Axios by Mike Allen 2/18/2022
The hard-left politics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and the so-called "Squad," once a dominant theme for vast numbers of elected Democrats, is backfiring big-time on the party in power, top Democrats tell us.
Why it matters: The push to defund the police, rename schools and tear down statues has created a significant obstacle to Democrats keeping control of the House, the Senate and the party’s overall image.
"It's what we've been screaming about for a year," said Matt Bennett, c0-founder of center-left Third Way, which launched Shield PAC to defend moderate Democrats.
• "It's a huge problem."
The latest sign of the backlash was the landslide (70%+) recall this week of three San Francisco school board members, who were criticized for prioritizing issues like the renaming of 44 public schools — including ones honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — over a return to in-person classes.
• Other factors like an abrupt admissions change to a prestigious high school were at play (all politics is local).
• But the most liberal city in the most liberal state decided that liberal activists had gone too far.
It's part of a barrage of evidence that the progressive activism of the Squad pushed the party's image way left of where most voters are — even most Democratic voters.
More:
https://www.axios.com/democrats-squad-activists-midterms-f90b3e95-b5c7-4272-8763-05bd948a553e.html
