Summary
Younger House Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Angie Craig, are challenging senior members for powerful committee roles, signaling a shift from the party’s tradition of prioritizing seniority.
High-profile contests, such as for the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, reflect tensions following Democrats’ 2024 election losses and frustration with long-standing leadership practices.
Critics argue fresh leadership is needed to counter Donald Trump’s return, while others stress the value of experience and institutional knowledge.
The debate highlights a generational shift and growing demands for change within the Democratic Party.
It is kind of insane that most of the examples are of 60 year olds challenging the 75 year olds.
One of the young ones is in their 50s, and one example is of an early 70s challenging a later 70s.
Only one in the whole lot I would think of as “young” (35).
Since you have to be 25/30 to be a rep/senator, I think it’s fair to consider 40 and under young. US politicians are stupidly old though.
This is what happens in a one party system, old those who have been there longest have the power. Which is why we keep getting old white guys for president
That and half the country is too biggoted to vote for a woman of color.
That’s not why she lost. The sexist vote is going to go Republican, regardless of what Democrat is running. Whatever votes she might have lost because of her gender would be made up for with enthusiasm for the first woman president, if only she was someone who could inspire enthusiasm.
Too bad the Democrats didn’t make the election a referendum on the healthcare system. It suddenly seems like that’s what the “moderate” voters she was going for actually care about. Someone should have suggested that.
We spent the whole 2020 primary talking about it for it to be promptly forgotten about and now with what appears to be an across the board anger about health insurance the only message we get from anyone in power is that it’s important people in suits don’t get murdered.
The ACA made the Health insurance industry into one of the biggest profit generating machines in the country. That brought in the Wall Street greed machine and tons of lobbying cash. Now it’s entrenched and the Democrats are afraid to touch it.
The ACA brought in some much needed reforms, but the cost we paid might mean the collapse of the whole system. It was another massive cash transfer to the wealthy at a time when wealth inequality was already out of control. Once that cash starts flowing, shutting off the taps takes backbone, and most Democrats don’t have those. Wall Street now feels entitled to those earnings forever.