Never one to skirt controversy, especially when it comes to criticizing her own party, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared her blunt opinion on the Democratic leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer. During an interview for the Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill podcast, AOC made it clear that it’s time for Pelosi and Schumer to go and make room for younger, more progressive leadership. However, AOC acknowledges that no such candidates exist at the time, which she blames on the Democratic Party as a whole for failing to groom “the next generation.” Via The Intercept:
“A lot of this is not just about these two personalities, but also about the structural shifts that these two personalities have led in their time in leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The structural shifts of power in the House, both in process and rule, to concentrate power in party leadership of both parties, frankly, but in Democratic Party leadership to such a degree that an individual member has far less power than they did 30, 40, 50 years ago.”
While AOC is pragmatic about abruptly replacing Pelosi and Schumer without a plan, citing a vacuum that “nefarious forces” could fill with “something even worse,” she made it clear that this is not about making herself the Speaker of the House. “The House is extraordinarily complex and I’m not ready,” AOC told Scahill. “It can’t be me. I know that I couldn’t do that job.”
AOC also leveled criticism at President-Elect Biden for bringing in “hawkish” members from the Obama administration. While the former president is a beloved figure in Democratic circles, AOC hasn’t been shy about criticizing Obama. She recently pushed back at his criticisms of the controversial “Defund the Police” slogan by arguing that making people “uncomfortable” is what led to increased attention towards police reform.
(Via The Intercept)