I’m not sure of the new nominee, really like her youth and freshness but the socialist ideas are a bit extreme for America - even NYC. Remember, she has to get elected. Crowley may have been the better chance for the Dems. Nevertheless, Pelosi and her other almost septuagenarian lieutenants need to go if the the Dems want to become viable. I mean this is so obvious it doesn’t need repeating. The new nominee’s chief contribution was to underline this need for party rejuvenation.
1
The victory by 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over Representative Joseph Crowley, in New York’s 14th Congressional District’s Democratic primary, which Trump tweeted as though Crowley’s bad news was good news for him, is actually the leading edge of a Sword of Damocles which threatens to bring an end to “establishment” politics and Republican facism and extremist conservatism in America—she is also the voice of Donald Trump’s siren song.
Ocasio-Cortez, an energetic, smart, attractive and charismatic member of her young generation, is the voice of the future, and the future belongs to the young, from the kids just reaching voting age for whom the resistance of the parties to banning assault weapons is enough reason to oust them, to those straddled with college debt and whose families are victims of Republican-supported social and economic inequality, who also hold the establishment politics and Trump to blame; to the growing bloc of Latino youth who are repulsed by not only the failure of the parties to fix immigration, but sickened by the treatment of the Dreamers, who they consider part of them, and immigrants in general, and are ready to join with the women’s movement and the youth of their generation to make change that’s both meaningful and long-lasting.
Ocasio-Cortez will energize these and more young people to vote and take interest in political activism, and that is bad news for the entrenched, self-serving political parties and very good news for America.
2
Nancy, and Chuck, are very good at what they do. But they've let the Rs define them without punching back.
Bill Clinton's Ds had a "Rapid Response Team" that.. responded, in real time.
1
I am sick and tired of reading that Nancy Pelosi is a polarizing figure. The Republicans have demonized her for at least twenty years. Since when does the GOP get to decide who will lead the Democrats? They are already controlling enough with minority of the votes. The Dems should keep her in her position if only to prevent the GOP from driving her out.
1
Pelosi wasn't being defensive; she was being factual and pushing back against the fake news that there is turmoil in the Democratic Party. She ALSO told the reporter she was not going to let the Republicans define the Democrats.
This fake news started with the Russia-Wiki Leaks hacking of DNC emails in 2016 and the MSM has been doing the work of Putin ever since as it looks for ANY excuse to claim there is civil war in the Democratic Party.
Look at it this way, if having a 40-something in charge of the caucus gives us the "unity" we saw yesterday in the GOP caucus when over 100 of its own members voted against its own leadership's immigration bill after being flip flopped repeatedly by their President, then I'll take a bunch of experienced 70+ year olds any day.
And I will also wait for the MSM's fair and balanced article on the ages of those in the GOP leadership.
Crickets on that one.
1
It is time for the democratic “torch” to be passed to a new generation of democratic leaders. For the good of the party, for the good of our country and if we want to take back control of Congress it is time to look to the future. Nancy Pelosi resign.
1
We're tired of the status quo. We're sick of our leaders playing favorites with Wall Street. We want real change. We want leaders who aren't afraid to tell corporations and the wealthy that they need to get their money out of tax havens and bring it here so we can tax it as required by law. We want leaders who will punish those who do not, and not a slap on the wrist, I’m talking bank account seizures and extremely high fines (in the millions). We want to see banks fail when they overreach their power and act above the law, not get bailed out. We want our unions back, and we want to build a wall between business and politics. We want our retirements guaranteed, and healthcare for all. We want to separate money from lobbying. This isn’t anything new and it isn’t even extreme. It’s the standard in most first-world countries, and the current Democratic leaders are not delivering. So it’s time for you to take a back seat to the new generation. Give us the ball, we’ll hit the game winner.
4
in a discussion yesterday with a proud immigrant close to becoming a citizen and who knows that #Trump must go and voting is a citizen's duty, I was told minority groups respond best to community leaders telling them the importance of voting, urging them to vote, Blacks, Latinos, teachers, reverands, pastors, etc. It is also important for candidates to have charisma, like Oprah and Barack. So there you have one proud minority opinion which way to go, Democrats. Best try something better than failure to object to 2000 election, no nuclear option on Supreme Court, and polite parlor room politics I think. with guidance, maybe. But different. And asap.
Isn't it a bit inconsistent for the party of political correctness to be pondering whether it is time to replace its old leaders with a "new generation". Or is ageism no longer one of the isms that make Democrats indignant?
The issue is not generational but ideological. A ninety year old progressive is preferable to young allies of the Clintons. The less old of the two candidates in the party's 2016 presidential nomination contest won. And look where that got us.
1
Yes it is time. The Democratic leadership is looking like Brezhnev's politburo. Not that I have anything against old people, I am one. But at every level of power the Democrats are in retreat. Jeezus the Kochs are even putting money into defeating municipal public transportation initiatives.
Can we REALLY say that Pelosi and her aging leadership are the best people to defend what's left of the New Deal and Great Society?
2
Without a doubt, Pelosi has been a prolific leader of her caucus. She can whip the votes and get legislation over the line. She has always known her folks and their views. I also believe she knows that is is in fact time to turn over the gavel, but right now, her fundraising ability (the best going) and helping downstream and out of her state Dems has helped elect many of the younger folks. But the Democratic voting citizens, including myself) do not think Pelosi nor Schumer (esp. Chucky) represent the party. But it would not be wise to put yourself out there for 2020 just yet either. Right now, the strategy is vote blue and thankfully there are plenty of fresh faces to choose from.
1
The problem isn't age. The problem is the relationship between "establishment" Democrats, who dominate party leadership, and big finance. They colluded with Republicans in weakening of the middle class and allowing corporate interests to exploit working people. The Democratic party can no longer afford to continue moving right and it must break its addiction to corporate money.
5
Take away political gerrymandering (by both parties), create a parliamentary government where more than two stale, staid parties can exert influence on national policies, eliminate the President-as-Emperor version of an executive branch, and perhaps this country can survive and prosper. Continue to worship our defective existing system and we're slowly going to slide into oblivion.
4
It looks like the Democrats have nothing learned from the Hillary Clinton disaster. If you don't change your leadership now you will lose the mid term elections AND the next main elections to Trump and friends.
If anybody thinks they have the mid term elections in their pocket, there wrong.
4
Goodbye, Nancy Pelosi. Enough is enough!
-----------------------------------------------------
Not only do we need new Democratic leadership, we need new ideas that work, to combat Trump and the Right.
I suggest that Democrats hold idea contests to get better strategies to win elections and to lead the nation, with sanity.
Trump is still trumping the Democrats, big time. So, let's invite new people and better ideas to revive the two party process. now...
5
Ted Lieu, my brilliant, witty, honorable congressman, is the obvious choice. And he is the only who can beat that guy in the White House on twitter.
2
Always thought myself a Democrat. Those who represent us have lost the trust with bumblings, incompetence and just being lazy. GOP runs circles around Dems crying foul? Real Democrats pull up their bootstraps and persevere, not those who represent us with justice for all that never happens. Pelosi is too comfortable and old. Ocasio-Cortez states the obvious, people against money. Chuck is all talk and sings the Blues. Stop crying and do something that makes a difference.
2
The Democrats should consider hiring Mitch McConnell. He appears to know how to make things happen.
2
yes, the era of “republican light” is over ! the democrats shoved HRC down everyone’s throats and did not foster a democratic primary process and it begat trump ! i place the blame of thevtrump presidency solely at the feet of a democratic leadership that steered the party to equate a republcanism of the 1970’s. kudos to cortez and her district !
3
It is the time of the DNC's reckoning for it's disingenuous "Presidential Primaries" of 2016. And the Democrats should look on the positive side of Trump in that he served as the harbinger for the MeToo movement. And, possibly serves as a catalyst for peace on the Korean peninsula and the middle east with the moniker of. "y'all think your leader crazy!? Look what we bringing to the table!" But, that will hopefully come to an end in the 2018 elections and perhaps this is sign that others will take elections seriously and not give in to the machine politics. Perhaps this will cause those who have forsaken political office due to it's poor reputation of the members who have made it an occupation and not a calling, to aspire to take up the cause of the citizenry and lead.
2
Wrong Nancy - two out of three IS bad. We need new younger leadership.
In the words of my generation:
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled...
... For the times they are a-changin'.
The Dem party lost its way in 1968 when it ignored the children of America in favor of Johnson's geezerly cronies. It is happening again. Time for establishment Dems to hand it over to the young, and to support them from behind the scenes.
It's our grandchildren's country now.
3
That Pelosi refuses to go gracefully invites another Republican rout. But these old wealthy Democrats party chiefs are no more interested in the health or welfare of the rest of us than they are relinquishing their fragile hold on power. And while in power they are doing an absolutely horrible job while being paid quite handsomely for it. Let's get rid of them! We learned our lesson the hard way in 2014 and 2016 when the party sold itself to the Clintons for little more than a song which ushered in the current shameful era. I'm an old guy myself and trust young inexperienced idealists far more than these ossified old cronies and crooks.
2
I can feel the swamp draining this time for real. Pelosi is 78, Waters 80. It is time for them to STEP DOWN and make room for others. McConnel is 76. It is TIME to step out. Why oh why do these people stay in the halls of power? GO home, enjoy what is left of your life. Don't become a Strom Thurmond. Younger representatives bring a fresh perspective not a surgery enhanced surprised look on their face. Oh wait, we were not supposed to notice that Pelosi cannot close her eyes. People prove again they are ridiculous. Congratulations to this young latina woman!! All the best to you!!!
2
I’ve always been a Democrat. I don’t support either Ms. Pelosi or Ms. Ortega-Cortez. I find Ms. Pelosi’s machinations during the last election repugnant, and it appears she is not in touch or maybe interested in what matters to today’s voters. Ms. Ortega-Cortez is racist, ageist, and inexperienced. Surely, the Democrats can do better?
1
Under this crew the Democratic party (of which I am a life-long member) has overseen a decimation of our political power in the courts, legislative bodies, and the White House. Even when a Democratic gets voted in, he or she is blocked by a very effective Republican political machine.
And, what is their response now? Why, to lecture us on the necessity of "civility" . . . god help us, we're facing a political holocaust via an army of faceless insurgent bureaucrats from the bowels of the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society and our "leaders" are consulting Miss Manners.
I'm coming to the conclusion that these folks --as many good intentions as they may have-- are NOT the people that will lead us out of the Age of Trump. I'm fully prepared for Republicans to hold their majority in Congress and Trump to win re-election. What we need to be working on now are leaders for the long game of organizing a counter-revolution that will take a decade or more to succeed.
Next up: Gut Social Security and Medicare and then move on to overturning Roe v Wade.
4
Hey Congress Lifers . . . we're voting you out. Wake up or pack up.
4
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a smart, well-spoken, passionate young woman and our Congress is certainly due for more of the same so this is something to celebrate. But let's not use this moment to point to divisions in the Democratic Party because whatever divisions exist are really quite small. The goals are the same, or at least similar - though the method of reaching those goals differ in how radical the approach. While some of her ideas and those of the Bernie wing of the party are unrealistic in the short term, they are certainly worth working toward as we move how governance and economic success should proceed in the 21st century. It will take some time to unwind the damage of the Trump effect, particularly on the environment, government revenue, and reversals in protections for workers, consumers, minorities and women. I would love to see the energy of youth and the wisdom of seasoned Congress members working together to move the country forward. While offering "FREE" stuff is a problem, both for fiscal minded voters as well as the age old problem of how to pay for it...but the focus should be to make things like college, health care, and living wage jobs accessible and affordable to ALL Americans.
1
I think that it's clearly a confluence of factors and that she is progressive is only a small part of the story. It is a generational transition thing and a congressman who wasn't perceived as a reflection of or responsive to, his constituents. So, I think that this should be a wake up call for the Democratic establishment that it's time for some fresh faces. I don't see this as necessarily a harbinger of a liberal blue wave.
I'm a Gen Xer, caught between the boomer generation that is clinging on to power and the millennials who are trying to seize it. Count me in with the young ones. I like what they have to say, and the boomers have not given any signal that they are open to listening, changing or including.
And I'm a feminist voter, but I believe that its Pelosi's time to go. Usually I recoil when folks tell older women to stand aside, but this case is different. She has had the top job for a really long time.
8
"Step aside" is the wrongest possible way to frame the situation.
One of the known and consistent characteristics of many millennials (ask anyone who has employed them) is a total lack of comprehension of the words "expert" and "expertise". Few of them have experienced working with a real "master" of any skill; don't know they exist, nor how vast the difference is between the apprentice and the master.
Disaster awaits any enterprise suddenly entirely in the hands of the apprentices.
The Old Guard needs to actively bring the best whippersnappers inside, and teach. That's the only way the whippersnappers ever understand how much more the masters actually KNOW.
The youngsters always think what the elders know is no longer relevant in "today's world" , and throughout all history - and prehistory, for that matter, they are always wrong.
1
There should be term limits for each branch of the government. 2 terms for each branch, would still enable someone who wanted a career in public service to serve 2 terms in the House and then run for 2 terms in the Senate, and then 2 terms as vp or president. Supremes get a two term limit as well. This would open up positions for younger people with fresh ideas. Someone in the Senate, who has been there for 40/50 years cannot possibly relate to, nor understand what life is like in this country for someone in their 20s/30s.
3
Look, we are in a time of absolute crisis. The nation's small "d" democratic system is absolutely at risk. In these circumstances we need to think about today, not reward past services. Right now, Pelosi is a liability for the party in swing districts. Anyone can see that. Pelosi's unwillingness to step aside in these circumstances - to do a service to her party and her country - is not unexpected, but it is intensely frustrating.
12
Can it be that the Dems are actually in more disarray than GOP? Seems it. Bernie Sanders socialism is causing a civil war for Dems. Same way Tea Party did for GOP. The socialists will make crazy leftist demands that have no chance in passing holding up the party, same way Tea Party did to GOP to the right.
2
I'm completely unable to understand what is wrong about Nancy Pelosi. Is she not progressive enough, not centrist enough, not conservative enough? News stories just don't routinely mention anything more specific about her than she's "a member of the establishment." Tell us why Democrats might want to replace her, please.
2
Does it really matter why no one likes Pelosi? The only thing that matters is that Democrat voters are voicing a vote of no confidence in her leadership. We've gotten nowhere under her many years of leadership, except a lot of compromises that benefit ONLY Republicans. It's time for her to go.
2
Once again I fear that Democrats are entrusting their future to a political neophyte.
1
Yes, this is a concern, but nobody really expects Ocasio-Cortez to take the helm and change everything. She's more of a bellwether.
1
A struggle for power within the party or a struggle for a more responsive and electable party? Unclear.
3
All Ms. Pelosi had to do was gracefully congratulate the winner of this primary, but she couldn't manage that due to fears of her own shelf-life.
7
Crowley should have his family live in the district he represents, not in Washington and they should attend public schools.
He should have been riding the subway like most of his constituents.
Thanks to Crowley's cluelessness, Ocasio-Cortez had a low bar to breach.
That Crowley could have risen in the fourth-ranking House Democrat despite these major gaffs signifies an overall problem with the Democratic Party (once called "The Party of the People").
From this, Democrats should learn to have your family in your district attending public schools. Take mass transit like most of your constituents.
It was the clueless Democrats without a single Republican vote as part of the ACA that cut funding for Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding meant for hospitals to compensate for uninsured patients. This year, there will be a $5 billion cut that hurts our great public hospitals like Bellevue.
I wonder when was the last time Crowley set foot in Bellevue or other NYC public hospitals and spoke with them about the DSH funding cuts from the Democratic ACA?
The Democrats need to work to rescind the DSH cuts and add more money for community health.
5
Is anyone even considering that this is somewhat of a fluke given the NY location? Do true progressives really play outside of younger/hip cities? People get real there is way too much at stake here. Look at the current situation with court nominees. All you folks who simply could not being yourselves to vote for Hillary now have to look forward to thirty five years of a conservative Supreme Court and Federal Court system. Hope you are satisified.
1
I expect Pelosi and Hoyer to show some patriotism here and retire. Pelosi has become an easy target for R marketers. Both should retie from leadership now. Elect a younger more energetic face and speaker for the issues of today and to be the head of the DEM caucus.
5
Consider the energy swirling about in the leadership questions, policy issues, and candidate possibilities in the D party. Compare to the sclerotic, intellectually bankrupt, morally vacant, and authoritarian mindset of the other one. Yes, short term looks shaky, but look at what's possible and ask yourself, where would you rather be.
