The Speaker and "The Squad": Pelosi and Progressives Box Over Ideological Differences and Public Criticisms
By Aaron Kershaw
“The Squad” From top left to bottom left clockwise: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). (Collage Aaron Kershaw/Google Images
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi soundly criticized the four liberal freshman Democrats known as “the squad” on Capitol Hill this week for their public remarks demanding more progressive policy positions of their moderate Democratic colleagues.
“You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it. But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is okay,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said.”
This recent spat within the Democratic Party comes in the wake of “the squad” (Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar) voting against the Senate’s $4.59 billion border funding bill in late June. The team of young progressives were the only House Democrats who expressed concerns that poor conditions in the border’s detention facilities for those illegally crossing the border or legally requesting asylum were not progressive enough.
While Pelosi did not name any of the woman, Pelosi’s on record dismissals of the Democratic Party’s newcomers in the past made the connection seem clear to freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.).
Image from @AOC via Twitter
Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Post, “When the comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the progressive flank at more of an arm’s distance in order to protect more moderate members”. She continued, “But the persistent singling out… it got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful”.
On Monday, AOC used Twitter to list a few of the Speaker’s dismissive comments about her and other progressives. In one comment in particular, Pelosi said “a glass of water” with a “D” on it could’ve won AOC’s district seat.
Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet seemed to point out the hypocrisy shown by the Speaker to publicly criticize and dismiss the more progressive wing of the party.
“It’s really just pointing out the pattern, right? We’re not talking about just progressives, it’s signaling out four individuals,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN.
EDITOR’S OPINION
Nancy Pelosi currently stands as the Speaker of the House Democrats and the most powerful woman in American politics. Pelosi’s political cunning and strength is admired and feared, but that fear does not extend to the four young Congresswomen known as “the squad”.
Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Tlaib became members of congress largely by supporting the progressive policies spearheaded by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the 2016 Presidential Primary. The philosophical differences between Sanders and Pelosi are well-documented, which makes a clash between his political act-alikes and Pelosi unsurprising.
Ultimately, I believe Speaker Pelosi wants the American people to see these new progressive policies as the new fad in mainstream politics. However, she knows that the only way to make these “fad” political positions disappear is by dismissing the politicians who support them.
If Ocasio-Cortez loses her in district, she will likely be replaced by another Democrat, so Pelosi has no problem taking her to task. What Pelosi is revealing is that she believes “the squad” is shaping the perception of the Democratic Party in a manner less politically expedient in southern and midwestern conservative leaning districts. Pelosi’s goal is to keep a Democratic majority at all cost, and yes that means costing “the squad” their seats in Congress.
-Aaron Kershaw
