Some on the left are contrasting the rebellion mounted by Matt Gaetz et al. with the quiescence shown by the “Squad” and other radical Democrats during the Pelosi regime. I don’t find the difference surprising, for two reasons: 1) the Democrats are a top-down party, and taking orders comes naturally to them; and 2) the Pelosi regime was so far left that I’m not sure what the Squad could have held out for.
Nevertheless, this thread by Glenn Greenwald deserves consideration. Maybe he has a point:
In 2020, House Progressives and the incredibly radical Squad had exactly the same opportunity as House conservatives had.
House conservatives defied Leadership to get major concessions to empower them and their agenda.
House progressives did what they were told and got nothing: https://t.co/pfFCzW6wkl
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 8, 2023
Month ago, @RepMTG used the leverage she had to make McCarthy acknowledge the power she had among their base and vow to respect it. Gaetz & Co. got real concessions that make the House way more democratic, with vital reforms like this. That's using power:https://t.co/g9UUYWRpAP
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 8, 2023
As long as the Squad and HPC have a small army of YouTube hosts and various pseudo-left writers to defend everything they do, most will remain captive to the Biden WH, Schumer and Jeffries. They're gone: pointless and empty partisans. Work with anyone serious about these reforms.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 8, 2023