Paul Ryan is a pathetic joke. Mitch McConnell redefines craven. Every R in the Congressional leadership is a coward, and while we hear of dissent and significant disagreement with Trump, they have done and will do nothing. Trump, the party, is as unsustainable as a cardboard house on a Florida beach. Let's make the Nov. 6 hurricane a cleansing one.
2
Extremism is sweeping the world. Trump and Sanders are both radicals who reject the democratic traditions of the United States. Ocasio-Cortez shows that more and more of these ultra-leftists and ultra-rightists can be elected.
2
Democratic "leadership"? Certainly not under weak-kneed Schumer.
7
The national Democratic party has been bringing marshmallows to a gunfight with the Republicans. It is up to the New wave of Democrats to put forth those ideas and truths that need to be spoken and drive the electorate to the polls.
9
Regarding talk of purges and deposing Pelosi, I can't see any benefit to discussing this publicly at this point, and possibly some detriment. Dems should do what they are going to do at the time they do it, period. Until then, mouths closed.
What is disappointing about this article is its focus on age, race and gender. When will the Democrats realize that identity politics is a loser issue. In general, people want leadership that unites the country, not cutting it up into special interests groups while alienating others
10
Let's be clear - while I know nothing about Crowley or Ocasio-Cortez, I do know that experience matters: I voted for Obama twice, but my concern was that he was too green, even before I knew that the GOP would employ the non-cooperation strategy that it did, and my concern was borne out in Obama's constantly being battered by the GOP. As for "the new generation of voters", I also recall candidates McGovern and Anderson who were championed by young voters - that did not turn out well. I urge caution.
While a lot of this stuff might sound good to some and scary to others, I urge people of all stripes to look beyond the bumper sticker sentiments and shouting and ideology, and analyze, learn, about the issues and policies that have failed and why, policies that have succeeded and why.
3
Its time for a major shake up of the Democratic Leadership. The debacle of 2016 can be laid at the feet of a lack of imagination. Hillary Clinton should never have been the presidential candidate because of her feckless illegal behavior with her State Dept. emails. Her lack luster campaign and the stunning inability of her campaign to recognize the importance of social media left her wide open to Trump's upset victory. But the Democratic establishment were determined to have her. This shows a clear example of the hide-bound quality of their deliberations.
8
Progressive policies poll consistently in the majority (with some in the 80's and 90's) across all demographics. Taken as a whole, the United States is decisively a Socialist country.
The trick by republicans (over the last 40) years is to offer 2 things only, and win by the slimmest of margins in the electoral colleges. They offer to continuously lower your taxes (debatable) and to offer a wedge social issue that will rile up the base. That's it.
The social wars are for the most part settled, (unless the Supreme Court rolls back human rights, which is a possibility) and taxes cannot be lowered anymore, lest the government itself collapse. (let alone the infrastructure which is crumbling)
Any consistent candidate or anyone in power already, need only be unwavering in true LIBERAL (I emphasize in caps to mean truly Progressive) policies for the most amount of people.
The right is going to label that candidate right away as a Socialist, but those that run away from the moniker will lose, while those that embrace it will win. (as demonstrated)
Simple.
7
Yes exactly.
And they attack everyone they don't like as a socialist. They call moderate Republicans socialists.
Obama governed from the center and they caked him an atheist Muslim Kenyan socialist.
Bill Clinton bent over backwards to appease Republicans with bipartisan legislation they wanted, and still they attacked him constantly.
They don't call people socialist based on their policies. They call people socialists based on the success they have had using that label to hamstring Democratic Party policy.
Letting the threat of being called a socialists by people that call everyone they don't like socialists determine what you say and do is just dumb.
Especially because, in polls socialism and capitalism are basically tied.
2
Here are Pelosi's accomplishments as Speaker of the House.
Instead of allowing Republicans who constantly attack Pelosi to distract us, let's be proud of what Democrats accomplish when they are given the chance to control the agenda in Congress
https://www.democraticleader.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACCOMPLISHME...
https://www.democraticleader.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACCOMPLISHME...
What's scary to me is not that Ocasio-Cortez surprised the mainstream media, but rather that the Democratic Party leadership could be surprised by her success. This tells me that they don't know their own constituents and have learned no lessons from their disastrous failure in the last election. Time is running short to wake up and find the new leadership critical for success in the next round.
25
Democrats, Republicans... The leadership of both parties are out for themselves and could less about the people, period.
Part of being a leader is knowing when to trust the next generation to take the reins.
What we have seen with the Parkland teens and now this new representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who was down 36 points and still beat Crowley by showing up and listening and doing for the people of her district speaks volumes. She is not afraid of an argument.
Not every district will be like hers but there are young people who are stepping up everywhere in ways that are appropriate to their districts. We don't need clones.
11
As a boomer in my 60's who retired in her late 50's, I can say that it's been time for Pelosi to move aside. That Hoyer who speaks to replace her is just as old as she is speaks volumes. I mean no disrespect to age and experience but like everything there is a time and a season. Digging in by the leadership is never good and shows the inability to respond to change, something often associated with age. While it is possible for seniors to keep contributing this is not to say they have to be at the top. One thing I was always conscious of was knowing for myself when to leave - not when others are speculating on when you should. In that sense the Democratic leadership is flatfooted, not visionary and have become comfortable - but that happens when a person has been in leadership positions too long. Move along. It's time.
15
I hope that someone will push for transparency before this president turns over the keys to our democracy to the Russian dictator. I really wish the republican party worked at times like this unfortunately the whole party stinks!
I am a former dyed in the wool Democrat… Stupid Democrat. And now, I feel stupider. But I don’t think I’ll change (It’s not easy to alter stupid).
Leadership? Is that what you call the tiny little committee-like head atop the body of this party? As Will Rogers once said, he wasn't a member of any organized party; he was a democrat.
The democratic 'leadership' has been hapless in confronting the worst president in a century. Longevity explains their current circumstances, not effectiveness, and certainly not attention to problems affecting average Americans. There are decent democrats in office, but the national committee operates like a zombie that can run.
The republicans will be judged harshly for allowing a president to dismantle key institutions, the independence of which keep democracy lurching forward. The democrats will be judged for their ineptitude in watching it happen and not understanding that would-be dictators don't play by the rules.
The rest of us, many of us I presume, dream of a multi-party system with real choices, and legislation that scales back dramatically the corrupting if no criminal role of money in national politics.
12
the Ds are in the minority because they have no leadership and no unified platform.
the idea that this 28 year old woman has upset the 'leadership' is preposterous.
how can you upset something that does not exist?
9
Trump is no leader. He offers to poison the public well.
This young woman is indeed a leader and just proved it by positive action.
Separating parents and children is not "leadership" even if you have followers, sycophants, and cynical players.
1
Trump is a nightmare, but he tapped into bigotry, resentment and vulnerability to crude propaganda. It may not be leadership, but the established democrats have offered incoherence as a response. We need another party, but Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is young, seems smart, and hopefully can function outside of an epistemic beltway bubble.
I do not dislike Nancy Pelosi but I do think that it is long past time to usher in the leaders of tomorrow. Young people, who have the most to lose under this president, need to be given a voice. I am not suggesting that anyone older leave, but I am suggesting that younger house members be fully embraced. They are our future. Baby boomers are our past. They still have valuable contributions to make, but they must also give others a chance at success.
6
Pelosi has been extremely successful. As a career politician, she turned her yearly salary into $58 million dollars, and by American standards, that makes her a hero. It would take a person making the median salary nearly 1000 years to earn that much. 3900 years for a minimum wage worker. Nevermind what she did to fill the coffers as a politician. I'm sure it was in all of our best interests.
***Not that she is any worse than the other money grovelling politicians that fill DC.
6
I like Pelosi and appreciate all she has done for our country. However a new generation of multiethnic leaders will help energize Democratic voters to turn out in future elections.
1
This is so racist against whites, especially white males. I'm afraid this may force some moderates to the Republicans, however sickening that thought may be.
28 year-old's are not ready to run the world.
4
No, it is not racist. At this point, only about a third of Democrats are white males. The party leadership needs to reflect that fact.
Also, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is not going to be part of the leadership, but her election is indicative of the changing party.
