The Democratic Party Sacrifices Its Young To Protect The Establishment

By selecting 74-year-old Rep. Connolly over Rep. AOC to lead the House Oversight Committee, the Democratic Party chooses to continue the ossified status quo instead of much-needed reform and growth.

I immediately think of the Democratic Party leadership each time I see this viral 21-second video clip of an adult buffalo sacrificing its young to escape a ravenous pack of wolves.

It’s an apt metaphor for a party that is perfectly willing to punish its base and its young stars for the sake of maintaining an atrophied status quo that benefits wealthy donors and a geriatric class that wants to hold on to power until rigor mortis and beyond.

Earlier today, House Democrats decided the best way to energize their beleaguered party and fuel momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms elections was to select 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia over Rep. AOC, a charismatic star with a massive, international following, as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Connolly, who announced he had esophagus cancer last month, had the backing of 84-year-old former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other elders who admitted behind the scenes that his “seniority” played a major role in securing his victory. “Gerry’s a young 74, cancer notwithstanding,” said his ally Rep. Don Beyer without a trace of snark or self-awareness. Beyer is also 74.

Speaking of ages, Senator Dick Durbin is 80, Senator Schumer is 74, and Rep. Clyburn is 84. President Joe Biden, at 82, was pushed out of the 2024 election due to his advanced age and worries about his health. Over at the New Republic, Kate Aronoff broke down the ages of Democrats in top Committee spots: “Richard Neal, 75, will lead Democrats on Ways and Means while Frank Pallone, 73, will be the party’s top representative on Energy and Commerce. Eighty-six-year-old Maxine Waters will be the ranking member on the Financial Services Committee, and Rose DeLauro, 81, will helm the Democrats’ presence in Appropriations.”

Democrats recently lost both the popular vote and electoral college to a 78-year-old convicted criminal whose MAGA base did outreach to young voters through non-traditional media, which includes YouTube and Podcast stars. They were able to convince first-time voters, young men, and enough people of color, in addition to their base, to vote for a man who incited a violent insurrection against his own country. They made common cause with people, such as Joe Rogan who previously supported Bernie Sanders, and Candance Owens, a Nazi-adjacent conspiracy theorist who disagrees with the GOP’s policies on Israel but has a large following of Republican voters. Meanwhile, Democratic elders like James Carville have spent all their time mocking “stupid wokeness,” and identity politics, and throwing progressives under the bus even though VP Harris ran a centrist campaign touting her tough-on-crime and border policies. Clearly, the answer to winning again is to continue disparaging your base for the sake of the mythical Liz Cheney “centrist” voter and billionaire class.

In the 2024 election, some Trump voters also voted for AOC citing her desire to fight the establishment. So, naturally, instead of elevating her to a position that would give her even more credibility and allow her to communicate and prosecute the GOP’s numerous misdeeds, they shoved her aside for a 74-year-old man who has a whopping 4,600 followers on Instagram compared to her 8 million followers.

Another effective and passionate fighter for Democrats is Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whose eloquent takedowns have gone viral. She’s been able to communicate the righteous rage of most Americans across media platforms. Recently, she challenged Rep. Debbie Dingell’s chairmanship of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and her ascent would’ve been another much-needed defibrillation of the party. But, nope, the Democratic establishment went with 71-year-old Dingell and her “seniority.”

This is the same leadership that lost the 2016 election, won the 2020 election because of the pandemic, and again lost the 2024 election. Harris only lost by 1.5% points and Dems lost the House due to gerrymandering and by 7,000 or so votes, so Dems have decided to keep it status quo. Why fight when they can have friendly bipartisanship? Why resist Trump whom Democrats labeled an authoritarian and a fascist when they can play scared and timid? Why use their existing majority in the Senate to hold hearings on utter freak shows, such as Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr., when they can vacation handsomely with their family and wealthy donors?

The Democratic Party is not built for this fight and they’re not made for this moment. This has less to do with age and more to do with their cowardly character and ossified thinking. Maybe it helps to be an older white man. Thankfully, Rep. Nadler, who is 77, grudgingly stepped aside for Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is 61, to lead the House Judiciary Committee. Like AOC, Rep. Crockett, and State Senator Mallory McMorrow, Raskin realizes you can’t bring a pencil to a knife fight. He combines intellect with passion and is willing to at least fight for the people.

I realize Democratic Party fanboys will point to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as a sign of changing times, but even though he’s been impressive in spots, he still seems willing to bend the knee to corporate donors instead of channeling the growing rage of an American majority that wants reform, not restoration. We want fighters, not bureaucrats. We want people who are willing to punch back, not punch down at their base. We want elected officials who will put MAGA in a knee bar when they go low, so the rest of us committed to freedom, equity, and justice can ascend.

I guess we’ll have to keep waiting.