Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[lpetrich]

Connolly won the Oversight nod. But AOC’s allies insist she’s not out. - Live Updates - POLITICO - 12/16/2024, 5:33pm ET

While the vote was a secret ballot and happened behind closed doors, members said Connolly attracted staunch support from centrist Democrats after spending the last several weeks campaigning with key members. He moved to lock down critical bases of support like the centrist New Democrat Coalition and boasted backing from senior members of the caucus like Reps. Greg Meeks of New York and Sánchez.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-CA

Pelosi gets hip replacement surgery at U.S. military hospital in Germany after injury from fall | PBS News - Dec 14, 2024 6:33 PM EST

Pelosi Won. The Democratic Party Lost. | The New Republic - December 17, 2024

Fresh off hip replacement surgery, Nancy Pelosi, 84, secured another victory. House Democrats on Tuesday afternoon decided that 74-year-old Gerry Connolly—who announced his throat cancer diagnosis in November—will serve as ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, besting 35-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a closed-door caucus vote. “Gerry’s a young 74, cancer notwithstanding,” said Virginia Democrat Don Beyer, a Connolly ally. Pelosi had opposed the 35-year-old’s run for the role, “approaching colleagues urging them to back Connolly over Ocasio-Cortez,” Axios reported last week.

Author Kate Aronoff then described how these politicians are on the take.

The job of the Oversight Committee, for instance, is to “ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all its agencies,” including the Pentagon. Connolly this past cycle accepted $118,500 from political action committees linked to the defense sector. Ways and Means is the House’s top tax-writing committee, with jurisdiction over the revenue-related aspects of Social Security and Medicare, among other programs. Neal is a top recipient of donations from the insurance industry, having accepted $412,000 from insurance industry PACs during the 2024 campaign cycle, plus generous six-figure donations from HMOs and pharmaceutical companies. Frank Pallone has gotten more than $1 million from electric utilities since joining Congress in 1998.

Do they offer the Francis Bacon defense? "Sure I took those bribes, but I didn't let them influence me."

 

[lpetrich]

Kate Aronoff then noted that elsewhere in the word, leaderships of parties tend to resign after big defeats. But this party's leadership didn't do that.

Pelosi and the old guard’s continued opposition to younger talent seems breathtakingly counterproductive in the face of the Democratic Party’s numerous challenges right now. Simultaneously, the House’s “resistance” to Trump and the GOP in the House will be led by people of all ages who don’t seem particularly interested in that project, despite having spent the entire election cycle warning that Trump’s Republican Party represents a second coming of fascism. If incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries really believes that, then why is he advertising his willingness to work with the GOP? Why are so many other Democrats, for that matter, trying to make nice with Trump acolyte Elon Musk?

Then noted that NP defeated AOC once before.

In 2020, Pelosi squashed AOC’s bid to join Energy and Commerce over a perceived lack of loyalty. Now Pelosi has gotten her way again.

I recall from somewhere that NP once bragged that she has protest signs older than AOC. To which AOC responded by asking how much NP has been using those signs recently.

 

[lpetrich]

But AOC did get a consolation prize. Ocasio-Cortez Statement on Joining the Powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee | Representative Ocasio-Cortez

“I am excited to join the House Energy and Commerce Committee under the excellent leadership of Ranking Member Frank Pallone and grateful to Leader Jeffries and the Steering and Policy Committee for selecting me to serve on this critical committee.

“The Energy and Commerce Committee has the power to guarantee health care as a human right to all Americans, fight the global crisis of climate change, and make life easier for the working class. The next few years are sure to be challenging, but Democrats must maintain our commitment to fighting for working people, not billionaires. That work goes directly through the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

She won't be in the Oversight Committee this time around, while she had been in it in every previous Congress since she was first elected, back in 2018.

 

[lpetrich]

Fighting Oligarchy Tour | Bernie Sanders Official Website - AOC has been a guest in most of BS"s tour dates. She has gone to NV, AZ, CO, CA, UT, ID, and MT.