Signed, A White Middle Aged Male
1
No one who is actually concerned about racism (as opposed to making excuses for racists) would join the Party of Trump.
Nice try though.
1
We need Democratic politicians who will fight for the working class with the same enthusiasm that Republicans fight for the rich.
We aren't getting that from Schumer, Pelosi, Feinstein and the rest of the Dem dinosaurs. It's no wonder that they spend most of their time blaming the Russians for Trump. Under their aegis, the Democrats have lost both chambers, the Supreme Court and the White House.
We need new ideas and a can-do attitude. All the dinosaurs do is keep telling us that Medicare for all, increased Social Security benefits, a $15 minimum wage - all of these things are impossible. The centrist Dems "no se puede" is what gave us Trump.
2
Regarding the minimum wage...in 2013 Elizabeth Warren correctly pointed out that it should be $22/HR (in 2013) to keep up with productivity.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/elizabeth-warren-minimum-wage_...
If $15/HR ever happens in 2025...the Democrats will claim "Victory"....even though a true living wage will be $30/HR and beyond by then.
All Obama could do with Democrat majorities in both houses is $7.25/HR in 2009....with no annual increase pegged to inflation. The Democrats have failed the working class for 40 years.
1
Although I was born a white male, I no longer identify as such.
And so as an oppressed minority, I feel like it’s high time that we shift the left and the Democratic Party into the hands of leaders like Cortez.
It may hurt to acknowledge this, but the charge that the Democratic Party practices “plantation” style politics is somewhat true, and it’s time for the wealthy white to step aside and hand the reigns over to people like us.
And here’s why. Most white progressives aren’t really good allies. In many cases it seems like white progressives like Pelosi are merely extremely guilty about their privilege, and virtue signaling their way out of it.
But when push comes to shove, and white progressives are actually asked to make a sacrifice and asked to pay more in taxes (protest SALT exemptions going away much?), support fair housing (CA), support free healthcare (CA, VT), open schools to minorities (Stuyvesant), stick up for the Dreamers, or stop calling 911 for the sake of social justice (every gentrified community everywhere), the rich white liberals run for the hills and abandon those of us on the outside.
They’ve done this time and time again. From concern trolling Maxine Waters, to denying open borders, to denying amnesty, to always telling us “we’re not ready yet.” It’s a disgusting lack of backbone and honestly - it shows that their politics is just a fashion statement! Enough! The movement is better off without white liberals. We’ve got this.
1
The old, entrenched members of the Democratic Party are responsible for the despicable act of strong-arming Bernie Sanders to the side in the last national convention, and losing the presidency. They should step aside. I realize Bernie's old too, but he's in touch w young people, and his platform isn't superficial PC nonsense. It's good for the upper-middle class, middle class, and poor, and for the non-selfish rich, for that matter. And he would undoubtedly pick a younger running mate. It's time for a cool change, as some song says.
9
The conundrum for House Democrats (and the Party generally) is that Pelosi is a formidable fundraiser. For years, she has used her position as Speaker to rally Party stalwarts to support House candidates and incumbents. That would be a skill most sensible Democrats would be loathe to lose.
Still, Pelosi is a lightning rod for the Republican right, and she must at least perceive that the mid-terms can't be about her, but about the incredible damage Trump and the idolatrous Republican Party are doing to this nation.
A solution might be for her to state that 2018 will be her last rodeo as Speaker and that even should the Dems gain control of the House, she would defer and to the newly elected Members to elect a Speaker of their own. That way, she can retire gracefully but also effectively by removing herself as a target of the GOP propaganda machine, while also throwing an olive branch to all the new candidates who are within shouting distance of taking back control of not just Congress, but also Trumpistan.
Too much at stake for hubris or pride right now.
6
Ocasio-Cortez just proved again (as did Sanders in 2016) that you don't need "Party Stalwarts" (aka wealthy out-of-touch donors) to win elections.
What good is "formidable fundraising" without a resonating message?
A message that speaks to the 99% coupled with small donations from the millions of inspired voters has proven to be the winning strategy.
I deeply respect Nancy Pelosi and her service to the United States of America. She is an Icon as mother of 5 and a stalwart Speaker of the House. Thank You Nancy.
Being polite and keeping a stiff upper lip is no longer working.
It is time now for progressive leadership and an active, activated response to the growing threat of totalitarian rule. It's time to open the flood gates and trust the people. The democratic establishment has no other choice. If your not with us, you're against us. Let's see if democracy works, its the best chance we have before things get really ugly.
6
Yes a party that is afraid of its own base and tries to keep it hidden and bottled up cannot win.
The sooner, the better. If Stenny and Nancy had the slightest regard for the nation’s welfare they would have done it in 2015.
“Every dog has it’s day.” Theirs is done.
2
“Well, I’m female, I’m progressive — what’s your problem?” - Nancy Pelosi
Dear Nancy,
The problem is that you and the rest of the leadership are more concerned about what you want - to retain power - than you are concerned about what the voters want. You've been telling us what we want for years. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been listening to voters instead of lecturing, and she knows that we aren't interested in Republican Lite. We want infrastructure jobs, education funding, equality for everyone, and science based science and medicine. What we want is for you to 'get it,' and you just don't.
15
Yes time to change. The political system is dysfunctional. No, many older Dems are not the problem but they have out lasted their time. We need younger newer ideas and people not trapped in years of Washington . The Repubs are ruthless and aggressive and are on a mission to make their ideas and policies everyones. Our Democratic folks are helpless for many reasons. We need new folks to battle. Nancy, Diane and the rest are not the answer.
3
I'm a lifelong Democrat who wishes, very much, that Pelosi and Feinstein and Clinton et al would retire from public view. "Two out of three ain't bad"? What an obnoxious statement.
14
This makes me much more confident that the Democratic Party will more accurately reflect the values of the up and coming generation.
1
It is time to swing hard left; there is NO center left.
Hillary and Bill should both be quite they're just greedy fools and hurt they us every time they speak. Clinton's polices screwed the American worker and helped the rich.
Nancy P and her old guard should also retire now and open the door to change. If Nancy is reading this, I would ask her to remember Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changing."
3
I am 65 years old so I am closer to Pelosi, et al than I care to contemplate. I not and have never been a registered member of any political party. I think it is time for the top leaders of the Democratic party to gradually step aside and let new, younger blood come in. They've had their time in the limelight and it's (high) time that the sun start to set on their tenures.
Turmoil is a good thing right now. Since 2009 Democratic Congressional leadership has been complacent and blindered, thinking a few big accomplishments would allow them to coast, and ignoring vast swaths of the country where they felt they could never again have influence, i.e., any state not contiguous with or more than 100 miles away from an ocean or Great Lake. Give Tim Ryan a shot— he has been fighting the electoral battles the Democrats need to fight, and if you want someone old, bring back Howard Dean as party chair, for he has been talking about a 50 state strategy since 2004.
Pelosi and her group may be excellent lawmakers (or not), but without doubt they have been ineffective politicians. For many years, Democrats have viewed Congress as a debate while Republicans view it as a knife fight. And when you show up at a knife fight without a knife...well, we have seen the results. Time for a new generation of leaders to be given a chance. Thanks, Nancy, but Bye-Bye.
12
The current leadership of the Democratic Party, if they are truly interested in the direction of the country and the integrity of the party, must step aside and cultivate a new generation of leadership. Their holding on to power is exactly what is wrong with our politics today. They see the writing on the wall and chose to look the other way into the mirror of themselves and admire what they see rather that the true reality of the the world we live in. The Democratic Party must embrace new young people in positions of leadership and power. This will encourage our young voting people to embrace the New Democratic Party and be a force against the morally corrupt Republican Party. Please Nancy, Chuck and all of you other old leaders, please move aside and embrace the new generation. BTW, I am 63 years old and I realize how important the young are to all of us and the future of our country.
9
To be fair to Pelosi, she is basically being attacked for her age to her face. She is being told in that incident that she is too old to do her job. How would you take that? I'm sure she's well aware she's not gonna be around forever, she doesn't need that pointed out to her so disrespectfully. She's been a loyal Democrat, I don't think she deserves the amount of insults and disrespect she gets from our left flank. I honestly hear progressives attack her far more than they do Trump. I think a lot of us are taking our frustration out in all directions.
