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In a significant escalation of her activist-driven political approach, the well-known elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Urged other progressives to take up the main challenge against some of the most conservative Democratic members of Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez launched the call last Saturday during a phone call to 700 progressive activists organized by Justice Democrats, the alumni group of Senator Bernie Sanders' candidacy for the 2016 presidential election.
"In short, I need you to run to be elected," Ocasio-Cortez began. "We must all sit on all levels of government, but I really hope that many of you will join me here in Congress."
Justice Democrats recruited Ocasio-Cortez to play and played a key role in his marvel against Joe Crowley, broker of the House, at the Democratic New York primary in June. Ocasio-Cortez then easily won Crowley's seat since 1999 in this month's general election.
The group calls its new campaign #Our time. The initiative calls on the army of Justice Democrats to help identify those in the House of Democrats who are "demographically and ideologically out of touch with their districts" and to identify people who could good main opponents.
The inclusion of demographic criteria in Justice Democrats probably means that even some progressive white Democrats who represent more diverse districts will not be immune from such challenges by 2020. The group has already presented this approach by supporting Ayanna Pressley, a black city council of Boston. member who sat Progressive Representative Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) In a primary in September.
If I drove people crazy, they could have put me on the dog walk committee or something else. They could still.
Elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Democrats say they are inspired by the belief that most of today's Democratic members of Congress are not in a position to take radical solutions to the country's most pressing problems and the planet. . Among the most urgent crises, they said, include climate change, the widening of economic inequality and persistent racial injustice.
"There are good people who want to lobby, but they do not have the backing to do anything great," said Saikat Chakrabarti, founder of Justice Democrats, who travels to Washington to serve as Ocasio-Cortez leader. Staff. "So we need new leaders, one point is everything. We have the primaries. "
"If we do not have people who are focused on the mission and focused on the resolution of these huge problems, we simply can not solve them in time," he added.
It is very unusual for a congressman to support a large number of key challenges aimed at party colleagues.
However, during last week's orientation on Capitol Hill for newly elected legislators, Ocasio-Cortez has shown that it has little incentive to adhere to the traditional congressional standards of courtesy and deference. .
Ocasio-Cortez participated Tuesday in the sit-in of the Sunrise movement at the office of Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), And endorsed the group's call for the creation of a Restricted committee composed only of members of Congress, members of Congress. have not received money from the fossil fuel industry. The committee envisioned by Ocasio-Cortez and the group would be responsible for drafting a "Green New Deal" type Marshall Plan for the United States to be fully powered by renewable energy by 2035.
The idea of the committee was supported by a handful of House Democrats and newly elected deputies. But Ocasio-Cortez's proposal and support for this proposal has also sparked public opposition from senior Democrat colleagues, many of whom hold positions on executive committees and say a new commission is unnecessary.
Sludge's investigative information site later reported that each of the Democrats cited as criticizing Ocasio-Cortez had received massive donations during the 2018 campaign cycle from the committees of action. political and employees of the fossil fuel industry and electricity companies.
For Ocasio-Cortez, the negative answer to the idea of simply creating a Committee In charge of drafting the legislation only reinforces the need for a greater number of key challenges for former incumbents.
Resistance to the proposal "highlights the role that fossil fuel industry contributions even play within the Democratic Party," she said.
Another sign of its independence, Ocasio-Cortez has not yet joined the leaders of the Progressive Caucus of Congress – which it joins – to approve the candidacy of Pelosi for the presidency of the House. This gives Ocasio-Cortez a means of pressure in an attempt to persuade Pelosi to create the climate change committee.
The 29-year-old Democratic Socialist said she was aware that she could already face political punishment for participating in the sit-in at the Pelosi office.
"If I drove people crazy, they could have put me on the dog walk committee or whatever. They could still. But I knew it was worth it, "she said.
In his address to the Democratic judges, Ocasio-Cortez invited activists who were considering running for office to make a similar leap by believing that history would be on their side.
"Know that they will come after you and that it does not matter, because at the end of the day, when you'll be on the right side of this long story that leans towards justice, we can tell our little ones -children for whom we fought. which is right, she says.
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