Progressive political commentator Jimmy Dore is pressuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her allies in Congress to withhold their support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s re-election in January to force a vote on Medicare for All — or bill HR 1384.
“Not only can this work, it’s exactly how politics is supposed to work,” he tweeted . “You extract SOMETHING for your vote. Med4all is the most popular policy idea in entire country. If progressives don’t do this they are revealing that they are careerists who will never fight for anything.”
In response, Ocasio-Cortez claimed the proposal doesn’t give “enough thought” to the second step — bringing Medicare for All to the House floor for a vote.
“The Dem votes aren’t there yet, and with a razor-thin margin the Dem NOs are > margin. So you issue threats, hold your vote, and lose. Then what? If you want to know who’s opposed look @ cosponsor list.”
According to Dore, Ocasio-Cortez’s response was “gaslighting.”
“This is politics 101. Demand something for your vote,” he tweeted .
In another tweet , Ocasio Cortez argued that progressive leverage should be focused on things that can feasibly happen and can create transformational change, including a $15 federal minimum wage. But the political commentator offered a counterpoint in a response tweet , which suggested the progressive lawmaker and her colleagues would lose nothing by pressuring Pelosi. Instead, they would gain the opportunity to enact Medicare for All.
The Corporate Crime Reporter claimed Dore’s idea has legs and noted the House majority in the new Congress could be as few as 10 votes. Nevertheless, the publication claimed current members of the lower chamber who have co-signed HR 1384 appeared opposed to the idea.
Dore noted the coronavirus pandemic has caused many Americans to lose their health care and urged Democrats to fight for the legislation. He argued that Pelosi and her Democratic allies are more opposed to progressives like Ocasio-Cortez than they are to Republicans. The commentator slammed Pelosi as a Wall Street “puppet” and supporter of the military-industrial complex and suggested progressives are being naive to ignore her as their current obstacle.
The lower chamber will vote to re-elect Nancy Pelosi to her position in January. As The Inquisitr reported, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash previously called on Democrats in the lower chamber to replace Pelosi as their leader. According to the outgoing lawmaker, Pelosi has continued the tradition of her predecessor, Paul Ryan, and refused to allow votes on any legislation she has not approved.