Progressives slam Pelosi’s ice cream hit in post-mortem election

Progressive groups leading a post-mortem on the 2020 race criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week, saying “showing” her flashy freezer full of ice was an “unforced error” that has eroded the majority of Democrats in the House.

“The economy was the main concern of voters in this election,” read the letter written on Wednesday.

“When Democratic leaders make direct mistakes like showing two sub-zero freezers full of ice cream on national television or getting comfortable with Wall Street executives and corporate lobbyists while Trump tells voters we are the party of the swamp, it is not surprising that we lose, ”he continued.

The letter referred to a now infamous exchange in which Pelosi (D-Calif.) Flashed his $ 24,000 Sub-Zero freezers filled with $ 13 ice cream in an interview with James Corden at the height of the pandemic.

Progressive groups New Deal Strategies, Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and Data for Progress have blasted Democratic leaders, whom they accused of being out of touch, and predicted Republicans would return to the House in 2022.

“Democratic leadership has failed over the years to make sustained investments in organizing on the ground, forcing grassroots organizations to do most of the organizing work on their own in key battlefield states. », We read in the letter.

Progressives said it was the grassroots work of Latin American organizers and black activists that won Joe Biden the state of Arizona and saw Democrats put the ruby ​​red state of Georgia on the line.

“In Georgia, after learning that it could never become a transitional state, it was progressive black-led organizations like Black Voters Matter, New Georgia Project and Fair Fight Action that registered over 800,000 new voters, of which nearly 50% of them are under 30 and people. of color since 2018 to prepare for this moment ”, continues the letter.

The Democratic Party is currently tearing itself apart in the wake of Biden’s victory, with lawmakers arguing whether the progressive agenda championed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) helps or hurts.

Although mainstream Democrats criticized the Green New Deal, the Medicare-for-all program as alienating, progressives wrote that it was left-wing lawmakers like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) Who delivered a defeat against Trump.

“While the Biden-Harris campaign has resisted in-person canvassing, Omar’s campaign has continued to do so, hiring dozens of people to knock on doors and withdraw votes,” the postmortem read.

“Trump and the GOP really thought they could win Minnesota – what they weren’t counting on was an 88% turnout in the Ilhan District with over 400,000 votes,” he continued .