I have seen the Democratic party tear itself apart many times before and I have no patience for those who threaten to do so now. I want party leaders who are experienced, measured, calm, patient and able to work collaboratively with others. That's Nancy Pelosi. What I do not want are inexperienced, immature, intemperate, impulsive, recalcitrant insurgents and truculent seekers of the perpetual flame.
The major contributions made by Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Talib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Presley to the party to date has been to 1. label themselves and by extension the rest of us, as "Socialists"; 2. stage a pointless protest in Speaker Pelosi's office 3. threaten to primary any Democrats who disagree with them 4. Alienate millions of both parties with inflammatory comments about Israel and Jews, 5. Circulate an aspirational sketch, label it the "Green New Deal" and tee it up for McConnell to use as a punching bag anytime he feels like kicking his dog, and 6. announce on the day they were sworn in that their first objective was to, "IMPEACH THE MOTHERFUCKER."
All this has served to divide the party and alienate half the country at a time when we need unity above all else. In their latest brilliant move, they have now dubbed themselves, "The Squad." How very clever. It's not as colorful as "The Tea Party" but it will have the same effect - split the party and set us up as easy targets for Trump and the far right. Our presidential candidates are already doing a fine job handing Republicans issues to hammer us with. The last thing we need is for a bunch of self-styled, radical rookies to finish the job. If they do, we can look forward to ceaseless and useless Trump Twitter Clatter when Cortes assumes the role of ineffectual Minority Leader.
File under: How Many Ways Can Dems Find to Blow an Election?
Maureen Dowd on the Speaker they call Madame. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/opinion/sunday/nancy-pelosi-pride-parade.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer
