In an Unheard-of Move, Democrats Are Quietly Pushing Colleagues to Primary Ocasio-Cortez [RETRACTED]
RETRACTION: After further review, this article was found not to meet The Western Journal’s editorial standards. It was based on a single source, The Hill, which quoted only a single anonymous source in support of its claims, with some related background — but no confirmation — from a second source, also anonymous, so we have no way to determine the credibility of either. In addition, the original headline mentioned “Dems” and “Colleagues,” implying multiple individuals, when in fact only one individual was quoted. Moreover, the use of “Infuriated” in the headline implied that the possible primary challenge was due to recent actions and statements of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, when in fact the word “furious” was used by an anonymous source in reference to feelings of people associated with Rep. Joseph Crowley, whom she defeated in the primary race.
We apologize for letting this article be published without closer verification of its claims, and are working to prevent similar occurrences in the future. We are leaving the article in place so that readers will see and have context in which to understand this retraction.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the personification of the left’s extreme talking points, but she might be too obvious about her socialist agenda for some Democrats.
An anonymous House Democrat told The Hill there is a move afoot already to enlist a primary challenger to the far-left representative in the 2020 election.
“What I have recommended to the New York delegation is that you find her a primary opponent and make her a one-term congressperson,” the lawmaker said. “You’ve got numerous council people and state legislators who’ve been waiting 20 years for that seat. I’m sure they can find numerous people who want that seat in that district.”
Additionally, there are bound to be Democrats who are upset that the 29-year-old upstart took the seat from former Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley.
Many Democrats could be the next Crowley, a veteran congressman who spent 20 years in office before his upset in the June Democratic primary. The Justice Democrats, a group associated with Ocasio-Cortez, has pledged to challenge more incumbent Democrats, according to the liberal website Vox.
Another source, described as an “insider,” told The Hill that Ocasio-Cortez isn’t making friends among her party.
“She’s pissing off a lot of people and has probably made a lot of enemies. … A lot of people who are furious with her are Joe’s allies, including some named Crowley,” the source said, apparently referring to Crowley’s cousin, Elizabeth Crowley, a former New York City councilwoman.
Elizabeth Crowley might have some of the qualities any Ocasio-Cortez challenger would likely need.
“She is a woman. She’s been moving more to the left,” the source said. “She would be someone interesting.”
Elizabeth Crowley lives in a neighboring congressional district in Queens, according to The Hill.
It might be unheard-of for a party to want to get rid of a person whose generated intense media interest the way Ocasio-Cortez has, but it makes sense why Democrats would want the socialist representative gone.
The problem Democrats might have with Ocasio-Cortez isn’t so much her positions — leftist extremism isn’t that unusual in the modern Democratic Party. Democrats are probably angry that Ocasio-Cortez is so blatant about the left’s socialist agenda, which most Americans vehemently oppose.
Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t been in office for a month yet, but she has already made the party look bad several times with her extreme policy proposals.
For example, the left-wing representative claimed last week that the world is going to end in 12 years if Congress doesn’t accept her climate change policy.
As another example, the young representative doesn’t hesitate to suggest abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In fact, the position is so important to her that it was featured on her campaign website.
“It’s time to abolish ICE, clear the path to citizenship, and protect the rights of families to remain together,” Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign website stated.
Democrats like New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand are inclined to agree with Ocasio-Cortez, but even Gillibrand has walked back her statements about the law enforcement group.
Ocasio-Cortez’s extreme socialist rhetoric is harmful for Democrats because — unlike infamousty liberal New York City — most Americans don’t support socialism.
When left-wing voters elect loony socialists who become the public face of the Democratic Party, Democrats can no longer deny their socialist agenda.
Establishment Democrats are going to start scrambling to oppose Ocasio-Cortez as more normal, working Americans correctly associate the Democratic Party with socialism.
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