MSNBC host Jen Psaki He chided Democrats for missing a “huge opportunity” to apply the lessons they should have learned from their brutal 2024 election loss by bypassing “media-savvy” young Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. House Oversight Committee.
“Instead, they chose Congressman Gerry Connolly, a much older congressman who is supported by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi,” Biden's former press secretary said during a recent “Inside with Jen Psaki” podcast.
“Why does it matter?” I continued. “This is one of the few committees in Congress that actually gets national attention or media coverage. And under Jamie Raskin, it has become a critical platform for countering Republican disinformation. And while I have deep respect for Speaker Pelosi… I have nothing against Congressman Connolly.” “Absolutely, it seemed like a clear opportunity to apply some of the lessons we should have learned from the November election.”
“Instead, Democrats passed over one of the youngest and most media-savvy members of Congress for a key public leadership role.”
AOC's loss in her bid for House committee chairman signals a generational choice for Democrats
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks as U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building on July 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Democrats dealt a blow to the party's progressive wing by selecting 74-year-old Rep. Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, over the 35-year-old “Squad” member by a 131-84 vote earlier this month. The committee's ranking Democrat will duel daily with Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who has himself suggested he would like to appoint Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to the position because she more accurately reflects the “socialism” of the Democratic Party. ideology.
Fox News Chief Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram He called the appointment “A blow to the youth movement within the Democratic Party” as the divide between youth and adults threatens to “drive a wedge” through the Democratic Alliance.
Biden's former rival, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who will soon retire from Congress, criticized the party for shirking young talent within the party in favor of preserving the old guard.
Liberal media hosts Democratic Party after AOC loses top spot on House Oversight Committee
Jen Psaki speaks on stage during Jen Psaki's conversation with Lawrence O'Donnell – Say More: Lessons from Business, the White House and the World on 92NY on May 8, 2024, in New York City. (Diya Dibasobil/Getty Images)
“It's time to lift up the best and the brightest. We've literally blocked them from ascending to leadership positions, which means they'll go elsewhere. When we lose this kind of talent from young Americans who are ambitious, competent, and patriotic, we have a problem,” he said.
Rep. Connolly He insisted by contrast that the debate between old people and young people was “a false narrative, frankly, being peddled by the media.”
Other left-wing media figures criticized the party over AOC's loss.
“Pelosi canvassed to make sure Connolly got the job of supervising the party's young star, even as the 84-year-old Pelosi recovers from hip surgery after a fall. It feels like a moment of true madness.” MSNBC's Chris Hayes said:
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MSNBC's Joy Reid similarly criticized the decision.
“Geriatric sentences seem insurmountable,” she said. “I remember when Barack Obama was elected, he kind of pushed the Democratic National Committee aside and created his own organization because I think there was a frustration with the hard way the Democratic National Committee operated.”
Fox News' Chad Pergram and Hannah Banrick contributed to this report.