2
If our leaders were truly "loyal Democrats" and truly statesmen instead of just politicians, they would have developed and nurtured the next generation of leaders to keep the Democrats strong. BUT THEY HAVEN'T! So it is totally fair to criticize Pelosi and others who are hanging on way too long.
1
I not sure what you mean by hanging on way too long. The voters in her district keep electing her, and if they saw it that way she’d get primary-ed and lose her seat just like this guy in New York.
Ocasio-Cortez won right in Chuck Schumer's backyard, while taking no PAC money. The Senator from Goldman Sachs must be appalled. How soon before he and Nancy Pelosi try to turn her to the dark side?
3
Ms. Pelosi's departure from leadership, should she hopefully choose it, will not detract from her many accomplishments nor need it eliminate her ability to share her wisdom and talents. Nonetheless, she and others are obliged to step aside gracefully and allow competent up-and-coming colleagues to assume responsibility for a new generation of leadership and progress.
The cemteries are full of indispensable men (and women).
5
NYT did not report it, but I saw on the news last night that Ms Ocasio-Cortez made the election about race. She supposedly said a white man should not have the position. If so, this is the identity politics that HC lost on and very divisive. Maybe this works in NYC, but I do not think it works for most of the rest of the country nor do I think we as a nation our served well by making a person's race and gender the campaign issue. It is some irony that the civil rights movement taught us to look beyond race, and now the people who gained from it want to use race to put down others and advance their own agenda.
6
The Ocasio-Cortez victory has nothing to do with age, gender or race. It has everything to do with her message.
It is not complicated. Her message simply resonated with voters. Bernie Sanders (a 76-year-old white male) offered a similar message in 2016 and generated massive amounts of support from individuals of every age, gender or race. Ocasio-Cortez is 48 years younger than Sanders, is not white, and is not male….yet they both garner the support of the same diverse group of individuals.
The NYTimes is promoting a false premise that voters are voting based on whatever “group” the NYTimes wants to put them in.
11
Aw Geez, Dems... stop whining and get your "posteriors" going! This is huge WIN for the party.
Finally, young blood with new ideas and the energy to actually talk to the american people, face to face.
As a senior citizen, I say the vast majority of America is so very tired of the do-nothing, establishment geezers whose only focus is fundraising, fundraising. fundraising.
Dems are equally responsible for this Con Man Trump being in office.
Stop ignoring your constituents. Dump the daily begging for cash phone calls and hold daily town meetings instead! Listen to people in your districts. Then, and only then, can you INSPIRE people to action.
9
We need to inject new energy into the party. Please stay away from identity politics. It is not about the gender or race of the person, it is the person that matters. Does the leader recognize what went wrong so that the country is in Trump’s hands? I mean what went wrong with the Dems. (We must stop blaming Bernie supporters or Trump voters but look at the person in the mirror instead!) Does the leader have proposals for change? And can the leader inspire enthusiasm from others and invite ideas from others? These are my considerations and why I want big change in the party.
4
Older Democrats know their way around Washington and most particularly how to garner huge cash infusions into their campaign chests from rich donors. That perception of Hillary Clinton being in the pocket of Wall Street (likely true) was a big contributor to her downfall.
Secondly, experienced politicians grow weary and arrogant. They already KNOW what they want to do and no longer need the input of the voters. Bernie Sanders hadn't succumbed to that arrogance and was funded largely by independent contributions. Bernie's hard core supporters became "never Hillary" voters and voted for Jill Stein or didn't vote.
Democrats MUST kill those two demons if they wish to win the mid-terms. If incumbents like Crowley and Pelosi had their party at heart and not their private glory, they'd be helping to polish the image of the newcomers, who are in touch with the electorate and not in the pockets of special interests.
11
Leadership? Was there any?
2
They must step aside. This has been obvious for some time.
We have lost every single branch of government. We have lost the statehouses and governorships.
When that happens, the right thing for a leader to do is to put the party before himself and leave.
Even Gingrich did that, but Pelosi refuses to go with grace.
They must also recognize that the future lies in Sanders-style economic populism, not extremist identity politics, which will simply drive white working people into the arms of Trump.
Identity politics divides, while good jobs and fair wages appeal to everyone.
If the best the new generation can come up with is a candidate who advocates the abolition of ICE, we will be the minority party for a long, long time.
15
Interesting comments, here. Some reflect the one-issue flaw. One commenter remarks that Kennedy is an "anti-vaxxer". Some reflect relations to the "working class". Some side with gender issues.
One of the problems is that single issues split the party; regardless if we retain the old guard or have a new one, legislators must keep the party unified in order to progress.
Trump won because of our electoral system and some statistical anomalies, such as his under-attended primary elections. But his anger appealed to the unaffiliated; it drew some new voters. Trump had Fox News to grind his perversity and Russian trolls that manipulated social media.
It is in this context that Dems have to operate; any fracturing of the party due to the ideals of its voters will disadvantage it in the coming elections.
New blood is okay, but it must learn how to unify a party through inevitable compromise. Republicans have the disruptive Freedom Caucus and the Tea Party. It seems counterproductive, but Trump controls that environment because the Republican Party is the lesser educated party.
Dems have to integrate their idealism into a party that appeals to the mainstream voter. An example is gun ownership. Idealism wants to restrict gun ownership in some way, and countries that have restricted guns do better, But we are a nation of gun owners, and it does no good to vilify them. It is a path best moderated.
Dems need visionary, optimistic, not idealistic, leadership.
3
I'm in my mid 60s and can't see why these 70 and 80 somethings can't let go. They have never brought the younger generation along in a reasonable plan for succession. So they are being pushed out. Good. They need to go. This active generation coming up now gives me hope.
25
I feel betrayed by the DNC that their best potential successors to Obama were Clinton, Sanders, or a couple of other old white guys? They had 8 years to groom someone who could inspire us and keep us moving forward, and that was the best they could give us? So incredibly disappointing.
1
And now they appear to be dusting off Biden for 2020.
You know the feeling -- you see someone one who used to be famous and think "Whoa, I thought they were dead! THAT'S how I feel about the Democratic leadership. If politicians like Chuck Schumer spent less time trying to look younger and more time developing the next generation of party leaders we wouldn't be in this mess. And don't get me started on Nancy Pelosi -- I love her, but really, time's up Nancy. The fact that party leadership thought a zombie like Joseph Crowley was going to lead us anywhere is downright scary.
22
It's funny how Democrats keep talking about diversity. Yet the leadership is mostly made of White men age 65 and older.
Voters have to look past this identity politics that is poisoning American democracy and focus solely on what each candidate and party is bringing to the table.
Democrats leader in the House and the Senate ( Schumer & Pelosi) represent the wealthiest district and state in the country. That says more about what Democrats stands for(at least their leadership).
10
The Democrat party leadership is out of touch with its base.
Ding Ding Ding... Wake up call Democrats. The elitist control of the DNC is crumbling underneath the weight of youth voters and candidates. The Schumer, Pelosi, Feinstein, et all controllers of the DNC are ancient dinosaurs drinking from the public trough that is running dry due to the awakening of us whom want more from our government than talking points or division.
Young voters and candidates will save our nation from the cronyism, elitism, and political class opulence that has plagued and diminished our society over the last 40 years.
4
I can't believe Democrats are arguing about identity politics right now. Most people don't care about gender or skin color; they just want a leader. Who is the best person to lead the Democratic party? The general consensus says: Living long enough is not a desired qualification. Having the right connection is decidedly undesirable.
I honestly can't think of another profession where professionals are routinely employed into their late 70s and early 80s. You'll see the irony in Clyburn disabusing a reporter over his late ascendancy while his criticism is simultaneously denying his position to someone younger. Something is wrong if you consider yourself young at 77 for reaching the number three position in Congress. We really need term limits.
I'll add: Greater turnover would grow the talent pool for the diversity in leadership. Clyburn and Pelosi and all the other old guard Democrats are stuck in the "my turn" mindset. That's why the party is stuck. You'll find brown and/or female leaders if you just get out of the way. We're talking about active professionals who were literally alive to see FDR as President. Time to move on.
9
The Democratic Party needs new blood, people whose fighting instincts were honed on internet comment boards, not in tea parties. The current Democratic leaders are so weak and tepid in their push back against GOP depredations that it leaves me wondering if they don't actually agree with the GOP. The GOP is a scourge and it needs to be beaten back with more ferocious firepower than those who are leading the Democratic Party.
