It’s entirely understandable that he hasn’t exactly been energized to take on an existential political fight for the soul of the nation over the last few months. What’s not understandable is why he even ran for this position, and why top Democrats like Nancy Pelosi so determinedly went to bat for him. The Oversight Committee is charged with ensuring efficiency and accountability in the federal government. So, Democrats on the committee are naturally taking on an incredibly dire role right now. Trump’s first term was nothing if not a hotbed for corruption, what with his lack of tax returns, or all the suspicious activities surrounding his businesses. In his second term so far, Trump and his entire family appear to be profiting massively off scam-y memecoins, while other members of his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, are partaking in their own suspicious activities.
Trotting out a justifiably fatigued 75-year-old man recovering from cancer to lead such a dogged fight was never a good idea. In the last three-and-a-half months, Connolly has routinely disappeared during key moments when Democrats needed visible leaders front and center, communicating to the American public and highlighting the stakes of everything that’s happening. And it’s not as if Democrats didn’t have other options with the demonstrated ability to do all of that: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who’s far and away the party’s brightest star right now, also ran for the role in December.
Ocasio-Cortez continues to be one of the most visible and well-liked Democrats in the nation. She’s managed to work effectively with party leadership while still courting the party’s diverse, increasingly young, and progressive base. With one viral clip after another, she’s famous for wielding her seat on Oversight to masterfully grill corrupt CEOs and put government corruption on blast with language that clearly resonates with American voters. (Ocasio-Cortez has the largest online platform of anyone in her party.) She was—is—exactly what the Democratic Party needed and needs in a Ranking Member on Oversight right now. Instead, party leadership backed a man who one House Democrat called “a young 74, cancer notwithstanding.” Ironically enough, Pelosi whipped the vote against Ocasio-Cortez from her hospital bed after suffering from a fall and breaking her hip.
In Ocasio-Cortez’s bid for Ranking Member on the Oversight Committee, she received endorsements from both the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus—caucuses representing key constituencies that the party needs but is increasingly alienating, as returns from November’s election show. The majority of Democrats currently on Oversight backed Ocasio-Cortez, too.
I hate to say “I told you so,” but AOC very obviously should have been tapped for this position from the start. It shouldn’t have taken a 75-year-old man receiving a second cancer diagnosis for the party to see that. But at the very least, Democrats now have a second chance to do the right thing—the smart thing, the thing that people who actually want to win would do…
