If there was any doubt about whether or not Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is at odds with the Democratic establishment — consider those concerns officially put to rest.
The upstart congresswoman said it loud and clear.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have got to go, she said.
She went on the attack during an interview with The Intercept, a publication favorite among radical liberals. And this was no subtle dig on social media, nor a misquote. Ocasio-Cortez made no mistake in going right at the leaders in her party.
“I do think we need new leadership in the Democratic Party,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I think one of the things that I have struggled with, I think that a lot of people struggle with, is the internal dynamics of the House has made it such that there [are] very little options for succession.”
AOC explained that Pelosi and company have concentrated power at the top, leaving a would-be replacement very much in doubt. Speculation has swirled around Pelosi’s endgame in Washington, D.C., but, to Ocasio-Cortez’ point, who will take over?
Well, it’s complicated.
“My concern … is that there isn’t a plan,” she confessed. “How do we fill that vacuum? Because if you create that vacuum, there are so many nefarious forces at play to fill that vacuum with something even worse. And so, the actual sad state of affairs is that there are folks more conservative than even they are willing to kind of fill that void.”
It’s unclear as to who she may be referring to, but it’s worth noting that Democrats have internally floated moderate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as an option to take over Pelosi’s seat.
What we do know, however, is who it won’t be.
AOC admitted that she has no business being the speaker.
“The House is extraordinarily complex and I’m not ready,” she said. “It can’t be me. I know that I couldn’t do that job.”
Still, the damage is done — the radical progressive just stuck stick of dynamite dead center of the Democratic Party.
2021 will be a sight to see who’s left standing when the dust settles.
The Horn editorial team