6
"young, Latina progressive"
Music to my ears.
1
It's true that you get wiser as you get older and have more contacts and credibility but you simply do not have endless energy -you do not. I can speak as an octogenarian and I still have more ideas than energy.We raised our children and grandchildren well- it is past time to let them do their work.They will represent us well- they are well connected to technology and they will raise money in new and better ways.There is no shame in aging- the shame is in not exiting gracefully stage left!
14
"If Democrats fail to take back the majority, Ms. Pelosi, . . . would almost certainly be replaced." Yes, but can they win with her in place? She and the other aged Democratic leaders act like the Politburo and look that way to the rest of the country. They are a millstone the Democratic Party can no longer carry and appeal to the country. The time to announce change is now.
26
High to clean house. The current batch has no real strategy for making the country better place for everyone, including folks in red states.
2
Speaking of the need for younger candidates -- someone already in the House and with some pretty impressive credentials -- has anyone take a look recently at Seth Moulton for MA?
1
Good. The Dem leadership needs a complete shake-up in both Congress and the DNC. Backbones and courage required.
26
It's time for Nancy Pelosi's leadership role to be ended as well. She's been an utter failure who has consistently lost the fight when it comes to pushing a progressive agenda.
17
I hear a lot about dumping Nancy Pelosi from the Bernie Sanders crowd, but I have yet to hear any differences in issues between Pelosi and the Democrats who want to replace her. I admit that I am a mere voter and donor, but I am proud of Nancy Pelosi and I'd like to hear a reason, other than age, for dumping her.
Is it because she is rich? ( I don't know what her financial status is, but I doubt that she is poor.) Is it because she is female? Is that what you mean by getting rid of identity politics -- back to white guy rule. Or is it because she isn't a Bernie Sanders supporter? Last I heard Bernie wasn't even a Democrat.
I also hear from the Bernie Sanders supporters that the Democratic party is corrupt. How?
I am quite fond of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and welcome her to House of Representatives, but is she behind the desire to depose Pelosi?
I don't get it. Is there any matter of issues behind this movement to dump Pelosi or is it just a political coup?
1
"I also hear from the Bernie Sanders supporters that the Democratic party is corrupt. How?"
Well, for one thing the party apparatus did everything it could do to deny Bernie the nomination. Do you remember why Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to step down as party chair?
For another, the party has been too closely identified with America's corporate and financial elite - remember those Goldman Sachs speeches Hillary gave (at considerable fees), and all those Hamptons and Hollywood fund raisers?
14
Chuck Schumer spends his summer popping out of cakes in the Hamptons. He and Pelosi would not occupy their positions of power were they not the undisputed leaders in funneling corporate cash to the MLM scheme known as the Democratic Party.
4
Not only has the Democrat elite become too closely identified with the Wall Street corporate and financial elite, they are representing them instead of the bulk of the party members.
" ... threw the future of the septuagenarian-led caucus into chaos, opening the door to a new generation of leadership ... " And yet USA Today published a poll recently that had Mr. Biden and Ms. Clinton as the favorites for the 2020 nomination. As an Independent voter, I can't understand the Democrats preferring such old war horses with so much baggage. Mr. Biden: "a persistent tendency to say silly, offensive, and off-putting things" (Mark Halperin). Ms. Clinton: exorbitant "speaking fees" from Wall Street companies, accepting major campaign donations from fugitive Marc Rich's wife, leading to his pardon by her husband. Maybe the Democrats should stop blaming Ms. Stein and look inside their own party.
16
NYTimes is not helping matters. Discounting the most important issues to most Democrats such as National Health Care, assured income through Retirement via Social Security and a fairer distribution of wealth through regulation of banking and business management practices MUST prevail, or American democracy will mean nothing.
Why doesn't the Times know that?
39
Thank you. Exactly.
And pretending that "there is no money," when productivity is double what it was fifty years ago and close to the highest in the world, while most other industrial countries are able to do these things is highly suspicious.
Hopefully it also throws some uncertainty and questioning into the Times leadership, as Ms. Ocasio's rise and candidacy wasn't covered by the paper.
8
Nobody should hold Pelosi's position for FIFTEEN YEARS. Especially given the record of Democratic defeats and her easy vilification by the Right. She could be a saint... she is not... she could be a political genius... she is not... she could be 35 years old... she is not... she could even be a minority or 'even' a qualified man. The point is, limitless tenure like hers is WRONG. Her ambition and strength has become nothing but arrogance. STEP DOWN, NANCY.
47
Isn't Joseph P. Kennedy III an anti-vaxxer? We don't need a science illiterate as Democratic leader.
3
His father is an antivaxxer as you call it. Kennedy III opposes his fathers view on vaccines.
1
I am 65 and much closer in age to the current leadership of the Democratic Party than its young challengers, but even I can see the risks of clinging to its current sclerotic vision. Are there risks associated with new people and new ideas? Of course, but when change is in the air, you either move with the current or get swept aside.
84
I am also 65 (and live a 10 minute drive from Philadelphia). Could not agree with you more. Time for a major shake-up in the Democratic Party. People with the guts to FIGHT! Civility clearly isn't working.
This should not be about Nancy Pelosi but about the future of American democracy. Pelosi and Tip O'Neill were the most effective Speakers since Sam Rayburn. No Republicans are on the list because none were particularly effective. The Newt was a terrific campaigner but his record in the Speakership was what? Average.
Should Pelosi cling to her leadership and the Dems narrowly lose the House, there will be no check on the unbridled ambitions of our would be Il Duce, Donald Trump. She will be blamed, inasmuch as Trump et al will make the House campaign about immigration and Pelosi. When the autopsies of American democracy are written no one will remember her achievements.
No one is indispensable. If Pelosi announces she will retire, it will boost the chances of "keeping", in Ben Franklin's words, the Republic.
7
It is NOT age that is the issue, the issue is how the current Democratic leadership is financed.
Latest Numbers for the 14 the Congressional District, 2018 election cycle
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) [1]
Raised $300,709 Spend $194,763 Cash at hand $105,946 Date 06/06/2018
Joseph Crowley 2018 election cycle
Raised $1,863,549 - no other #s available [2]
Top 10 Campaign Contributors, Joseph Crowely
Votesane PAC
Blackstone Group
Consolidated Edison Inc
New York Life Insurance
Sentinel Real Estate
Connell Co
Constellation Brands
Atlas Air Worldwide
ICE Group
Capitol Counsel
The problem with the Democratic leadership is that it is financed by the very same groups (Wall Street, Finance, Capital) whose interest is to keep wages low and profits high
Unless that changes the Democrats will be doomed.
It is NOT age. Mr. Sanders is old, but ran on small donations - not to be captured by the rich
===================================
[1] https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=NY14
[2] https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N000011...
110
Deserved and long overdue. Democrats need to get back to their roots and fight for working Americans not those who sit on their perches thinking they are 'deplorable' or championing those who undermine their hard work and good citizenship. More please.
28
The Democratic leadership are all millionaires who hang out with millionaires. Their only concern is making more money and getting more power. The leadership was put in place by their corporate donors to make sure that progressives were not elected. They also make sure there was not a farm team of up and coming Democrats so they can maintain their power.
The DNC under Tom Perez is doing everything they can do to back corporate and military candidates approved by their wealthy donors. Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have shown clearly that there is another path, but still the Democratic elite would rather lose to a Republican than have a progressive elected.
76
Do.
I learn from the Times and late night talk show hosts Trump is a disaster and must be replaced to preserve the republic.
Fair enough. Easy to grasp.
But
“But replacing Ms. Pelosi would not be easy. If the party does reclaim the majority, it will be thanks in large part to the votes of women outraged by President Trump. Under those circumstances, it would be difficult for the caucus to dump the first female House speaker in history and replace her with a man.”
Turns out far more important than saving the republic is the allocation of power among powerless House Democrats because even more important are votes (hypothetical votes mind you, white women supported trump, a secret to Times experts,of a hypothetical victory less likely with Queen Pelosi)
And
“Dump” a woman for a man.
Priorities baby, priorities. What matters a Republic when an ego and identity politics based on lies abou who votes for who want to be fed?
6
The “great man/woman” theory of history persists. Who ostensibly leads the party is irrelevant in comparison to how the country feels and how it votes. For all the hubbub, what matters is that our national dalliance with corruption, venality, deceit, and aggressive ignorance be ended as soon as possible—and no one politician is capable of ending it. We need to vote en masse to make it happen.
