Democrats are constantly playing politics and will do anything to avoid positions that could imperil their political future.
Because of that, sometimes they need to run away from difficult questions.
And one Democrat was just forced to run away from the most difficult question in history.
A Difficult Future For A Young Socialist
For Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the future is going to be difficult and unsure for her.
While Democrats often support socialist positions, she is one of the few willing to openly embrace the label.
It was helpful for her when she defeated an entrenched Congressman in New York, but now that she is on her way toward what is an almost certain general election victory, she needs to find her place in Congress.
For somebody like her, that’s a hard thing to figure out.
The only other visible figure who embraces the socialist label is Bernie Sanders, and he’s in the other chamber.
So she needs to figure out what she wants to do, and that comes down to whether she wants to battle her own party or join in with them.
One Major Decision Will Decide Her Future
Her trying time to figure that out will be when her time comes to vote for the Speaker of the House.
She can either vote for Nancy Pelosi, which will be good for her when working with rank-and-file Democrats. Or she can oppose Pelosi, either supporting an insurgent candidate or just opposing for the sake of protest.
But as it turns out, she hasn’t made that decision yet.
When asked by CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Ocasio-Cortez wouldn’t answer whether she would support Pelosi in her run for Speaker.
She instead deflected, talking about unrelated points.
If Ocasio-Cortez were to support Pelosi, it would be a major win for the Speaker of the House-hopeful.
It would be a big win for more the one reason.
Pelosi’s Challenger Dethroned
The biggest reason is that the incumbent that Ocasio-Cortez beat out was planning on taking the Speaker’s chair instead of Pelosi.
Rep. Joe Crowley, who was defeated by Ocasio-Cortez was the 4th most powerful Democrat in the House and was in talks with other leaders in the House about leading an insurgent campaign to defeat Pelosi.
If Crowley would have won re-election, and Democrats took back the House that would have been the biggest concern for Pelosi.
So in reality, Ocasio-Cortez, no matter what she does, is less troubling to Pelosi than what Crowley was planning.
But regardless of what happens, the fact that Ocasio-Cortez has no answer shows that those embracing the socialist label don’t have much of a plan now that they are beginning to wield power.
Despite having somebody in the House, that one ally is unlikely to make much of a difference.
It is more likely that Ocasio-Cortez will attempt to make herself into a star in the Democrat party while also using her influence to elect more like-minded Democrats.
Only time will tell what they can do, but with such small numbers, that time doesn’t appear to be now.
Do you think that Democrats will fully embrace socialism?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.