General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ocasio-Cortez: House Democrats too old to understand income inequality [View all]Tatiana
(14,167 posts)because she's young and green and not as eloquent as she could be in making them?
Obviously not ALL House Dems are old and used to their cushy seats and committee assignments and power, but a good many of them are. They aren't really investing in cultivating younger talent and leadership. The young Dems like Swalwell and Gallego are taking the initiative themselves (w/ a bit of support from Pelosi, but leadership could be doing a lot more).
The older Dems have retirement benefits, many are millionaires and are financially stable. They don't know what it's like to face crushing school debt or the exorbitant tuition rates for state schools. Her point is that they can't relate and being able to understand a problem is the first step in crafting legislation to solve it. Perfect example is how Obama helped alleviate the interest being paid on student loans. He understood the issue firsthand.