1
The Democrats need to look to the New Zealand Labour Party to find their way back from the wilderness.
Just seven weeks before the 2017 election, when the Labour party was at a very low ebb, 38 year old Jacinda Ardern took over, and Labour got the plurality of the votes.
We need new leadership. Nancy, Diane, and Chuck have done their jobs, and done them well (Bernie, this applies to you as well). But to counter Trump and his fellow travelers we need people who look like, and think like, most Democrats.
The old joke was that it was the Republicans who got in line, but that now seems to be a bipartisan idea. And it's time for a change.
3
I’m sick of losing, plain and simple. Time to put these super-annuated people out to pasture.
4
The Democrat leadership pursues identity politics as their sure route to victory, blaming whites, and particularly white males, for the ills of the country.
And their followers begin voting as indoctrinated.
Unfortunately, the leadership of the Democrats has a lot of old white folks in it.
Political Hari Kari.
9
You know who's been destroying America since Reagan? A handful of super wealthy old white males, and the white male politicians they buy to pass legislation on their behalf
4
I'm a conservative Republican. PLEASE keep Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and, especially, Maxine Waters. Also, please keep attacking Republicans in restaurants. You guys are doing a GREAT job of firing up our base and generating enthusiasm for the midterm elections. Every time Maxine shows up on TV, we get another million in Republican donations. Every time a Republican is rejected by a restaurant, moderates join our ranks.
29
If that's all true, imagine what Trump et al are doing for the Dems.
3
I'm a Democrat, and sadly, what you say is true.
Of course, Trump is doing you no favors either. :-)
3
"If that's all true, imagine what Trump et al are doing for the Dems."
Have you ever watched a Trump rally? No one, and I mean no one, can fire up a crowd and get them to vote like Trump. Trump is the most dynamic, electrifying campaigner the Republicans have ever had. Everything Democrats hate about him connects with working class white voters.
Democrats like Pelosi and Maxine Waters are the perfect foil for his campaigning. An avowed socialist like Ocasio-Cortez with a platform to abolish ICE and guarantee federal jobs is the perfect candidate for him to seize on. Her politics are totally anathema to working men and women who used to be the heart of the Democrat party.
Chuck and Nancy, you've had a long run
You've both had your place in the Sun,
Time for Women and Men
To step up again
The battle is a real tough one.
The younger ones are at the Gate
Do't linger and stay on too late,
Our hard earned rights
Are in for bleak fights
The pressure just will not abate.
26
She must be joking when she calls herself "progressive."
19
JG, she IS progressive, and the Right has vilified her. So I can understand her tenacity right now.
However, she does need to step aside and mentor the next generation from below.
1
Thank god. Now we need Pelosi, Schumer, and Feinstein to go as well - along with the rest of the aging elites who don't listen.
46
I want to vote for good Ds. But Rep. Pelosi being in the leadership lineup may prevent it.
2
If there's a Democrat running in your district who truly represents your views, then the responsible thing is to vote for him or her, regardless of who is the party leader.
15
The Democratic party is the party of inclusion. It really is the only party that listens to women, minorities, working class people and the disenfranchised. Yet the leadership is all white and old with the leadership not looking at the young up and comers. It is clear that like Mr. Crowley they want to keep power. So in that vain the leadership does not really represent its base. New ideas, new blood will be what save the party but until the leadership realizes that we run the chance of being the minority party for a long time.
59
"The Democratic party is the party of inclusion."
Are you kidding? How welcome are evangelical Christians, people who support the Second Amendment, and people who are pro-life? How about people who have a legitimate concern about uncontrolled immigration? Hillary called us "deplorables." Where's the inclusion?
1
@Phil Because the Republican party is so welcoming of non-white, non-male, non-straight, non-Christians?
4
Most Democrats support the Second Amendment, though some would like to see it interpreted to allow greater screening of gun buyers
Many Democrats are pro-life (they just believe in things like reducing abortions through access to birth control and helping children once they are born, not mandating control over women's bodies)
We have had Democratic presidents who were evangelicals (Jimmy Carter)
I won't list the number of nasty things Trump has said about Democrats because I don't have time.
1
The main problem with the Democrats in Congress was apparent ten years ago at the start of the Obama Administration, when they had the chance to work with a Democratic President but chose not to.
Now, when the country cries out for leadership, they bicker amongst themselves about the right degree of spineless deference (pardon me, civility) to show towards the Republicans.
I loathe Donald Trump, but if his actions bring new and genuine leaders to the top of the Democratic Party, the nation will thank him in the end.
98
"The main problem with the Democrats in Congress was apparent ten years ago at the start of the Obama Administration, when they had the chance to work with a Democratic President but chose not to."
How soon they forget. Were it not for Nancy Pelosi, Obama would never have gotten his healthcare program through Congress. Just because someone is old does not mean he/she is not effective. Under the rules of the House, there is not much the minority party can do to get legislation that it desires. So dumping on Pelosi at this stage is just asking for change for change's sake.
More important, what do her challengers offer that Pelosi, a lifelong progressive, does not?
Somewhere, the Trump machine is cranking up the Nancy Pelosi hate machine, and many of the young ones are eating it up. I'm all for the new guard displacing the old (And I believe personally that Nancy is too old) but they had best realize that their elders know the ropes, and how to get things done (or not, as the case may be). Don't turn this into a campaign of hate, we already have enough of that on the other side of the aisle.
I just watched a "Young Turks" video on the youtubes and the young lady commentator was shrieking Pelosi is "a loser" and "completely clueless." Well, she is talking about the first woman Speaker of the House! Who is clueless? Her vitriol was ramped up, undoubtedly, to garner more views, but why vitriol at all? Nancy is a Democrat, after all.
Please, please, please, respect your elders and help them help you. They will help you. We are all in this boat together. The baby boomer generation will help you correct the wrongs we unintentionally foisted on the body politic. We are on your side. We want the same things you want. Do not throw us out with the bathwater.
68
Yes, we are all in this boat together. And yes, we expect the baby boomer generation to help us clean up their mess.
But we're doing it on our terms now. The baby boomers aren't driving any more. This doesn't mean we don't respect our elders, but it is time for new ways of thinking, new ways of seeing the world. Not to mention, nothing our generation is pushing excludes older generations. You will benefit from universal healthcare and a stronger safety net, among other things.
And just because Pelosi is the first female speaker doesn't preclude her from being clueless. Her response to Ocasio-Cortez winning (a victory accomplished by rejecting corporate money) was that Democrats need to raise more money. That is about as clueless as it gets. The older generations don't seem to understand that there is no gimmick here, just strongly principled young people with solid morals willing to fight for everyone. It doesn't take millions of dollars to be that person.
Ocasio-Cortez gave an interview to Vice News last night. She was asked to respond to Claire McCaskill's statement that she's "a proud centrist who thinks Dems need to compromise". To which Ocasio-Cortez responded that she is happy to compromise if it actually results in tangible progress but that she refuses to compromise her values for the sake of compromise. This is what the new generation of politicians look like and it's exactly what our country needs. Please don't stand in the way of that.
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Yes, which is why you get out of the way now, and use your wisdom to guide, not direct the newcomers. Hanging on to power beyond a reasonable period appears to afflict almost anyone who enters public life.
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All the elders know is how to lose every branch of the federal government, the state houses, and the governorships, and lose a slam dunk election to Donald Trump.
As someone pointed out, it isn't really about age -- Bernie Sanders is old. It's that the leadership is completely out of touch with the American public. We need FDR-style economic populism and instead we get a government shutdown over a bill that benefits illegal immigrants.
We won't win the nation back with that.
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Pelosi needs to exit stage right gracefully. She is a polarizing figure at a moment when the Democratic Party needs a groundswell of voter enthusiasm and she is absolutely toxic in purple (or red!) districts. She already made history as the first female Speaker of the House - something I remember George W. Bush pointing out eloquently when he opened a State of the Union with "Madame Speaker." Please don't let her final chapter be a humiliating battle for clinging on to power.
That said, this article's fixation on race or gender as a qualifier for the next generation of leadership is hugely disappointing - haven't we learned that identity politics will not carry the day? The only qualification needs to be a candidate's ability to connect with the droves of voters who feel invisible to the Democratic Party - working class and non-urban voters who are more concerned with pocketbook issues than bathroom bills. Surely there are Connor Lamb types in the House that the Party could turn to to reengage these lost voters.
