The Far Left May Meet Its Match in Hakeem Jeffries

It looks like Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is poised to take over Speaker Pelosi’s job as Democratic leader in the House. The Brooklyn Democrat has a progressive policy platform around housing, policing, climate, healthcare, and other issues.The newsworthy point, though, is that so-called progressives don’t see him as a reliable ally. At times their relationship has been openly hostile. Mr. Jeffries, 52, was elected in 2012 to represent parts of Brooklyn and Queens.At the time, he was hailed as Brooklyn’s own Barack Obama. A former mayor, Ed Koch, a centrist liberal, supported him enthusiastically. Mr. Jefferies proved to be an effective fundraiser, bringing in nearly $5.6 million during this most recent election cycle. After a neighboring district congressman, Joseph Crowley, lost his primary election to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, Mr. Jeffries was elected to succeed Mr. Crowley as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, the fifth-highest position in the House. From the beginning, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Mr. Jeffries clashed. Just one month after the 2018 general election, she and her organizing group, Justice Democrats, had discussions about ousting Mr. Jeffries. According to Politico, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and her camarilla saw Mr. Jeffries as the “highest priority” to defeat in a primary challenge due to his corporate fundraising and support for charter schools. The same article reported that Mr. Jeffries derided Ms. Ocasio-Cortez in private conversations during his internal race for caucus chairman.Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a progressive of California, ran against Mr. Jeffries for the position. Ms. Lee had donated to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s primary campaign against Mr. Crowley, which Mr. Jeffries used as a mark against Ms. Lee. Mr. Jeffries ran a tight ship as Democratic Caucus chairman, making peace with progressive and conservative members to advance messaging bills, budgets, and two impeachments. During the Donald Trump presidency, Jeffries was one of the party’s chief messengers. The congressman spoke often to print reporters and media outlets, to whom he touted the Democrats’ policy agenda. He also served as one of the trial managers during President Trump’s first impeachment, further raising his profile as a communicator. Many expected House Democrats to build on their 2018 gains and flip more seats during the 2020 election. Republicans, however, ended up gaining 14 seats, just shy of a majority. That unexpected loss led to an outpouring of blame, recrimination, and even tears during a conference call in 2020. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger of Virginia lashed out at “Defund the Police” supporters in the caucus. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez blamed moderates for not having an effective digital strategy. Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida, who was defeated in 2020, shed tears and blamed progressive messaging for her loss. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania said that progressives’ “policies” and “rhetoric” are what sunk so many of his colleagues at the polls. Standing between them all was Hakeem Jeffries. Despite the initial blame-game, Democrats quickly got their act together to pass meaningful legislation: the American Rescue Plan, the infrastructure bill, the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act — which Republicans say is a pro-inflation measure — and more. These legislative measures, combined with upset victories for Democrats in special elections, allowed Mr. Jeffries to punch left with credibility. In an interview with the New York Times last year, Mr. Jeffries touted the accomplishments of his caucus and defended “mainstream Democrats.”“The extreme left is obsessed with talking trash about mainstream Democrats on Twitter, when the majority of the electorate constitute mainstream Democrats at the polls,” he said. Mr. Jeffries announced his candidacy for the job of minority leader in a statement Friday morning. Speaker Pelosi, in her speech yesterday from the House floor, called for a “new generation” to lead the caucus, which many took as a hint at Mr. Jeffries being her top choice.Minutes after Mrs. Pelosi announced she would no longer lead the House Democrats, her longtime deputies came out and endorsed the Brooklyn congressman for the top job. “He is a skilled and capable leader who will help us win back the majority in 2024,” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement announcing his retirement from leadership.The majority whip, Jim Clyburn, said that he would do whatever he could to “assist our new generation of Democratic Leaders which I hope to be Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar.” Mr. Clyburn will seek a lower position in Democratic leadership, aiming to act as sage counsel. Ms. Clark and Mr. Aguilar, who represent Massachusetts and California, respectively, are seen as the two other members to round out generational change in leadership, replacing Messrs. Hoyer and Clyburn. Adding to the pro-Jeffries chorus was Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. She confidently predicted that every member of the CBC would support Mr. Jeffries. The 2022 election may have seen the House majority change hands, but just as important was the number of progressives entering the Democratic Caucus. Representative Summer Lee of Pittsburgh replaces Representative Mike Doyle, a moderate. The Reverend Jesse Jackson’s son, Jonathan, was elected to represent Chicago. A 25-year-old, Maxwell Frost, will in January become the first Gen Z member of Congress. Mr. Jeffries’s dislike for progressives’ social media presence and rhetoric is well-documented at this point. In an interview with the Atlantic published yesterday, he said that he would “never bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism.” The question is, can he bring them into the fold?

The Far Left May Meet Its Match in Hakeem Jeffries

The Far Left May Meet Its Match in Hakeem Jeffries

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