It's going to be a very long summer. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) clashes with fellow Democrats continue to capture headlines, tensions are heating up on the Hill.
Recently, Justice Democrats, a progressive political action committee, announced their intention to back primary challenges against centrist Democrats, and not everyone is thrilled. On Friday, one senior Democratic source reportedly told Fox News' Brooke Singman the effort would be futile. "No one is afraid of those nerds," the source said. "They don't have the ability to primary anyone."
Justice Democrats was founded in early 2017, and is best known for endorsing and supporting the group of freshmen Democrats now known as "the Squad," which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.).
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The simmering tensions between career Democrats and new recruits also flared up earlier this week, when Pelosi reportedly addressed congressional Democrats in a closed-door meeting, instructing them to "not tweet," and urging her colleagues to bring concerns directly to her instead of airing grievances online. "You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it," Pelosi told Democrats, reported Politico.
Her message was interpreted by some as aimed at Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of "the Squad," although Pelosi's office maintains her comments were directed at all Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez shot back at Pelosi, criticizing her for what she called the "explicit singling out of newly elected women of color".
The irony of the senior Democratic source's anonymity notwithstanding, the "nerds" comment left many scratching their heads, mostly because Ocasio-Cortez primaried and won against ten-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, and Pressley won a similar upset victory against ten-term incumbent Rep. Mike Capuano.
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