A wild conference call amongst House Democrats, details of which leaked on Twitter Thursday, shows emotional lawmakers are distraught with Nancy Pelosi and the “Squad” over their party’s disastrous election performance.
Democrats had expected to pick up 10-15 seats on election day and have instead seen Republicans gain six net seats while being on track to net 10 seats overall.
Several members of the caucus “angrily confronted” Pelosi over the losses and blasted radical progressives for tying the party to efforts to “defund the police” and “socialism.”
The division in the House Democrat caucus was delicious, as ‘Squad’ members fired back with allegations that moderates were being racist.
Spanberger on the Dem caucus call: We lost races we shouldn’t have lost.
Defund police almost cost me my race bc of an attack ad.
Don’t say socialism ever again.
Need to get back to basics.
(Is yelling.)— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) November 5, 2020
RELATED: Could the ‘Squad’ Replace Nancy Pelosi As Speaker After The GOP Flips Several House Seats?
Democrat Conference Call After Election Losses – Tears, Obscenities, Charges of Racism
The Washington Post reports that the tense conference call lasted over three hours with bits of the conversation being leaked out to the media.
“Several members, such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger, said liberal catchphrases like ‘defund the police’ hurt more moderate representatives in their reelection races,” CBS News wrote.
Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) complained that any hopes of winning runoffs for a pair of Senate seats in Georgia would be crushed if the party continues to run on socialized medicine and defunding the police.
“We’re not going to win” those races, he predicted.
“Medicare for all or defunding police or socialized medicine,” would cost Democrats more seats, warned Jim Clyburn. “We’re not going to win.” A gripping read>> https://t.co/FdaWEi91LF
— Jeremy W. Peters (@jwpetersNYT) November 6, 2020
Spanberger (D-VA) expressed outrage at, as a moderate Democrat, being pinned down by socialism.
“We need to not ever use the word ‘socialist’ or ‘socialism’ ever again … We lost good members because of that,” she fumed. “If we are classifying Tuesday as a success … we will get f***ing torn apart in 2022.”
Spanberger on the Dem caucus call: We lost races we shouldn’t have lost.
Defund police almost cost me my race bc of an attack ad.
Don’t say socialism ever again.
Need to get back to basics.
(Is yelling.)— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) November 5, 2020
The ‘Squad’ Fights Back By Suggesting Colleagues Are Racist
“Squad” members fired back at the notion that they should never again utter the phrase “defund the police” or fight for their socialist policies with charges of racism.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) argued that nobody should be singled out for the party’s election losses, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was far angrier with her response.
The Post reports that Tlaib “accus(ed) her colleagues of only being interested in appealing to white people in suburbia.”
“To be real, it sounds like you are saying stop pushing for what Black folks want,” she said.
Later in the call, self-described Democratic Socialist Rashida Tlaib accused her colleagues of only wanting to speak to issues that motivate white suburbanites.
“To be real, it sounds like you are saying stop pushing for what Black folks want,” she said. https://t.co/NGlLlPQb6P
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) November 6, 2020
Tears, Fighting Continue on Democrats Conference Call
When we mentioned “tears” previously, we weren’t speaking figuratively.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), who expected to win her re-election bid, cried while complaining that people couldn’t even pronounce her name correctly and were too mean on social media.
Also earlier in the call Debbie Mucarsel-Powell who lost her race was crying , and mentioned how people can’t pronounce her name, and said stop being negative on Twitter
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) November 5, 2020
Upon realizing that details of their emotional phone conference had been leaked, some Democrats began turning their anger towards the leakers.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) jumped into the call according to the Daily Mail “to tell those on it to stop leaking” and remind them “that reporters aren’t their friends.”
Jayapal went even further “and demanded Jeffries find the leakers.”
Imagine that – Democrats upset with other Democrats leaking confidential information to reporters. And actually wanting them held accountable!
Jayapal is telling Jeffries to find the leakers! ?
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) November 5, 2020
A Bad Sign For Pelosi
The contentious conference call is more evidence that Nancy Pelosi’s tenure as the House Speaker may be in jeopardy.
Republicans have taunted Pelosi over the significant election losses and suggested she might end up facing a challenge from a radical progressive for the role of Speaker.
This fractured caucus isn’t going to help dispel that rumor anytime soon.
Republicans defied the odds and grew our party last night. In districts all across the country, Americans rejected socialism and voted for freedom.
Nancy Pelosi: you’ve been put on notice.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) November 4, 2020
Democrats accusing progressives of costing them their seats, the ‘Squad’ calling them racist – all signs of a power struggle.
It’s worth noting that while more moderate Democrats struggled in the election, the “Squad” performed pretty well.
Every current squad member won their re-election bids on Tuesday. They even expanded their ranks.
Far-left Democrat Cori Bush, the newest member of the “Squad” led by AOC, won her race to become the first black congresswoman in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District Tuesday night.
The Daily Mail also notes other victors who might be considered additions to the “Squad” – New York’s Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones.
The fuller Spanberger: “If we are classifying Tuesday as a success from a congressional standpoint, we will get f–ing torn apart in 2022. And um, excuse the profanity… that’s the reality.”
(Just minutes after Pelosi said Democrats “did win the war” on Tuesday) https://t.co/Zq4u1ZJRwI
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) November 6, 2020
Despite the fireworks during the Democrats conference call, Pelosi did her best to put on a brave face.
“We held the House. Joe Biden is on a clear path to be the next president of the United States,” she said. “We did not win every battle, but we did win the war.”
