What If We Didn’t Suck, or, Taking Out the Gerontocracy
By 
Look, I have no particular problem with Jan Schakowsky, the congresswoman from IL-9, which is a super blue Chicago district. But like just about everyone else in the Democratic leadership, she is old as the hills. In fact, she is about to turn 81. She votes the right way, but almost anyone in that district would vote the right way. The question is this–can we do better in super blue districts? This campaign video by Kat Abughazaleh, a 26 year old lefty TikTok political yakker, announces her challenge of Schakowsky, who she does not mention by name.
I'm Kat Abughazaleh and I'm running for Congress.
— Kat Abughazaleh (@katmabu.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I’m not going to lie–telling Democrats to “grow a fucking spine” is a campaign message that appeals to me. That Elon Musk already hates her appeals to me. Her ending the video by slamming the consultancy class that sends endless guilt-laden texts asking for money really appeals to me. That she can clearly speak to an audience of people not yet collecting Social Security appeals to me. I know next to nothing about her other that this video and a few things I looked up and of course I don’t live in Chicago.
But–people in their 80s should not be in office in super blue districts. We can do better. We can find Democrats who can speak to the masses. We can find Democrats who can function online as their natural home instead of finding it a scary place. We desperately need new generations of leadership and I say that as a plural since there’s like 3 generations lined up behind these geezers dominating the Democratic Party.
If you think this is “ageism,” well, the real ageism in politics is the olds holding power until the day they die and denying younger generations the chance to take over. Schakowsky can go make lobbying money if she wants to work.