received about 14 percent,” Craig said.
In other words Her district in southeastern Minnesota nominally supports Democrats. But moderate Craig beat her opponent.
“(When) we show up, we listen to people. And they know that we care about them and their lives,” Craig said. “And I think the Democratic Party needs to do more of that, showing up, listening, and making sure that people know that they care.”
As Democrats sorted out committee leaders, you actually saw 78-year-old Sen. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, near the Capitol steps.
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Kaptur is in many ways an anomaly within the Congress.
First elected in 1982, Kaptur is the longest-serving woman in parliamentary history. She is a pro-life Democrat. And even though she is senior and anyone can argue about her gender. But Kaptur has never chaired or served as the top Democrat on any House committee.
Mostly because of her stance on abortion. But Kaptur’s experience and the experience of Ocasio-Cortez Make this debate a comprehensive one. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., supports Connolly over the New York Democrat. And for years, Kaptur insisted that the powerful Pelosi blocked her ascension as well.
“In the case of the Appropriations Committee The people elected to my party tend to come from the coast,” Kaptur noted. It said it took her a decade to get a slot on the allocation list. “I have to beat Nancy. Pelosi to do so using about five ballots. I began to understand how this organization called the functions of Parliament.”
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. It’s one of the former Democratic security officials supporting Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Kaptur said the top Democrat on the committee “All from the coast. They are not from our American region.”
Kaptur believes the party must focus on It’s a “bread and butter issue at home” if they’re going to reclaim the voters President Trump scored in November.
“The president-elect was right when he talked about prices when he went to McDonald’s. It is where most of my people work and eat,” Kaptur said.
She added that Trump’s garbage truck ride sealed the deal with working class Americans.
“He artistically defined their situation,” Kaptur said.
This characterization from Kaptur distills the essence of all presidential races. It explains many of the reasons why Trump won. It underscores how struggling Democrats are to talk to. “Working class” Americans and people living in the middle of the country
The tug-of-war will continue for Democrats as moderates and progressives. Including newcomers and old guards. that will destroy the future of the party
But it’s hard to argue with Kaptur, both from his electoral and political experience. She won re-election in a state run by Trump. That’s not even mentioning Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who also won statewide.
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When it comes to selecting positions on important committees, Democrats have ignored lawmakers like Kaptur and shut them out. Ocasio-Cortez loses to Connolly, Raskin, Huffman and Craig are now the top Democrats on several committees. It is a mixture of young members. But it focuses more on practice. Does it mean Democrats got the message? unnecessary.
Please check back in six months to see if these maneuvers represent major course corrections.