Some people have speculated that she is setting up a Presidential bid, but she doesn't seem to have a special interest in Iowa and New Hampshire. Here is someone who does: Ro Khanna says he’s looking at the Senate. His allies are talking about the White House. - POLITICO - he seems interested in IA, NH, and Nevada.

 

[lpetrich]

Gerry Connolly, Who Beat AOC for Key Role, Resigns After 4 Months - "Reminder that in December, Nancy Pelosi, from her hospital bed, whipped the vote for Gerry Connolly—who'd recently been diagnosed with throat cancer—against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez."

On Monday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) tendered his resignation as ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, a key role during a presidential administration that’s churning out hourly (minutely???) corruption scandals. He’ll be “stepping back as Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee soon,” he wrote in the resignation letter, without offering a precise date, and adding that this will also be his last term in Congress. Six months ago, Connolly, who’s 75 years old, announced his throat cancer diagnosis—in his letter, Connolly shared the devastating news that “the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned.”

“I’ll do everything possible to continue to represent you and thank you for your grace,” Connolly wrote. “With no rancour and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years.”

It’s entirely understandable that he hasn’t exactly been energized to take on an existential political fight for the soul of the nation over the last few months. What’s not understandable is why he even ran for this position, and why top Democrats like Nancy Pelosi so determinedly went to bat for him.

Because he's an old friend? I recall from somewhere that some of AOC's fellow Democrats were unfriendly to her because she unseated an old friend: Joe Crowley.

Some sort of reward for his long service in Congress?

What kind of leadership has he done?

In the last three-and-a-half months, Connolly has routinely disappeared during key moments when Democrats needed visible leaders front and center, communicating to the American public and highlighting the stakes of everything that’s happening.

 

[lpetrich]

Inside the already chaotic fight to replace Gerry Connolly and House Democrats wait anxiously on AOC's big Oversight decision both at Axios.

From the second one:

After her loss, Ocasio-Cortez received a coveted role on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee but failed to get a waiver to stay on Oversight.

That means she would have to jump through more procedural hurdles than other prospective candidates to succeed Connolly — though she is still seen as a possible front-runner.

Possible candidates, from both articles:

• Jasmine Crockett D-TX, vice ranking member, what AOC had been over 2023-24
• Stephen Lynch D-MA, interim ranking member
• Maxwell Frost D-FL, if AOC isn't running, though if she does, he would support her
• Raja Krishnamoorthi D-IL, with plenty of seniority, though he may instead run for the US Senate
• Ro Khanna D-CA
• Robert Garcia D-CA
• Melanie Stansbury D-NM

 

[lpetrich]

AOC says she is ‘weighing’ a bid to lead House Oversight Democrats -- Inside Congress Live - Apr 30, 2025 - "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is riding high after leading a series of packed rallies."

“It’s something that I’m weighing, but the seat is not yet vacated, and I think that’s a bridge we can cross when we get to it,” she told reporters.

How AOC Can Make Oversight Great Again - The American Prospect - "A former oversight staffer on how to generate attention from Capitol Hill for working-class issues"

In April 1994, former Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) convened a landmark series of “Big Tobacco” hearings. CEOs like William Campbell of Philip Morris testified under oath that “nicotine is not addictive.” The hearings drew considerable public attention and helped catalyze legal action, leading to a historic settlement where tobacco companies agreed to pay over $200 billion. Images of Big Tobacco CEOs holding their hands up to be sworn in became an iconic symbol of the U.S. government holding corporations accountable.

That hearing was held in a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but Waxman would go on to chair the House Oversight Committee, serving as the top watchdog of the Bush administration. In the time since, Democrats have failed to use the political theater and drama of congressional oversight to produce enough “nicotine is not addictive” moments that clarify for the American people who stands against corporate greed and deception.

That's what AOC could do if she becomes ranking member of that committee, the top minority-party member of it, and eventually head of that committee.

What did she decide?
AOC won’t seek top Oversight Committee post - POLITICO - "She cited the caucus’ preference for seniority."

