The powers that be in the Washington, DC Democratic Party have bleating piteously over Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) refusing to raise money for the DCCC, because the DCCC has decided to go on a Jihad against progressive Democrats.

Of course the DCCC has always been an enemy of the progressive wing of the party, but Nancy Pelosi put the hapless Cheri Bustos in charge of the organization this time around, who made it official, so AOC’s action is reasonable, particularly when juxtaposed with her prodigious fundraising for Democrats in swing districts:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced she had formed a political action committee on Saturday to help raise funds for progressive primary candidates.

The congresswoman has been a vocal opponent of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s policy to “blacklist” vendors and firms that work with candidates mounting primary challenges against Democratic incumbents. Ocasio-Cortez was one such candidate, having run a successful primary campaign against Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) in 2018.

Democratic leadership sees the rule as necessary to protect seats and win elections, but critics like Ocasio-Cortez and fellow 2018 upset victor Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) say it prevents fresh voices from reaching Congress and could encumber efforts to increase diversity in the halls of the Capitol.

Ocasio-Cortez has also not paid her dues to the DCCC during this campaign cycle and said she did not plan to pay. The funds are traditionally provided to the DCCC by House members to redistribute among other important races.

Fox News reported that nearly 100 members had yet to pay their dues as of October.

Considering the fact that the DCCC is blacklisting people and organizations for people who are supporting challengers to right wing sellouts like Henry Cuellar and Dan Lipinski, who are in reliably Democratic districts, her actions are not only justified, but obligory.