Democrats Do Not Have a 'Tea Party' Problem

[DonViejo]

September 5, 2018 at 9:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard

Last night’s primary upset in Massachusetts, where Ayanna Pressley (D) handily defeated Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), has been compared this morning to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D) surprise victory over Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) earlier this summer, but the differences are pretty important.

Ocasio-Cortez is a 28-year old who ran as a Democratic socialist against a relatively moderate liberal. Pressley has been an elected official since 2010, and while liberal, she ran against another solidly liberal candidate. Ocasio-Cortez is truly an outsider but Pressley is not. What they do have in common is that they are both women who beat older white men and they’re much better ethnic matches for the changing demographics of the districts they seek to represent.

That said, it’s a big mistake to suggest these upsets are forerunners of a Democratic version of the Tea Party movement that’s dogged Republicans since the 2010 midterms. While it’s too early to know what kind of legislator Ocasio-Cortez will be, it’s fairly certain that Pressley already knows the ins-and-outs making laws. Neither woman embodies the “tear it down” mantra of the Tea Party. Neither woman puts their district at risk by being the Democratic nominee.

And although both women defeated respected lawmakers, Crowley and Capuano still remain the only Democratic incumbents who have lost their primary challenges this year.

The only conclusion it’s safe to draw from these two races is that Democratic voters this year are really interested in having more women in Congress.

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https://politicalwire.com/2018/09/05/democrats-do-not-have-a-tea-party-problem/

[Gothmog]

1. Thanks for posting this

It was behind the paywall

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. "Democratic voters this year are really interested in having more women in Congress."

Because it is 2018 and Democratic voters realize that women are under-represented and under-utilized. Women constitute a great reservoir of talent, skill, and experience.

[Trust Buster]

3. I think we are starting to have such a problem.

[OilemFirchen]

4. Probably not.

But remember that AOC has floated the idea of a sub-caucus within the Progressive Caucus. While I don't think she'll have any success, it's worth noting that the most destructive contemporary consequence of the Tea Party is the odious "Freedom Caucus" which, despite its tiny membership, wields substantial influence on the House.

If the self-loathing "Democratic Socialists" begin to believe that they are capable of similar influence, a Democratic House could be similarly hobbled. Again, it's not likely, at least in the near future, but it could happen in a few years.

[Hortensis]

5. I've seen that dishonest theme pushed by many

sources, every one of which is exposing a hostile agenda. Or just gross negligence and incompetence. Sometimes hard to tell unless you recognize the author's name.