Hakeem Jeffries Is on the Spot

Can the Democrats survive the socialists in their midst? Polls predict that the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, has a good chance to become the next Speaker. He’d best be careful for what he wishes. While the left-leaning press predicts a “blue tsunami,” the likely scenario is a modest majority for the Democrats in the House, with the Senate up for grabs. Will Mr. Jeffries be happy with his shiny new, but small, gavel? “I would be disappointed if it comes in at 225 House seats,” a Democratic sage, James Carville, told William Kristol. The Raging Cajun is railing against the Democratic Socialists of America’s danger to his political home: “I would rather the Republicans keep the House by five than the Democrats win by five, because if that happens, they’re hostage to the DSA. Hakeem cannot move. There’s no place for him to go.” For now Mr. Jeffries is busy securing victories for his party in the November 3 midterm elections. He might, though, need to consult King Pyrrhus of Epirus about victories turned sour. Even before winning their races, a crop of DSA primary winners are plotting their future course. “This is about receiving assurances that we can push legislation that our communities need,” a Michigan DSA candidate, Donavan McKinney, tells the Wall Street Journal. According to the Journal, some of those “assurances” include promoting wealth taxes, advancing language and votes on Medicare for All, pushing the Protecting the Right To Organize Act, raising the minimum wage, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DSA members will also demand plum committee assignments for the newly elected. Emboldened by campaign victories, such DSA demands would be likely to grow. A Democratic-led House is bound to hound President Trump. Investigations, impeachments, and the like would crowd the legislative calendar, even while Mr. Jeffries is handcuffed by the Socialist agenda. For now, an arms embargo on Israel is one ask the DSA is making. What’s next? Arrest warrants against Israeli leaders to satisfy the International Criminal Court? Imprisoning visiting Israeli soldiers? Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state? Israel is a DSA bogeyman, and traditional Democrats offer little, if any, resistance. Senator Charles Schumer’s desire to end his career as the upper chamber’s majority leader might depend on retiring his self-described mantle as “shomer Israel.” As the front runner in the Michigan Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed, told ABC News yesterday, “an ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn’t be fighting is not an ally,” so Israel is “not actually our friend.”Dr. El Sayed is far from an arbiter on who is America’s friend and who is foe. He was forced to distance himself from a former campaign mate, Hasan Piker, who has said America “deserved” 9/11. More recently Dr. El Sayed half-heartedly denounced the Muslim Brotherhood, which America and Arab allies designate as a terrorist organization. The Michigander distances himself from the DSA, but it’s hard to tell his policies from theirs.Eagle-eyed Democrats like Mr. Carville are alarmed at the prospect of handing over their party to the Socialists. The DSA, meanwhile, is already plotting a pathway to capturing the White House in 2028, perhaps with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as front runner. If DSA insurgents handcuff Mr. Jeffries’ agenda, though, the socialists might slow down. Mr. Carville sees a weak Republican majority as better than a weak Democratic edge.

Hakeem Jeffries Is on the Spot

Hakeem Jeffries Is on the Spot

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