Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), is quick to point out that 14 of the 16 Democrats that have signed on to a letter opposing Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker of the House are men - so she’s concerned.
“My main concern was that there is no vision, there is no common value, there is no goal that is really articulated in this letter aside from we need to change,” Ocasio-Cortez told MSNBC on Monday.
"I do think that we got sent to Congress on a mandate to change how government works, to change what government even looks like, but if we are not on the same page about changing the systems and the values and how we’re going to adapt as a party for the future, then what is the point of just changing our party leadership just for the sake of it?”
“I think that what it does is that it creates a window where we could potentially get more conservative leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez later added. “And when you actually look at the signatories, it is not necessarily reflective of the diversity of the party. We have about 16 signatories, 14 of them are male, there are very few people of color in the caucus, there’s very few ideological diversity. It’s not like they’re progressives signing on, it’s not like you have a broad based coalition. So, I’m not totally bought into the concept."
In the past, Ocasio–Cortez was vague on whether or not she would lend her support for Pelosi to become Speaker of the House, if she was elected. Now that she’s aware “there’s very few ideological diversity” among those that signed the letter in an effort to replace Pelosi, she has clearly reconsidered.