Jamaal Bowman lost his primary to George Latimer. I am glad. Bowman was an embarrassment raising the question of how did he get elected in the first place? He defeated Elliot Engle a 16 term representative. Maybe Engle just hung around too long. Bowman was an progressives stating “I cannot wait to get to Washington and cause problems for the people maintaining the status quo.”Well cause problems he did. He got into shouting matches with conservative republicans, most notably Majorie Taylor Green and Thomas Massie. Recall he triggered a fire alarm to prevent a republican vote on a government shutdown. He was a proud card carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of American and a member of the “Squad”. He was also virulently anti-Israel in a district with a significant Jewish population. Latimer was endorsed by the old democrat establishment including Hillary Clinton. Although the democrats in the house made obligatory clucking noises for Bowman, only members of the Squad were enthusiastic in their support. AOC hyperventilated at a Bowman rally with her usual shrill vocalizations. For some strange reason, that rally – which also featured Bernie Sanders – was in the South Bronx which is not even in Bowman’s district. At the rally, Bowman continued to embarrass himself with several f-bombs. House democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries made a lukewarm perfunctory statement but did not shed any tears over Bowman’s defeat. Jeffries, significantly, supported moderate democrats over progressives in local races in New York, drawing the ire of the far left.
I suspect that there will be scant difference in how Latimer votes and how Bowman voted. But the rhetoric will be toned down, civility may actually raise its head and even compromise may occur.
Bowman attributed his loss to AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the over $14 million spent on the race. AIPAC’s next target is the caustic and equally embarrassing squad member Cori Bush (I wonder if she hates her last name). Bush is running against the more moderate progressive Wesley Bell in an August 6 primary. Bush is the squad member who used $70,000 her campaign money to pay her boyfriend (now husband) for private security while advocating defunding the police. She is also in the anti-Israel pro-Hamas camp. She is also one who can’t define a woman, using the term “birthing people”. She participated in a sit in at the Capitol to protest an extension of the eviction moratorium. Bush also supported a mob that went to the home of the McCloskey’s protesting their pointing guns at Black Lives Matter demonstrators at their St Louis home. Bush’s latest rant is a condemnation of the Supreme Court. Consider “The Supreme Court will do anything to embolden and empower dangerous extremists threatening communities like St. Louis. This far-right majority on the Court does not serve the people of this country—it serves Donald Trump and his MAGA cult, and wealthy corporations exploiting our communities.” So much for the “rule of law.”
AIPAC is supporting Bush’s opponent but only giving $320,000. Bush has seized on that support stating “AIPAC, and their extensive network of far-right billionaires, anti-abortion extremists, and GOP megadonors have been promising to spend millions in their effort to defeat me ever since they first bribed my opponent to enter this race. Unfortunately for them, organized people beats organized money, and our community is ready to show that St. Louis is not for sale.” Here Bush is reading from Jamaal Bowman’s failed playbook by invoking the dreaded MAGA and far-right extremists. Both have accused their opponents of being republicans even though Latimer is a long term democrat and Wesley Bell is a progressive. I hope she loses. As to other members of the squad, Summer Lee, Pressley Tlaib and AOC are in safe districts. Omar is facing Don Samuels who she defeated in 2022. The primary is August 13 and the polls have them tied. Not surprisingly, Omar is openly anti-Semitic and is probably best known for being accused of marrying her brother in order to get him into the United States legally. Regardless, I hope she loses too. Again, I don’t expect Bell or Latimer or Samuels to vote any differently than Bowman or Bush or Omar. But it would be nice to tone down all the vitriol. BTW, I am no fan of the equivalents on the other side of the aisle either.
haroldblackphd.com 