”It’s actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, so I believe I’ll be staying put at Energy and Commerce,” the New York progressive told reporters.

...
Ocasio-Cortez said she believed the thinking among House Democrats hadn’t shifted appreciably enough since the earlier contest. “I think the result will largely be the same at this point,” she said.

Connolly named Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch, 70, as Democrats’ interim leader on the panel, and Lynch said last week he will seek the top job with Connolly’s backing.

 

[lpetrich]

There is a further problem: the Energy and Commerce Committee is an exclusive one, meaning that one needs special permission to sit in another committee. So she's sticking in that committee.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Profile: Overview • OpenSecrets

he House Energy and Commerce Committee, formerly known simply as the Commerce Committee, is often where some of the biggest legislative battles get started. Handling everything from deregulating the telecommunications industry to relaxing promotional standards for drug companies to changing the nation's health care laws, this committee's members are often the subjects of intense industry lobbying. The committee was retooled at the beginning of the 107th Congress, handing its jurisdiction over insurance companies and securities firms to the new Financial Services Committee. However, there's enough left to ensure committee members of continued strong financial support from some of the country's most powerful companies, keeping this committee assignment among the most desirable in Congress.

AOC states that when she got into that committee, she got lots and lots of phone calls from lobbyists who wanted to be friends with her. Some of them even talked about going to Bernie Sanders rallies.

When she first got elected to Congress, she had a general picture of how corrupt it was. But she says that she was shocked by how corrupt that she discovered that it was.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC message to Tom Homan: “Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I'm using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections To that I say Come for me. Do I look like I care?" : r/law
Also,
AOC sends a message to Tom Homan at her town hall in Jackson Heights: “Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I'm using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me. Do I look like I care?” (Video: : r/AOC

Noem doubles down on calling for AOC to be investigated. : r/TheMajorityReport - "If the Republicans follow the Orban model, it seems reasonable to assume ridiculous investigations will happen in high frequency to hamper opponents."

Like what the Republicans did to Hillary Clinton during Barack Obama's Presidency.

 

[lpetrich]

Republicans Pass Horrid Tax Bill Thanks to Democrats Dying in Office | The New Republic - May 22, 2025, 10:31 a.m. ET - "Republicans passed their terrible tax bill by one vote. Guess how many Democrats died in office this year."

The latest Democrat to pass away was 75-year-old Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who died on Wednesday after battling esophageal cancer. In March, Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona passed away at the age of 77 due to complications from cancer treatments. Representative Sylvester Turner of Texas, 70, a House freshman, died six days earlier. (Turner replaced Sheila Lee Jackson, who also died in office in July.)

...
The last eight members of Congress to have died in office were Democrats, with seven of them being over the age of 70 with significant health concerns. Six Democrats died in the last year alone. Democrats in Congress should decide whether they are physically and mentally up to the task of stopping the Republican effort to tear down America’s institutions—or make way for those who are.

Let's look at the last-election and present ages of those that AOC and some of her friends had successfully primaried.

• AOC - Joe Crowley - 56 - 63
• Ayanna Pressley - Mike Capuano - 66 - 73
• Jamaal Bowman - Eliot Engel - 73 - 78
• Cori Bush - Lacy Clay - 64 - 69
• Marie Newman - Dan Lipinski - 54 - 59

Hakeem Jeffries is relatively young, at 55, but he succeeded Nancy Pelosi, now 85. Chuck Schumer is 75.

AOC recalls arguing with NP about activism. NP says that she has signs that are older than AOC, and AOC responded by asking when was the last time she used them.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC Seen As 'Face' of Dems And It's Not Even Close: New Poll - May 20th, 2025, 9:24 am

In a Co/efficient survey conducted from May 7 to May 9 among 1,462 likely voters, 26% identified Ocasio-Cortez as the face of the Democratic Party. Another 26% said there is no one currently leading the party, while 22% chose “other.”

