Rep. Rashida Tlaib rejected criticisms from centrist Democrats who blamed progressive rhetoric for a disappointing election performance in the House and doubled down on far-left policies.
“We’re not going to be successful if we’re silencing districts like mine,” the Michigan Democrat and member of the “Squad” told Politico this week. “Me not being able to speak on behalf of many of my neighbors right now, many of which are Black neighbors, means me being silenced. I can’t be silent.”
Tlaib added: “We are not interested in unity that asks people to sacrifice their freedom and their rights any longer. And if we truly want to unify our country, we have to really respect every single voice. We say that so willingly when we talk about Trump supporters, but we don’t say that willingly for my Black and brown neighbors and from LGBTQ neighbors or marginalized people.”
Last week, some centrist House Democrats reportedly expressed frustration on a conference call over having to defend certain “progressive” policies, including defunding the police, which Rep. Abigail Spanberger allegedly believes almost cost her reelection.
“If we run this race again, we will get f—ing torn apart again in 2022,” Spanberger allegedly said, adding that Democrats should avoid using the word “socialism.”
Democrats were expected to increase their majority in the House in last week’s election but instead lost at least five seats with votes still being counted.
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy suggested this week that the losses could give Republicans enough votes to block Nancy Pelosi from being reelected as speaker of the House.
“To become speaker you have to have 218 votes on the floor,” McCarthy said. “When she went up for that vote two years ago, there were 15 Democrats who voted against her. Ten of those Democrats will be coming back to Congress. If those 10 vote against her again, she will not be speaker of the House because she won’t have 218 because of the gains of Republicans.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Squad along with Tlaib, blamed the Democratic House losses on a lack of a digital media presence.
“Our party isn’t even online, not in a real way that exhibits competence,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding that “if you’re not spending $200,000 on Facebook with fundraising, persuasion, volunteer recruitment, get-out-the-vote the week before the election, you are not firing on all cylinders. And not a single one of these campaigns were firing on all cylinders.”
The other two members of the Squad, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Ilhan Omar, have both stood firm against criticism from centrists on social media.
“We don’t actually have to choose between being popular and governing,” Omar tweeted. “In fact, you can’t govern without building support and solidarity. Our popularity comes from our commitment to real working class solidarity. Other Democrats should consider why that is.”
We don’t actually have to choose between being popular and governing. In fact, you can’t govern without building support and solidarity.
Our popularity comes from our commitment to real working class solidarity. Other Democrats should consider why that is. https://t.co/wxRBmjDQmP
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 11, 2020
“Embrace the base,” Pressley tweeted, and she said in an interview on Sirius XM Radio that her identity has been “weaponized” by some members of her own party.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to that interview by retweeting it along with a quote from Pressley.
“Unity at the expense of my equality and safety is not an option.”
– Rep. @AyannaPressley https://t.co/0i6y1DRJmf
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 11, 2020
