In the wake of surprising losses in the House of Representatives in the 2020 election, some Democrats are arguing the party has moved too far to the left with its policy agenda and that it needs to focus on “meat and potato” issues.
However, the push to blame progressive causes for the losses and pivot to a more moderate platform is not going over well with the progressive wing of the party.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said on Thursday, “We have seen the pundits and some of the leaders within the Democratic Party or even some of our colleagues who are freshman talk about us getting back to basics.”
“Saying, you know, ‘The Squad, Alex, Ilhan, Rashida all of you have to stop talking about everything you talk about because we need to get back to basics,” she continued.
She added, “So I was confused because I thought, what is more basic than fighting for clean water? What is more basic than fighting for a breathable planet? What is more basic than trying to make sure we get healthcare for people?”
Watch the video below:
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN): “We have seen the pundits and some of the leaders within the Democratic party … saying ‘The Squad, Alex, Ilhan, Rashida … we need to get back to basics.’ So I was confused because I thought, what is more basic than fighting for clean water?” pic.twitter.com/dk5l5d5W50
— The Recount (@therecount) November 19, 2020
Before the election, Democrats were expected to pick up between 10 and 15 seats and further expand their majority. However, Republicans flipped at least 11 seats with several still races yet to be called.
The loss sparked an intra-party feud with the moderate and progressive wings of the party seeking to assign blame for the outcome of the election.
In a phone call with her colleagues, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), a centrist lawmaker, said, “We need to not ever use the word ‘socialist’ or ‘socialism’ ever again. . . . We lost good members because of that.”
“If we are classifying Tuesday as a success . . . we will get f—ing torn apart in 2022,” she added.
However, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who described herself as a democratic socialist, argued that the push to shun progressive policies was an attempt to appeal to white, suburban voters.
“To be real, it sounds like you are saying stop pushing for what Black folks want,” she said.
Still, The Washington Post reports that Democratic House members have privately voiced concerns that the party has moved too far to the left.
