By Ray Cardello for December 31, 2024, Season 30 / Post 45

Controversy always surrounds Alexandria “Sandy” Cortez, whether it concerns her socialist ideals, her creation of the Far-Left force, The Squad, her skirting of campaign finance laws, or if she is the future of the Democrat Party. There is much negativity in her wake and so few accomplishments. Undeniably, Cortez is a master of social networking but still a novice in the aisles of Congress. She can stir up a crowd with her stage antics, high-octane energy, good looks, and ability to connect with the American youth. She cannot, however, stir support for her legislation. Cortez will start her fourth term in January but has yet to have one of her bills run the gauntlet to become law.

After winning her reelection in November, Cortez made a play to become a more prominent member of her Party and D.C., but she came up against a powerful woman she could not evade. Cortez was running for the ranking member of the powerful House Oversight Committee. Still, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was plotting behind the scenes on behalf of her challenger, Rep. Gerry Connolly. Criticism of the selection of the elder Connolly over the next-generation Cortez was swift by many in the media, which leads one to question what we look for in our political representatives. Do we want legislators with a track record of getting things done in the quagmire of D.C. politics, or do we want someone savvy on social media?

Jen Psaki, the former press secretary for Joe Biden, turned talking head for MSNBC and was quite vocal about the Cortez snub. Speaking on MSNBC this week:

Psaki scolded Democrats for missing a “big opportunity” to apply lessons they should have taken from their brutal 2024 election loss by passing over young, “media-savvy” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for the top Democratic spot on the House oversight committee.

“Instead, they chose Congressman Gerry Connolly, a much older member who was backed by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi,” the former Biden press secretary said during a recent broadcast of “Inside with Jen Psaki.” 

“Why does that matter?” she continued. “This is one of the few committees in Congress that actually generates national attention or media coverage. Under Jamie Raskin, it became a critical platform for countering Republican misinformation. And while I have deep, deep respect for Speaker Pelosi… and nothing against Congressman Conolly at all, this felt like an obvious chance to apply some of the lessons we should’ve learned from the November election.”

“Instead, Democrats passed over one of the youngest, most media-savvy members of Congress for a key public leadership role.”

It must be noted that YouTube is ripe with videos showing Cortez being soundly schooled by people appearing before the various committees that she sits on. She is often unprepared, poorly supported, and prepared by her staff. Her performance and failure to see her bills signed into law by a president prove that Cortez is not ready for leadership. Miss Cortez has been bad for her constituents, bad for her party, but good for herself. There is no reason to let her assume a position of power that she has not earned. The people of her district will figure her out, and this is one time I am glad that Nancy Pelosi can still exert her authority.