Ocasio-Cortez was far ahead of other listed Democrats. Coming in a distant second was close ally Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The pair recently went to various states with their Fighting Oligarchy tour. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) placed third in the survey with 8%.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris came in fourth with 6%. Following her was Pete Buttigieg with 5%, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) with 5%, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) with 4%, and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) with 2%.

...
The liberal firm Data for Progress also released numbers in April showing that 55% of Democratic voters in New York would back Ocasio-Cortez if she challenged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a primary.

 

[blastula]

 

[thebeave]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

 

[bilby]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

Is it just me, or is that a question nobody would ever ask about a male politician?

Why the fuck does it matter? If she were, would it be relevant in any way to what she says?

Fucking grow up.

 

[blastula]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

 

[Gospel]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

Bruh. Why not go with "I’d never say this in a professional setting, but since we’re on a message board and speaking casually, I just want to respectfully say, I think Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is a beautiful person. With all due respect, of course."

It's not any better at getting you out of deep shit but at least it's not as crass.

 

[Derec]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

Is it just me, or is that a question nobody would ever ask about a male politician?

As far as pregnancy, duh!
As far as weight, I am sure they would. There has been a lot of snarking about the weight of male politicians like Huckabee, Christie and Trump.

 

[Derec]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

[AOC's Arizona tiktok]

"... when I was waitressing and struggling to put food on the table ..."

If she was struggling with that simple task she couldn't have been a very good waitress. SCNR.

It is strange you chose this clip as a reply to thebeave though. The lectern is hiding most of her body. Although that badonkadonk does peak out from the sides a lot.

 

[lpetrich]

Is it just me, or is AOC pregnant or otherwise putting on the pounds?

[AOC's Arizona tiktok]

"... when I was waitressing and struggling to put food on the table ..."

If she was struggling with that simple task she couldn't have been a very good waitress. SCNR.

Seems like there is no level of wealth that will be the correct sort of class origin for the right wing. If one has too little, they attack their targets for that. If one has too much, they attack their targets for that also. Notice that they never specify what is the right amount of wealth.

AOC has suffered both kinds of attacks, being attacked for being too poor and being too rich.

Attacking people for being too rich may seem out of character for people who believe that wealth is a sign of moral superiority, but they in fact do that. Some right-wingers like conspiracy theories about the likes of George Soros and Bill Gates, despite normally believing that such people are Stakhanovites of capitalism, people who spend all their waking hours at their jobs, sleeping in RV's parked in their companies' parking lots. They never notice how eager they are to enable the likes of GS and BG, like trying to exempt them from taxes.

 

[Derec]

"... when I was waitressing and struggling to put food on the table ..."

If she was struggling with that simple task she couldn't have been a very good waitress. SCNR.

Seems like there is no level of wealth that will be the correct sort of class origin for the right wing. If one has too little, they attack their targets for that. If one has too much, they attack their targets for that also. Notice that they never specify what is the right` amount of wealth.

Lighten up! I wasn't criticizing her or attacking her for her "level of wealth". I was just appreciating her choice of synecdoche for "struggling financially" since putting food on tables is a big part of a waitress' job.

AOC has suffered both kinds of attacks, being attacked for being too poor and being too rich.

I don't think so. At least not that I have seen, much less done myself.
The "too rich" probably refers to her claims of having grown up working class, when her father was an architect and she grew up middle class in a nice suburban home in Westchester County. So the criticism is not that she was "too rich", but that she was misrepresenting her background somewhat. Kind of like the "poor-off" lampooned by Jon Stewart back when The Daily Show was still good.

"Too poor"? The most I have commented on is that her choice of career made no use of her very expensive private college degree. But that is not a comment on her financial status, and people who bartend or wait tables can make a decent amount on tips, depending on the establishment. The criticism was based on people using the fact that she has a BS in Econ to claim she is well versed in matters economical. If she really was, she would not be a socialist. Or think that the money printer can just go brrrr to pay for her >$60T Green New Deal.

They never notice how eager they are to enable the likes of GS and BG, like trying to exempt them from taxes.

Who?