Rotating Villain: How 'The Squad' Serves the Democratic Party
Whether it's funding Israel, removing the $15 min. wage, reelecting Pelosi - they not only vote against their stated principles, but are instrumental in helping the DC establishment pass its agenda.
On Thursday, the House voted to give Israel an additional $1 billion to replenish its Iron Dome, a bill that passed by an overwhelming majority of 420-9. Israel currently receives $3.8 billion a year in military funding from the United States— more than any other country.
Progressives in Congress, such as Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Presley, voted against the provision, while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez switched her vote from ‘no’ to ‘present’ at the last minute.
In July, they did the exact opposite: Omar, Presley, etc. voted to give Israel its annual $3.8 billion in unconditional aid, while AOC and Tlaib voted ‘no’.
See what’s going on here? This is a game.
Why would vocal critics of Israel vote to give Israel arms in July, and then vote against the Iron Dome provision in September? Because in July, the vote actually mattered. The bill passed by simple majority, barely scraping past with 217 votes. AOC could afford to vote ‘no’ and keep up the act, because Omar, Presley and Bowman cast the remaining votes needed for the bill to pass.
The Iron Dome provision on Thursday was a slam dunk with 420 ‘yes’ votes. No way it was going to fail. Hence why Omar, Presley, etc. were able to vote ‘no’, knowing it wouldn’t affect the bill’s passage. AOC is such a coward– she couldn’t even bring herself to vote ‘no’ and switched her vote to ‘present’ instead.
In January, when Nancy Pelosi ran for Speaker of the House, once again, progressives came to the rescue, giving Pelosi the crucial votes she needed, allowing her to win with 216 votes to McCarthy’s 209, again by a razor-thin margin.
In March, after the Senate removed the $15 minimum wage from the COVID Relief bill and sent it back to Congress, the Squad not only voted for it, but more crucially, cast the votes needed to get it passed, all while pretending to support a wage increase for workers. It passed by 220-211 votes.
In May, after chanting “defund the police!” for the better part of a year, Progressives in Congress announced they would not be voting to give Capitol police $2 billion extra in funding. When they realized this could potentially sink the bill, they switched their votes to ‘yes’. It passed 213-212.
Why the inconsistency?
AOC recently proposed an amendment to cut arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Israel. Yet a week later, she can’t make up her mind about Israel’s Iron Dome?
Why did Ilhan Omar, the target of numerous smears by Israel’s AIPAC lobby, vote to give Israel billions of dollars in July? Even after the massacre in May, which left 240 Palestinians dead and almost 2000 wounded in Gaza, these progressives, who claim their politics are rooted in human rights, vote to give Israel billions in weapons, funding its occupation illegal occupation of Palestine and Syria?
Why would they do that? Why chant defund the police, then give billions to the police? Why criticize Israel, then give them billions? Why criticize Pelosi then vote for her? Why champion a living wage, then help pass a bill without one? Why are these progressives so inconsistent with their votes?
The strategy The Squad have employed is that of the ‘rotating villain’.
Enough of them will vote ‘yes’ to make an ugly bill get through, while the others vote ‘no’ to maintain their image and act. They take turns doing this, so it isn’t just one person catching flack.
They pretend to oppose the Democracy Party and DC political establishment while helping to pass very the policies of that establishment. Their politics are entirely performative, and their alleged views never reflected in their votes.
AOC wears a “tax the rich” dress, while attending the Met Gala, a $35,000-a-ticket event dedicated exclusively to the rich. She wears a Medicare For All mask while helping to elect politicians who oppose Medicare For All, like Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and Joe Biden as President.
The Squad not only vote against things they ran on— they are instrumental in helping the Democratic Party and DC elites pass their agenda. Whether it’s removing the $15 minimum wage, getting Pelosi reelected, funding Israel, they are always there to help these bills get through. This is so crucial to understanding “The Squad” and so-called progressives in Congress.
Crocodile tears and theatrics
Aware of the backlash against her cowardly vote, AOC puts out a press release explaining why she voted 'present’— but no explanation is to be found.
She says the bill should be opposed, yet does not oppose it herself.
She says that she “wept”, but weeps only for herself, more than the Palestinians that her colleagues help murder. She speaks of how unfair it was for her and her colleagues to be “rushed” into voting on this (as if voting on this issue requires much thought). What about the hardships and torment that Palestinians have to live through?
AOC offers a 4-page novella of verbal diarrhea, but no explanation as to why she could not take a stance against an apartheid occupation, which already guzzles $3.8 billion a year in military aid from the US taxpayer.
The crocodile tears on the House floor might be moving for some, but it’s important to look at the actions of these Congresspeople, for they certainly don’t match their words.
At the end of the day, we’re talking about American politicians. Male, female, black, white, they are all part of the same elite percentile. AOC, as an American politician, never mind a congresswoman from New York, cannot, and will not go against Israel when it actually matters— especially with political ambitions far greater than her capacity to empathize with Palestinians.
Politics is all theatre, but The Squad are excel at it. They are the DNC’s greatest asset. Always there to help pass the establishment’s agenda, while pretending to lead a “socialist” or “leftist” clique within a right-wing party.
It’s an incredible con, and unfortunately, many people, desperate for hope and political representation, end up falling for these theatrics, and being sucked back into a party that treats them with nothing but contempt.