Just as America descends into its collective post-holiday hangover, the 119th Congress is sworn in and gets to work. The Republican majority will remain razor-thin, but the group of progressive Democratic members, known as “The Squad,” has also been reduced in size. Everyone’s favorite bartender, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aka AOC, will still be there to provide Republicans with endless hours of comedy gold, but a couple because of a pesky thing called the “will of the people.” I’ll pack up and go home. One of them is Representative Cori Bush (D-MO).
BREAKING: Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, who lost her re-election race, says she is open to running again.
“The possibilities are endless.” pic.twitter.com/tsfpHu1JeY
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) December 25, 2024
Personally, as one of Bush’s unhappy voters, I couldn’t be happier, although her successor, soon-to-be former St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, is a little less socialist than Bush, but possibly a lot less incendiary. Bush blames a massive loss for their first loss to Bell American Israel Public Affairs Committee Funding Efforts (AIPAC) because of their position on the Israel-Hamas war. She was an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and called for a ceasefire. However, she goes on to say that AIPAC’s campaign ads against her are “deceptive” because she did not vote on Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill. She continues to blame “mainly Republican money” as the cause of her loss. But there may be another aspect to this loss have several communities within the district Jewish population of 40-50 percent.
READ MORE: ‘Deserves to go to a museum’: Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush receive a fitting farewell in their farewell speeches
Bush stated, “I wasn’t removed because I didn’t take care of my community. We’ve brought over $2 billion to our district in four years.” Bush claims her office has helped voters navigate federal agencies for things like Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and housing preservation. All the money was spent on PPP loans and housing? This is intriguing because you don’t have to go far in Cori Bush’s district to find an abundance of empty storefronts and dilapidated infrastructure. As a voter, I would like to know where all the money really went. Bush also calls the Biden administration’s COVID-era eviction moratorium a victory during its time in Congress.
Bush tried to portray her squad mates as “these normal, everyday people from our communities.” The problem is that just last month, Americans, ordinary people from their communities, voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump’s conservative “America First” policies and ideas like free health care, free education and the endless list of freebies that progressives like support Bush, but have decisively rejected it. She said of the thinning squad membership:
“The troops will continue to fight. Firstly, the team is large. And I know that we only want to put together the force with a few people, but we don’t do this work alone.”
She continued: “Anyone who underestimates our power is sorely mistaken because we are not going anywhere and I will always be Squad. I’m not getting far.”
A total of three congressmen were present for the farewell speech by Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush. pic.twitter.com/HC9GG0UFS3
– Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) December 13, 2024
Bush admits that for Democrats to have a chance in 2026 and 2028, they must recognize that Americans said loudly on November 5 that their main concerns were such “kitchen table” issues as the economy. But she also said she feels like progressives in the Democratic Party are often “left out.” Bush added: “Progressives are not the enemy. We say that we are normal, everyday people. We hear what people say.” Funny, the American people didn’t say that.
As for Cori Bush going forward, she says another run for Congress isn’t off the table…great.
“The possibilities are endless. All I know right now is that I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to fight for the issues I fought for before I ever entered Congress and since I’ve been in Congress. I’m going to run.” I didn’t expect to run for office in Congress again, but I don’t think I’ll run again at any point, whether for Congress or for something else, I don’t know. I have no plans at the moment, but that’s not the case. What I will do, however, is I will organize and work on the same topics and more that I started with before I ever made it to Congress.
She added, “I probably could have flipped a few more tables.” But here’s the thing about flipping tables: Be prepared to have your own flipped, too. Cori Bush concluded: “St. Louis deserves the best.” We definitely do. That’s why you come home.
READ ALSO: Even Biden’s White House Is Tired of Cori Bush’s Bullshit
Cori Bush defies her defeat: “They just radicalized me, so now they have to be afraid.”
“You’re about to see this other Cori, this other side,” she said. “AIPAC, I come to tear down your kingdom.” pic.twitter.com/690T0aEhmZ
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 7, 2024