The fact that so many frontrunners mentioned here hail from deep blue states, and Pelosi's refusal to cede control, does little to reassure me that the party has learned anything since 2016. Democrats, please prove me wrong.
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"That said, this article's fixation on race or gender as a qualifier for the next generation of leadership is hugely disappointing - haven't we learned that identity politics will not carry the day?"
Thank you.
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Pelosi, Hoyer or Clyburn almost seems irrelevant in the wake of Crowley's loss. What's important here is a new life in the Democratic party ushered in with the younger candidates and their fresh outlook on the future of the party. They will be the ones to set the agenda if they succeed in taking back the House in November. Old stodgy foot dragging approaches that were meant to leave no wake in the pond won't be acceptable with these new members. Congeniality has its limits as Americans have watched the "esteemed colleagues" on the Right roll like a tank over the Democrats, and all with no apologies or self consciousness over their hypocrisy displayed by Mitch McConnell. Battle lines will be drawn, no matter who the winners will be in the Fall. The message I'm seeing with this new blood is it's time our elected officials actually represent us rather than the monied special interests that got us into this trouble in the first place.
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From what I have seen of her so far, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez strikes me as a breath of fresh air for the Democrats. Cheering for her victory, however, should not mean bashing the older, more experienced members of the Party who have certainly paid their dues over time. Instead, we should be glad of an injection of new blood into the ranks of ALL our representatives in Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, who support the ideals of equality, inclusion, fairness and justice for ALL.
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@Vera Mehta I would share your respect for the older leadership but think about it a moment. Trump is out on the campaign trail every other week defending his initiatives. What did Obama do while the Tea Party organized against health care? He was extraordinarily passive. We have to face the facts, the current generation of democratic leadership has presided over the complete collapse of the Democratic party at local, state, and federal levels. Not only are things not going well, they're going to get a lot worse.
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I am a baby boomer and I know we still have more to contribute - but I am also a business leader and understand the vital importance of succession planning - there is no real articulated plan (I stress articulated) that the current democratic leadership has offered demonstrating how they will be bringing younger voices into the 'room' - the very thing baby boomers complained about 40 years ago. It is time for the Democrats to unite this very fractured party with leadership from all generations and perspectives (very left to centrist to conservative dems). We need a Future Search (a planning/problem solving meeting designed by Marv Weisbord & Sandra Janoff) - we need to bring this party together with a united vision of the future that is not racist, sexist, homophobic, or xenophobic - so we can capture the votes of all democrats, fallen-away democrats, and independents and win back the house & senate in the mid-terms and the WH in 2020. We have to end the madness in DC now. The harm that this current president and his version of the republican party are doing will take years to undo.
But in order to do this - we must be willing to meet in the middle - meaning that we have to create a platform that is not so extreme as to create voter apathy or scare them into voting for the utter disgrace that is the current republican party.
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Nancy Pelosi isn’t a Baby Boomer. That generational label applies to people born after World War II. Pelosi was born before World War II, in 1940.
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And since the current leadership hasn't done what you suggest, one might say an old dog can't learn new tricks.
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I feel baby boomers are responsible for the demise of America. I won't vote for anyone of that generation.
This is really fantastic news. Ocasio-Cortez could be a catalyst for the progressive fraction of the Democratic Party to finally wake up and defend what is really defensible in the United States of America today: universal health care, end of Citizens United, banning funding from interest groups for candidates and finance elections from US Treasury (our taxes will be much better used than when they are spent on endless arms buildup for one thing), universal free college education (ditto about our taxes being used properly) and focus on the welfare of the whole country not just the welfare of 1 in 10000.
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While I do believe that Students should pay their own college debt they freely took with a clear mind and agreement to pay back, it is a societal duty to pay your share. How about 100. a month. Over time the loans get paid back and you feel better about paying back what was given to you when you needed it. I do agree that there is money for proper healthcare for all of us and that there are monies spent that are not accounted for and there needs to be more transparency in spending.
Right on. She will continue to be a catalyst. Ms. Pelosi should get ahead of this parade, if she's smart. And don't worry about seeming socialist - who cares anymore? It's a natural movement born out of the conditions we, the huddled masses, find ourselves in.
Additionally, people should simply not care what the 'other side' does. Ocasio-Cortez didn't. All the things she is talking about are brain-dead winners. They are not distractive at all but pointed, uncaring of criticism of it's principles, and AGGRESSIVE.
Don't pay too much attention to the Supreme Court, ICE, whatever because if things don't change, there'll be protest after protest. They think they can control you with laws and restrictions, propaganda - it's all distraction, all of it. They cannot control you. It's your god-given obligation to think for yourself.
At a certain point there will be protest after protest if things continue as they are. Then the GOP will rollout 'security' as a principle & 'keeping order'. It won't work.
It's like the old-timers have an old computer with old programs that are inefficient, use alot of energy, pollute the air, & continue to insist on an approach that doesn't work.
A newer generation can change things and they have the intelligence to bring in a new computer with new programs that work efficiently, transparently, and benefit the mass of our population. I'm not talking about sky-high thoughts and a dream of liberal paradise. It's simply a time for change.
Nancy Pelosi asks, what’s the problem?
Your absolute inability to counter the right wing narrative for one. Your abysmal record as Democratic congressional leader to strategize and win elections. Your naïveté in thinking you were making a deal on dreamers with Trump. Your tacit endorsement of Bush/Cheney war crimes by failing to stand for the principle of law and holding them accountable.
The country is on a swift downward spiral and your response is tsk tsk. Your value is only to Republicans as a propaganda tool.
Yes, you were such a great vote counter ramming through Obamacare - even as polls showed 70% for single payer. Great - look where we are now and tell us the sum value of your tenure.
You are a socialite fundraiser, not a political strategist, and you are a failure.
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Truth. Well said!
That was way harsh.
You do know (right?) that her two years as house speaker were among the most productive in the past fifty years. You do know that, right? (BTW - Where is your source for 70% of people for single payer?)
I suggest you bone up on just what powers a minority leader in the house actually has, and then you might want to review your submission above.
It is time to stop comprising with the Party of Trump and start leading the people into a future based on the Constitution, not the profit motives of global billionaires.
I'm not sure if taking down Pelosi is the most important move. (I personally find Chuck Schumer more problematic.)
But the Democratic Leadership in general has been stuck on the same strategy for decades, and refuses to consider any other strategy.
The Democratic Party needs leadersship that is committed to the principles of the left and willing to lead the country based on the Constitution: taxing and regulating trade to provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare, and treating the Bill of Rights like they really matter.
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The Democrat Party needs to recommit to its original moderate principles like supporting the workers, not the bosses/corporation leaders; it needn't "commit to the principles of the left." Too many of the current Democrats are corporate Democrats, i.e., Republicans lite, who have loyalties to big business and big finance instead of to the 99%.
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Existing, late middle age Democrats in leadership positions in the party need to wake up to understanding that the success of the party cannot and does not rest exclusively in their hands. Like all politicians (all public figures for that matter), time wears on familiar faces. It is a matter of grace and humility that the best of them fade away and leave the future to those who will inhabit it.
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Oh, you mean like the Clintons, who can't seem to get off any stage and bow out gracefully.
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Actually we need both...the experience and wisdom of those who have been in Congress and the new blood, idealism and energy of young newly elected members. One should not negate the value of the other.
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Rep. Pelosi, thank you for your service. Now please step aside.
I have no doubts about your credentials, your ideals, and competence and toughness.
But make no mistake, your leadership has led us here--to the precipice of political Armageddon, led by a narcissistic, deeply compromised, know-nothing with an army of rabid followers, bent on tearing down everything representing liberal democratic values. A frank assessment if the current situation clearly shows that the Democratic Party is being pummeled by a deeply cynical, myopic Conservative minority, with no power in the executive, legislative, statehouses, and now--horrifyingly--the courts. And our opponents aren't playing by conventional rules of politics--they view their cause as a crusade, and liberals are the enemy. In their view, this is war.
In this moment of crisis, with your failed ability to inspire your fellow Americans to uphold these important values, how can you are the person to continue to lead? If you love your country, concede your position, and let a new leader take your place. Our future depends on it.
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