Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejects left-wing calls to force Pelosi to hold a Medicare for All vote

[JonLP24]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejects left-wing calls to force Pelosi to hold a Medicare for All vote in exchange for her vote for the Speaker

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can only afford to lose the support of a handful of her House Democratic colleagues in order to be elected on January 3, to her fourth term as leader of the House.

A handful of outspoken left-wing activists are pressuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive House lawmakers to take advantage of this vulnerability to force a vote on one of their leading issues: Medicare for All. Commentator Jimmy Dore and Briahna Joy Gray, Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign spokesperson, led calls for Democrats to refuse to vote for Pelosi unless she holds the first House floor vote on single-payer healthcare.

They argue progressives would be foolish to waste what they see as a golden opportunity to promote Rep. Pramila Jayapal's Medicare for All legislation amid a raging pandemic and with millions of newly uninsured Americans.

"Force the Congress to show which side they're really on," Dore said during his YouTube show this week. He accused Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent advocate for Medicare for All, of "pretending to be part of a movement," but in reality "running cover for Nancy Pelosi."

https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-rejects-left-wing-calls-to-force-pelosi-to-hold-medicare-for-all-vote-2020-12?amp&__twitter_impression=true

FTR I disagree with those pressuring AOC to do this.

[awesomerwb1]

1. Briahna Joy Gray

WTF has she ever done for Dems? WTF does she think she is?

Good for AOC.

F both Joy Gray and Dore whoever he is.

[Walleye]

2. So try and force Madame speaker to do something?Go ahead vote her out give the GOP their Xmas wish.

To quote the speaker. “Our strength is in our diversity, our power is in our unity.”

[Sympthsical]

3. Sirota also sided with AOC on this

Wonder if the people always bashing them will have anything nice to say about this.

I'll hold my breath over here.

[Bettie]

5. They won't

I'm watching to see how they spin this as her being a terrible, terrible person who is against all good things and SO much worse than any republican.

[Sympthsical]

6. Give them a bit. They're busy rubbing Steve Schmidt's tummy

He'll be a reliable Left-Puncher, so of course he's incredibly welcome.

[demmiblue]

13. Honestly, some are licking his balls.

As I said in the other thread, I appreciate what he has done in coming out against the Trumplicans.

I remain skeptical for now. I am open to praising him, and I am open to criticizing him.

[Sympthsical]

16. Let's see what policies he supports

If he's another, "You can't be too liberal! Here's why every progressive idea ever doesn't work!" uh, no thanks. We have enough of those who already weren't Republicans to begin with.

We need a somewhat thicker minimum than, "Doesn't like Trump," before I start with the ticker tape.

There's a difference between having a Big Tent and praising people who are looking to uproot the poles and start shifting it to the Right. He burned his Republican bridges. He's looking for a Democratic paycheck now. The Lincoln Project had no effect in battleground states - it turns out, only the choir being preached to was receptive to it. I don't get how that's great messaging. Great messaging persuades people. A Democratic pollster found he and his group persuaded no one.

I want evidence. Not words.

[melman]

21. +1

[MontanaFarmer]

23. Credit where it's due.

AOC is an unabashed progressive, and good on her for that. However, there's a time to prove a point and a time to work for the good of your governing majority. "Forcing people to show which side they're on" on a bill that is purely symbolic at this point would only serve to deepen the progressive/moderate fissure in the House Democratic Caucus that showed up immediately after the election. Since she first ran a couple years ago she's been a gifted political communicator, but she's becoming a gifted "inside baseball" political hand as well. I'm glad we have her on our side, as I'm glad we have the Abigail Spanbergers and Conor Lambs of the world too.

[JI7]

4. Those people are grifting trolls. Why don't they demand Sanders pass those bills in the Senate ?

after all you need both houses to pass legislation and the house has psssed many things.

[Sympthsical]

7. Should've read the article

McConnell controls what votes get held in the Senate. Sanders has no say-so over that.

Pelosi controls what votes get held in the House. AOC and others could exert pressure via the leadership selection of the next Speaker.

I agree with AOC's comments that she should do no such thing and the alternatives she offered instead.

Just had to get Sanders in here, though. Because, of course.

[JI7]

10. You need both houses to pass legislation before it reaches the president

So tell those trashy ass grifters to demand Sanders influence McConnell and pass it.

[Sympthsical]

12. Sanders has no influence on McConnell

Democrats in the House have influence on who becomes Speaker.

You just want to Left-punch and drag in whomever as a means to do it. I get that. That's why Sanders name had to be inserted into a conversation he wasn't even a part of. It happens in every AOC thread. I get it.

The Left is horrible. I. Get. It.

Every thread, man.

Maybe Rick Wilson's drink needs refreshing or something.

[JI7]

14. What's with the victim complex ? Pelosi is more liberal than Sanders and actually

has a record to show for it.

Those grifters should demand the person they support show something for it.

You need the Senate to pass things also to become law so if they are demanding of it in one place they should do the same with the other .

[comradebillyboy]

22. +++++++

[Boogiemack]

9. Dems can find so many ways to wrestle defeat from the jaws of victory nt

[JI7]

11. These are not Democrats. They are grifting trolls.

[Hekate]

15. Sad but true

[uponit7771]

17. "..outspoken left-wing activists..." 🙄🙄🙄

[Bettie]

18. Right?

I would love to see those jackasses get some kind of comeuppance.

Refusing to seat them isn't going to happen, but it rankles that they can do anything they want to without consequences.

I come back to this: if Democrats had done the same thing, there would have been consequences and that is where the frustration of people comes from. Rules only seem to apply to our side, never to theirs.

[LizBeth]

19. Good to hear, thanks. I have been watching AOC. She has potential. I think this serves all of us

well and that is what I am looking for in our representative, so cool. Works for me. I want Pelosi and if AOC helps us to get there, that is a good thing.

[BGBD]

20. Well, at least she is smart enough

To realize electing Kevin McCarthy as Speaker would be bad.