A new progressive movement emerging in Democratic circles led by political comedian Jimmy Dore is pushing House Democrats to line up and force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to vote on Medicare for All.
The initiative known as #ForceTheVote is calling on the “squad” along with recently elected progressives, such as New York’s elected deputy Jamaal Bowman and Missouri’s Cori Bush, to resist Pelosi, demanding that she allow a vote on the single healthcare system the payer in exchange for his re-election as a speaker.
“We put the Squadron and House progressives in charge to face Nancy Pelosi, the established Democrats and the insurance companies that fund them,” the movement said in a statement. “This is a rare moment when Pelosi needs something from progressives.”
The move drew the attention of some political activists like NFL Chargers player Justin Jackson, who started a public discussion on Twitter with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y.
“What if [Ocasio-Cortez] and the squad does not do what [Dore] suggested and withheld his vote for Pelosi as a spokesperson, unless Med 4 All is brought to the floor for a vote … they will be revealing themselves, “Jackson wrote on Twitter earlier this month.” Power grants nothing without a demand. “
But Ocasio-Cortez responded by saying that appeals to elect Pelosi as a speaker in exchange for a House vote on Medicare for All is not as easy as holding Pelosi hostage.
“The problem with this idea is that you don’t think enough in step 2,” replied Ocasio-Cortez. “Dem’s votes haven’t arrived yet, and with a narrow margin, Dem’s NO’s are> margin. So you make threats, keep your vote and lose. So what? If you want to know who is opposed, look on the list of sponsors. “
House Democrats lost 12 seats in the November polls, decreasing their majority in the House – although some have theorized that this could really benefit leftist progressives, including Ocasio-Cortez.
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“The narrowest margin is for both sides,” Ocasio-Cortez told conservative magazine The Dispatch earlier this month. “It is difficult because we have to make sure that we get a winning majority together, but it is also solid because we are able to put a little more pressure on it.”
Center Democrats pointed to progressive measures like the New Green Deal and calls to “strip the police” promoted by members of the “squad”, including Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar representatives; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; and Rashida Tlaib, of Michgian, as the reason why Democrats were harmed in the polls.
But the progressives resisted the accusations, claiming that the Democratic Party saw losses because “establishment democrats” did not effectively identify what voters were looking for in the general election.
Rather than losing power with a smaller Democratic majority, progressive lawmakers can better orient Pelosi’s agenda by the fact that the speaker will need the votes of all Democrats to pass the legislation – a strategy that Dore is asking progressives to use.
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Although, as Ocasio-Cortez pointed out, progressive measures still need sufficient support from the entire party to pass, which means that the “squadron” and its growing members will not be able to dictate Pelosi’s agenda in approving Medicare for All on their own.
Dore was not immediately available for comment.