The evolution of AOC
They may have lost the presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, but when it comes to avoiding introspection, the Democrats are completely undefeated. You would think that after the disastrous presidential election, Democrats might have taken some time to figure out what went wrong. You would think they would have decided to freshen up the party and make it more relevant to disenchanted voters. You’d think maybe they’d realize they needed to shake things up.
Well, you thought wrong. As the recent drama with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shows, it is business as usual with the Democratic establishment. Instead of trying to present a fresh new face to the world, they remain a group of geriatric multi-millionaires more concerned about pomp and circumstance than actually winning elections.
A recap for those not following: Earlier this month, 35-year-old AOC launched her bid to become the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee — a crucial leadership position for minorities. She was competing with 74-year-old Gerry Connolly, a longtime sales representative from Virginia, who was next in line for the job. Connolly, by the way, has and is esophageal cancer undergo chemotherapy. Still, his allies have made it very clear that they think he has the energy for the job. “Gerry is a young 74, despite the cancer,” he said Democrat Don Beyer of Virginia.
The race between AOC and Connolly was widely seen as not just a competition between two people, but two different futures for the Democratic party. AOC represented a generational change: a fresh young face and an energetic communicator representing a more anti-establishment spirit. Connolly was business as usual for the Democrats. For a while it looked like AOC had a real chance to win, but then along came 84-year-old Nancy Pelosi, who was in the hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery. reportedly made a bunch of the phone called urging people to support Connolly. On Tuesday he won with 131 to 84 votes.
“I think my colleagues measured their votes on who has experience, who is seasoned, who can be trusted, who is capable and who has a track record of productivity, and I think that prevailed,” Connolly told reporters after the vote. And I think the Democrats seem to have absolutely no desire to change.
This does not apply to AOC, by the way. The representative has changed remarkably during her time in power. She began office in 2019 as a progressive firebrand but drifted increasingly to the center in an apparent attempt to appease party leaders and advance her career. “AOC is now just a plain old Democrat,” New York Magazine proclaimed last year after endorsing it Joe Biden for a second term. Gradually, she seems to have abandoned everything she once stood for. In an effort to secure her leadership bid, Axios reported, she even promised as much her support for ending main challengers to fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Her metamorphosis has not gone unnoticed. ‘The view of her is evolving’ representative Glenn Ivey told Axios. “It seems like she’s changed her approach to legislation, and I think she’s figured out how to rock the boat without tipping it over.” At this stage, however, AOC may realize that despite selling out many of her supporters, the Democratic establishment is still unwilling to let her steer the ship. Maybe it will finally be her turn when she is in her eighties.
While AOC may not be the progressive force she once was, having her as the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee would still be a game-changer for the Democratic party. Elevating her to a leadership position would have meant a new beginning. Instead, it seems like Democrats are determined to repeat the same old strategies, with the same aging politicians, in the hope that this time they might work.
For the first time in twenty years, no woman will lead House of Representatives committees
“The last time there wasn’t at least one woman leading a standing committee in the House of Representatives was in the 109th Congress, from 2005 to 2006.” reports ABC.
Dominique Pelicot sentenced to twenty years in prison
“Women around the world have been following, talking about and thinking about the case,” writes Rebecca Solnit in the Guardian. ‘But do we have men? Until men seriously and honestly address the pervasiveness of sexual violence and the aspects of culture that celebrate and normalize it, not enough will change.”
Structural sexism is a risk factor for memory loss in women
Women born in the most sexist US states experienced faster memory decline as they got older, compared to women born in the least sexist states, according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University. “Our findings suggest that addressing social inequality could be a powerful way to reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s disease among women,” the research leader noted.
Elon Musk heroically cuts funding for childhood cancer research
Did anyone in the US actually elect Musk as president? No, but he seems to think he is now the president and already involved in policy. The billionaire just got involved in Congress’ deliberations on spending bills, and he is get blamed for that now that a new spending bill cut $190 million in funding for a bipartisan childhood cancer research program. We can’t allow money to go to sick children when it could also go to tax breaks for the rich, can we?
Bible removed from Texas school district due to law banning “sexually explicit” content
It’s not the first time something has happened like this happened. Last year, a Utah school district removed the King James Bible from school libraries because it “vulgarity or violence”.
How women in Ivory Coast are heard about femicide
Nearly 200 women and girls marched through the city of Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast earlier this month, culminating 16 days of activism to expose femicide in the West African country.
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza
The campaign group has said that “since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately prevented Palestinians from accessing the sufficient amount of water needed to survive in the Gaza Strip.” The HRW Director, Tirana Hassanhas called this “a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands of people from dehydration and disease, which is nothing less than the crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide.”
Greg Abbott’s new billboard campaign warns migrants they will be raped
A few years ago, the governor of Texas declared that he would “eradicate rape.” Apparently he didn’t succeed. A study published in January found that there were an estimated 26,300 pregnancies in Texas resulting from rape. the highest of all states with a total abortion ban. Abbott’s new plan is to use rape as a weapon to deter immigrants: He just launched a billboard campaign warning migrants that their daughters and wives could be raped by sex traffickers if they they come to the United States.
The week in the paw triarchy
I’m afraid there’s a shocking lack of uplifting cute animal news this week. Rather, it appears that squirrels in California are now exhibiting carnivorous behavior and decapitating their prey. And while the Golden State is now full of killer squirrels, there are also a bunch of “really big” monkeys wandering around Florida. It feels more and more like we’re in the final episode of America and the writers have decided to go all out.