Whatever Nancy Pelosi says, youthful zest is moving US politics to the left | Clio Chang

From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal to universal healthcare, the Democrats' goalposts are moving, with consequences for the whole planetA generational battle is taking place in US politics that could have profound consequences not just for the global left but also for the future of the planet. Ever since the freshman class of Democrats entered Congress in January, many of them young women of colour and supported by a young activist base, they have met resistance from more established members of the party. When the newly elected representative Rashida Tlaib, from Detroit, called Donald Trump a "motherfucker", hours after being sworn in, she was the subject of finger-wagging from politicians and pundits. "I don't really like that kind of language," house judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler said. CNN's Chris Cillizza wrote that Tlaib's choice of words was a gift to the president.When 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez surprised everyone by seeing off an established Democratic rival and going on to win a seat in Congress, her triumph - after a shock primary victory in New York over the longstanding incumbent, Joe Crowley, who was the third most powerful House Democrat - was played down by the House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who chose to emphasise that voters had merely "made a choice in one district". Since then, Ocasio-Cortez, who has become an internationally recognised figure, has faced a backlash from an array of party insiders - some of whom seem to resent her public profile and Twitter-star status - for her refusal to play by the normal rules of Washington politics. Continue reading...