Dem
51
GOP
49
The House Oversight Committee is going to be the place where all the action will be this year. If you are keen to be the first person on your block to see Hunter Biden's dick pix, watch the Committee hearings. It's going to be a real circus since the Committee is stacked with Republican firebrands, including Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Scott Perry (R-PA).
Will the Democrats wilt in the face of all this firepower? Maybe not. It appears likely that the #2 Democrat on the panel will be Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), no wallflower herself. This position is especially important since the ranking member, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and may be sidelined for a while. If AOC gets the #2 slot and Raskin can't attend the hearings, then AOC will be in charge of the Democratic side. Having a diminutive but very outspoken woman of color leading the charge from the other side is going to drive some of the Republicans batty.
The Democrats have to finalize their membership on the Committee in a meeting today, but AOC is thought to have a good chance. She and Raskin get along very well and have worked together closely in the past. He will certainly strongly support her for the #2 position on the blue team and give her his full authority in his absence. AOC can't wait. On Friday, she said: "I think I'm going to have a lot of fun on this committee."
The Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing on Wednesday. It will be about the COVID-19 relief funding. Next week it will deal with the southern border and begin tearing apart Hunter Biden. A lot of people will be watching AOC very carefully. If she does well, she could primary Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in 2024, but going after an incumbent in your own party doesn't tend to increase your popularity within the party. Still, AOC is very young (33) and sooner or later Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (72) will retire. She can afford to build up her reputation, try to get into the House leadership in a few years, and bide her time until Schumer calls it quits before running for the Senate. (V)