President Biden's age – and whether he should stay or go – about it has divided Democrats this summer.
In fact, the president's decision to bow out earlier — and give other nominees, including Vice President Kamala Harris, a chance to run for the Oval Office — may have saved the election for the party. .
The divide between old and new and the direction of the party threatens to create tension within the Democratic coalition. In fact, the race between Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., serving as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee represents a microcosm of that skirmish.
Connolly, 74, is recovering from esophageal cancer, succeeded 35-year-old Ocasio-Cortez for a top position in the Democratic Caucus soon. The ranking Democrat on that panel will clash daily with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Connolly is also expected to act as the party's lead attack dog for future conflicts with the incoming Trump administration.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was unsuccessful in her bid to become the leader of her party on the House Oversight Committee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Comer wanted Ocasio-Cortez. He knew that electing him would raise his standing in terms of party leadership.
“I hope they put him there because he represents what the Democrats stand for. He's a socialist. He's the creator of the Green New Deal in the House,” said Comer.
It was the choice of a generation for the Democrats.
Youth versus experience.
But what about the future of the party?
Ocasio-Cortez is a symbol of the progressive movement. He is one of the highest water stars in Congress – even if he is sometimes a lightning rod.
Does the party want to promote a liberal vote like Ocasio-Cortez – which would hold on the left side, in the multicultural neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and College Point in New York? Or do you have a way of talking to more voters and even moderate Democrats in Omaha, Nebraska, parts of Ohio and the Dakotas?
It wasn't that long ago that Democrats represented most of these areas. All of North Dakota's and South Dakota's representatives – the House and Senate – were made up of Democrats. Former Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., were political icons in the Cornhusker State. Ohio was a swing state for the presidency.
Connolly was never a “conservative” Democrat. He doesn't have the political influence of Ocasio-Cortez. That is not a good or bad thing. Connolly is a hard worker. He is a good lawyer with a simple mind, and can speak with the best in committee or on the floor of the House.
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The question is: Did House Democrats once again make it difficult for progressives? Did they re-incarcerate the young and active?
Unclear.
A victory for Ocasio-Cortez would have shown that the Democrats have lost their way. That was one of the party's problems in the election. But when it comes to “renewal” and “turning the page” in the party, few have more money in this regard than Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Some parts of the Democratic movement cheered Phillips when he made a surprise challenge to President Biden at the party. Phillips is now retiring from Congress.
“It's time to promote the best and the brightest. We've literally prevented them from rising to leadership positions, which means they go elsewhere,” complained Phillips. “And when we lose that kind of talent in young Americans who are ambitious, capable, patriotic, we're in trouble.”
Democrats are trying to figure out where to stay after a brutal election loss. How to rebuild a working partnership is a challenge. Especially after President-elect Trump he found a way to expand the GOP base and attract disaffected voters to his side.
“It's clear that the Democratic caucus has long taken people who have been here a long time,” Phillips said, criticizing how the party is not recruiting “young, talented Americans.” He said Democrats “will continue to lose” if they don't “open up” to younger patients.
For his part, Connolly argued that the old versus young debate was “a false report, frankly, put out by the press.”
But even though Connolly won, the party appointed several junior lawmakers (and remember that “junior” is a relative term when it comes to Congress) to serve as rank-and-file members on several committees.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, DN.Y., 77, stepped aside as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee in favor of Rep. Jamie Raskin, 62, D-Md. Raskin recently recovered from lymphoma.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., 78, was out for most of the year with cancer. Grijalva served as the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He resigned from that job, when Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif, 60 years old, defeated a new person in Congress – Rep. Melanie Stansbury, 45, DNM, – serving as an ex-officio member. of that panel.
“It's only in Congress that I'm starting to be a teenager at 60,” Huffman said. “So it's like a fountain of youth.”
Like Grijalva, Rep. David Scott, 79, D-Ga., was absent at times last year because of health problems. He is a Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. Scott refused to step down. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., 72, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., 52, challenged Scott, as Democrats battled each other over age and experience.
“I don't know that it's a conflict,” Costa said before the election. “We have a terrific group of members in our Democratic Caucus. Members elected in recent caucuses. But we certainly have a lot of positions, tremendous experience and a solid bench.”
Young Craig defeated both Scott and Costa to claim the Farming status.
After winning, Craig did not pay attention to age. Instead, he talked about political processes.
“Democrats generally don't connect with rural communities. That's something we were able to do in my district. I represent a D-plus one district and I just won it by 14 percent,” he said. Craig.
In other words, his district in southeastern Minnesota nominally favors Democrats, but the moderate Craig beat his opponent.
“(When) we show up, we listen to people and they know we care about them and their health,” Craig said. “And I think the Democratic Party needs to do more than that. Show up. Listen. And make sure people know they care.”
While the Democrats are sorting out their committee leaders, yours has seen Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 78, D-Ohio, near the Capitol steps.
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Kaptur is unusual in Congress, in many ways.
First elected in 1982, Kaptur is the longest serving woman in Congressional history. I am a pro-life Democrat. Despite his age — and one could argue his gender — Kaptur has never chaired or served as the top Democrat on any House committee.
Much of that is due to his views on abortion. But Kaptur's experience and Ocasio-Cortez's experience bring this debate into full focus. The first House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., favors Connolly over the New York Democrat. And for years, Kaptur maintains that powerful Pelosi has also blocked him from moving up.
“In the case of the Allocation Committee, the people appointed by my party usually come from the coasts,” Kaptur noted, saying it took him ten years to find a place on the allocation list. “I had to beat Nancy Pelosi to do that by about five votes. I started to understand how this organization called 'Congress' works.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is one of the Democratic old guards who supported Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to become the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y. . (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Kaptur said most of the Democratic members of the committees “are all from the coasts. They are not from our part of America.”
Kaptur believes the party must focus on “bread and butter issues at home” if they are going to win back the voters President-Elect Trump won in November.
“The president-elect was right when he talked about the prices when he went to McDonald's. That's where many of my members work and eat,” said Kaptur.
He also said that Trump's ride on the garbage truck has cemented the alliance with working Americans.
Kaptur said: “He skillfully identified their problems.
That character from Kaptur is the quintessential distillation of the entire presidential race. It explains many reasons why Trump won. It highlighted how Democrats are struggling to speak to “working” Americans and those living in the middle of the country.
The battle will continue for Democrats as moderates and progressives — as well as newcomers and the old guard — destroy the party's future.
But it's hard to argue with Kaptur – both from electoral and political experience. He won re-election in a district carried by Trump. That's to say nothing of Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who won statewide.
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When it comes to key committee seats, Democrats have ignored lawmakers like Kaptur and shut them out. Ocasio-Cortez lost to Connolly. Raskin, Huffman and Craig are now the top Democrats on several committees. It is a combination of small members, but more than pragmatism. Does that mean the Democrats got the message? Not so much.
Check back in six months to see if these methods are a significant improvement.