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The Democrats' lost generation of leadership
(CNN)The big story on Tuesday night was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- the 28-year-old political neophyte who pulled off the upset of the 2018 election in New York's 14th district. And rightly so! Ocasio-Cortez's victory will reverberate around the Democratic political world for months -- and maybe even years -- to come.
But don't overlook another massive story out of the district: Rep. Joe Crowley's loss at the hands of Ocasio-Cortez effectively eliminates an entire generation of politicians that were seen as the future leaders of the party in Washington.
With the three top Democratic leaders in the House all in their late 70s, the gap between that trio and the 30-somethings still getting their sea legs in Congress is vast and stark. It's the 50-somethings who should fill that gap. But they are all gone.
Crowley's defeat comes on the heels of a series of implosions and career decisions that have robbed Democrats of an entire generation of leaders. Consider:
-Steve Israel of New York, the one-time head of Democrats' campaign arm, retired in 2016 rather than wait around for a chance at the top leadership jobs that seemed unlikely to develop anytime soon.
-Xavier Becerra of California, who was the 4th ranking Democrat in the House, resigned from Congress in late 2016 to serve as the Golden State's attorney general.
-Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, like Israel a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, decided not to wait around -- running for and winning an open Senate seat in 2016.
-Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida had a disastrous tenure as the chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and took such a hit among liberal activists that there was some concern she might lose a primary fight for her safely Democratic seat. (She didn't.)
Each of these circumstances was somewhat unique. And yet, in each of the cases, the decisions made by the quartet above was driven in no small part by the total stasis within the upper ranks of House Democratic leadership...
More at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/28/politics/joe-crowley-nancy-pelosi-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/index.html
But don't overlook another massive story out of the district: Rep. Joe Crowley's loss at the hands of Ocasio-Cortez effectively eliminates an entire generation of politicians that were seen as the future leaders of the party in Washington.
With the three top Democratic leaders in the House all in their late 70s, the gap between that trio and the 30-somethings still getting their sea legs in Congress is vast and stark. It's the 50-somethings who should fill that gap. But they are all gone.
Crowley's defeat comes on the heels of a series of implosions and career decisions that have robbed Democrats of an entire generation of leaders. Consider:
-Steve Israel of New York, the one-time head of Democrats' campaign arm, retired in 2016 rather than wait around for a chance at the top leadership jobs that seemed unlikely to develop anytime soon.
-Xavier Becerra of California, who was the 4th ranking Democrat in the House, resigned from Congress in late 2016 to serve as the Golden State's attorney general.
-Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, like Israel a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, decided not to wait around -- running for and winning an open Senate seat in 2016.
-Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida had a disastrous tenure as the chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and took such a hit among liberal activists that there was some concern she might lose a primary fight for her safely Democratic seat. (She didn't.)
Each of these circumstances was somewhat unique. And yet, in each of the cases, the decisions made by the quartet above was driven in no small part by the total stasis within the upper ranks of House Democratic leadership...
More at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/28/politics/joe-crowley-nancy-pelosi-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/index.html
19 replies
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Summarized from source data:
Wikipedia
That's just...sad
Like the Republican Party.
All those candidates in 2016. Defeated by a septuagenarian.
Keep peddling the story, national media. We know you're on our side. 
