Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has issued a dire warning to her party about the chaos that could ensue if they succeed in pushing President Joe Biden off the ticket. And she criticized Democrats whoāve given off-the-record quotes that suggest the party has resigned itself to a second Trump term.
InĀ an Instagram Live video on Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez warned liberals that a brokered convention could lead to chaos, in part because she says some of the Democratic āelitesā who want Biden outĀ alsoĀ donāt want Vice PresidentĀ Kamala HarrisĀ as the nominee in his place.
āIf you think that is going to be an easy transition, Iām here to tell you that a huge amount of the donor class and these elites who are pushing for the president not to be the nominee also do not want to see the VP be the nominee,ā she said.
Ocasio-Cortez claimed none of the people sheās spoken with who are calling onĀ Biden to drop outĀ ā including lawmakers and legal experts ā have articulated a plan to swap out the nominee without minimizing the serious legal and procedural challenges that are likely to ensue.
Ocasio-Cortez also highlighted the racial, ethnic and class divisions that appear to have formed between the majority of thoseĀ pining to blow up the ticketĀ ā led mostly by white Democrats and media pundits ā and those elected officials who feel they and their constituents have too much at stake to upend the process at this point and so are willing to do the work to re-elect Biden-Harris. She alluded to this cultural divide in her video when she spoke out against anonymous sources expressing a sense of fatalism on behalf of Democrats about what might happen if Biden remains on the ticket:
What I will say is what upsets me is [Democrats] saying we will lose. For me, to a certain extent, I donāt care what name is on there. We are not losing. I donāt know about you, but my community does not have the option to lose. My community does not have the luxury of accepting loss in July of an election year. My people are the first ones deported. Theyāre the first ones put in Rikers. Theyāre the first ones whose families are killed by war.
By calling out how there is no strategy behind the folks asking for him to step down. They have alluded to the fact that they donāt want Harris either. Itās a hard pill to swallow since it doesnāt fit your narrative, but youāre going to have to accept reality.
Still waiting to hear even a broad outline of how this can be turned around with Biden at the top of the ticket. Been waiting a few weeks, honestly. Take your time.
Thatās not a strategy to beat Trump in November; itās just a strategy to keep Biden now so he can lose to Trump in November. Clinton lost because she didnāt bother to campaign in swing states. Weāre sticking with someone who canāt campaign as much as is needed.