Democratic Rep. Max Rose (N.Y.) trashed the Green New Deal as a "massive socialist" program and dared fellow freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) to lead a primary challenge against him after hearing about her reported "list" of centrist Democrats.
In an interview with local public television show MetroFocus, Rose called climate change a pressing threat that demanded "urgent and bold action" in the form of a global addressing of the problem and technological advances.
"This is not the time for milquetoast incrementalism," he said. "It just isn't, but with that being said, nothing about what I just said would provide a justification for a massive socialist economic policy platform. Just not needed."
Rose said there could be a separate debate for Green New Deal goals, such as job and housing guarantees, although he dismissed them as not economically feasible.
"There's no need to lie to voters right now," he said. "We don't need the Democratic version of repeal and replace."
The Green New Deal refers to a sprawling agenda with an estimated $94 trillion price tag calling for the "economic transformation" of the United States, retrofitting or replacing every building, and a massive overhaul of the country's transportation system. Ocasio-Cortez's office initially released a supplementary FAQ document that included aspects like guaranteeing economic security for those "unwilling to work" and eliminating air travel.
Her team initially claimed Republicans "doctored" the document before Ocasio-Cortez eventually blamed an anonymous staffer for posting it too early.
Rose also reacted to a report that Ocasio-Cortez had made a "list" of centrist Democrats like Rose, who voted along with House Republicans for an amendment to background checks legislation that would notify Immigrations and Customs Enforcement when an illegal immigrant tried to buy a gun. Ocasio-Cortez's office said she meant Democrats were putting themselves on a list of progressive advocacy targets with that vote.
"She's going to keep a list," Rose repeated with a frown. "This is very simple because I'm not one to deal in subtleties. I think it's best not to be passive-aggressive. If she wants to primary me, if the Justice Democrats want to primary me, I'll lay out the red carpet. We can settle this at the polls."
Well here's a clip. @MaxRose4NY responding to interviewer talking about @AOC's "list" of him and other centrist Democrats (although she's denied making such a list).
"She's going to keep a list ... If she wants to primary me ... I'll lay out the red carpet." pic.twitter.com/WDyCAeKnkf
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) April 3, 2019
Rose unseated an incumbent Republican in the 2018 midterm election for New York's 11th congressional district, which encompasses Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. He strongly criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), a close ally of Ocasio-Cortez, after her repeated anti-Semitic comments and tweets regarding Israel and its supporters. He apologized to his Jewish constituency for her comments and invoked his military service in Afghanistan while hitting back at her accusations of pro-Israel politicians having dual loyalties.
"Certainly as a Jewish combat veteran, I could tell you I don’t have dual allegiance," Rose said. "I have allegiance to the flag. I have allegiance to the United States of America."