Establishment Democrats are trying to reign in Ocasio-Cortez

  An interesting thing has been taking place in Washington since the new Congress took over: the woman who was supposed to be a thorn in the side of Republicans because she ushered in the new socialist era in American politics, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has set her sights on establishment Democrats and according to this story it is starting to wear on them.

  Here is more:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already making enemies in the House Democratic Caucus — and some of its members are mounting an operation to bring the anti-establishment, democratic socialist with 2.2 million Twitter followers into the fold.

The effort, described by nearly 20 lawmakers and aides, is part carrot, part stick: Some lawmakers with ties to Ocasio-Cortez are hoping to coax her into using her star power to unite Democrats and turn her fire on Republicans. Others simultaneously warn Ocasio-Cortez is destined for a lonely, ineffectual career in Congress if she continues to treat her own party as the enemy.

“I’m sure Ms. Cortez means well, but there’s almost an outstanding rule: Don’t attack your own people,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). “We just don’t need sniping in our Democratic Caucus.”

Incumbent Democrats are most annoyed by Ocasio-Cortez’s threat to back primary opponents against members of their ranks she deems too moderate. But their frustration goes beyond that: Democratic leaders are upset that she railed against their new set of House rules on Twitter the first week of the new Congress. Rank and file are peeved that there’s a grassroots movement to try to win her a top committee post they feel she doesn’t deserve.

Even some progressives who admire AOC, as she’s nicknamed, told POLITICO that they worry she’s not using her notoriety effectively.

“She needs to decide: Does she want to be an effective legislator or just continue being a Twitter star?” said one House Democrat who’s in lockstep with Ocasio Cortez’s ideology. “There’s a difference between being an activist and a lawmaker in Congress.”

  What these Democrats forgot in their ecstasy at her winning the general election, and the prospect of the nation making a hard left hand turn, was the fact that she got to that point by taking on the establishment Democrats in the primary and now she is simply encouraging others to do what she did.

 The Democrats must have assumed once she was sworn in they could bring her into their control and focus her attacks on Republicans but to date that does not seem to be happening and now that she has suddenly become the new face of the Democratic party she might be more of a problem for them than she will be for the Republicans.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium