Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., just found out that life comes at your fast — and Monday morning was one of her worst days in politics.
The far-left lawmaker has been the self-appointed leader of socialist causes in Congress ever since her surprise 2018 Democratic primary victory over establishment Rep. Joesph Crowley, D-N.Y.
Over the weekend that all changed.
Far-left organizers turned on Ocasio-Cortez, calling her an establishment insider and “sell out” after she and her political allies voted for Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to return for another two-years as Speaker of the House.
Pelosi was narrowly reelected Sunday, giving her the reins of Democrats’ slender House majority until 2023.
“We accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced,” the California Democrat told the chamber as she accepted a fresh two-year term in her post, perhaps her last. Citing the 350,000 Americans who’ve died from COVID-19 and the millions who’ve lost jobs and livelihoods, she won a standing ovation when she said, “Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus. And defeat it, we will.”
On social media, former supporters of Ocasio-Cortez and her far-left political allies in the House responded with anger over their support of the Democratic establishment.
Backers of the so-called “Squad” — Reps. Rashida Talib, D-M.I., Cori Bush, D-M.O., Ilhan Omar, D-M.N., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. — demanded refunds for their prior donations.
Others expressed regret for volunteering for their campaigns. One even promised to burn his AOC-themed shirt in protest.
https://twitter.com/LukeParcherShow/status/1345857219301031937
#FraudSquad & #ResignFraudSquad are what happens when people feel lied to & betrayed by their elected officials
— Salem Snow (@Salem4Congress) January 4, 2021
I’m burning my @AOC shirt when I get home & would like my money back. #FraudSquad
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) January 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/taznum8/status/1345893200255451138
After the vote, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ceremonially handed her the speaker’s gavel — a normally genial moment — but accused Pelosi of over the past two years leading “the least productive Congress in nearly 50 years” and said there was a clear message in last November’s elections, when Republicans gained seats by defeating a dozen Democratic incumbents.
“It was a wake-up call,” he said. “The question I ask of this majority: were you listening?”
Pelosi, who has led her party in the House since 2003 and is the only woman to be speaker, received 216 votes to 209 for McCarthy, who again will be the chamber’s minority leader.
To win, Pelosi had to overcome some Democratic grumbling about her longevity, a slim 222-211 edge over Republicans after November’s elections, and a handful of absences because of the coronavirus. There were two vacancies in the 435-member House, and whatever happens Democrats will have the smallest House majority in two decades.
With little margin for error, Pelosi suffered only a handful of Democratic defections. No opponent challenged her for the job. She has won plaudits from Democrats for leading their opposition to President Donald Trump, largely keeping her party’s far-left in line and raising mountains of campaign funds.
In the end, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Me., voted for Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth — the Constitution doesn’t require the speaker to be a House member. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is seen as a strong contender to succeed Pelosi whenever she steps down.
After the vote, Ocasio-Cortez told reporters that Democratic unity was important “at a time when the Republican Party is attempting an electoral coup.” She referred to the support many congressional Republicans are giving outgoing President Donald Trump’s effort to reverse the election results.
Ocasio-Cortez said she and other progressives “have been in conversations and negotiations” with Pelosi, but would not describe anything they had accomplished.
The Associated Press contributed to this article