Why AOC is behind Biden — while Nancy Pelosi is not

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are perhaps the two most well-known Democratic members of Congress. Along with Vice President Kamala Harris, they are arguably the most well-known Democratic women in Washington.

Their legacies are in many ways intertwined. Ocasio-Cortez came to Washington after she knocked off House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley, an ally of Pelosi’s who was seen as a potential successor to her. Pelosi is the daughter of former Baltimore Mayor Tommy D’Alesandro.

On the surface, Pelosi should have a lot in common with Biden, her fellow octagenarian Catholic from a bygone era. AOC, on the other hand, should not. Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign was inspired by Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential run, and her endorsement of Sanders in 2019 gave his second run the shot in the arm that it needed. She and her colleagues in the progressive Squad sought to upend the way Democrats conducted politics.

But since Democrats have split on whether President Joe Biden should step aside after his debacle of a debate performance, the two have taken divergent approaches. Ocasio-Cortez has firmly stood behind Biden despite his performance. Pelosi is the one who’s been more equivocal.

Last week, Pelosi said on MSNBC that “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’” about Joe Biden’s poor performance in the debate, before adding, “When people ask that question it’s completely legitimate — of both candidates.”

When Politico’s Jonathan Lemire asked her point-blank on MSNBC on Wednesday if Biden should step aside, she said, “It’s up to the president to decide… I want him to do whatever he decides to do.”

Ocasio-Cortez — an ardent