AOC Apologizes to Constituents for Iron Dome Vote, Cites Rush to Vote for Her Decision

[lapucelle]

18. Ambitious politicians are known to straddle the line in order to serve their own career advancement.

Sincere "apologies" generally involve taking responsibility and avoid shifting the blame.

As for consultation with constituents, most members find the time during recesses and routine visits to their home district offices.

***************************************************************************************

Even Jamaal Bowman didn't resort to the "I felt rushed" justification this time around, as he has in the past on other measures.

Bowman told CNN that he voted against the bill because he didn't feel like he had enough time to review what was in it.

"We just got the bill text like a half an hour ago. Absolutely no time to read it, no time to understand it, no time to digest it, so that's reason number one," Bowman said. [H.R.3237: Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/29/politics/capitol-security-bill-senate/index.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman, one of the Democrats who had concerns about the provision, said earlier that House members had not been given enough time to consider the matter.

"The problem is leadership (will) just throw something on our table, give us about five minutes to decide what we're going to do and then tries to move forward with it," Bowman told reporters [H.R.4350: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022].

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/military-aid-israel-removed-us-bill-fund-government-2021-09-21/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rather than take responsibility, the sophomore representative from NY-14 shifts the blame to Democratic leadership, casting suspicion on their strategy and motives, as if Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer are somehow responsible for what some are saying is a politically calculated decision to sit this one out.

Addressing her vote [H.R.5323: Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022] Ocasio-Cortez said House leadership made a "reckless decision" in rushing the vote by calling it "within a matter of hours and without true consideration."

"I want to be clear that the decision to rush the vote—virtually preventing any member from meaningfully consulting their community—was both intentional and necessary," she wrote in a Friday letter to her constituents in New York's 14th congressional district.

snip================================================================

Some have suggested that Ocasio-Cortez's last-minute decision was a strategic move to position herself run for Senate in New York, mounting a primary challenge to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2022.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/aoc-apologizes-to-constituents-for-iron-dome-vote-cites-rush-to-vote-for-her-decision/ar-AAON0rd?li=BBnb7Kz