The “contemptible little twerp” goes Hogg wild

It is not my custom to engage in ad hominem pejorative insults.  The headline quote is not of my drafting.  It is Democrat strategist James Carville’s description of the Democratic National Committee’s Vice Chair David Hogg.

But what could provoke Carville’s attack on a fellow partisan?

Weeell … it seems Hogg has announced his intention to mount a $20 million effort to unseat a number of incumbent Democrats from safe red districts.  He wants to replace what he calls “ineffective, asleep-at-the-switch” Democrat lawmakers with younger and more progressive members of Congress. 

Hogg’s obsession is as much with age as it is with issues or effectiveness – maybe more so.  In his earliest days of left-wing activism – when he was more of an “arrogant pipsqueak” than a “contemptible little twerp” — Hogg demanded the old guard retire or die to make room for his generation.  He was eager to get his hands on the baton of leadership, even if he had to snatch it.

The money for the campaign to oust older Democrats comes from Leaders We Deserve – an organization founded by Hogg and political consultant Kevin Lata.  The group has big money supporters – including multimillionaire political activist Barbara Weitz, billionaire angel investor Ronald Conway, multibillionaire ($6 billion to be exact) Dagmar Dolby and others.  Leaders We Deserve has previously spent millions of dollars in support of under-35 candidates in federal races and under 30 for state offices.

Democrat leaders fear that Hogg’s campaign against incumbents in safe districts might undermine efforts to win control of the House in 2026.  They would prefer to see all that money go into flipping swing districts.

Carville not only called Hogg a “twerp” but said the DNC should sue him.  Carville is not alone in his contempt for Hogg.  There have also been calls for Hogg to be ousted as vice chair of the DNC.  Former Clinton-Gore advisor Matt Bennett described Hogg’s plan as “insane” behavior. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed his opposition to Hogg’s plan.  He said the resources should be focused on defeating Republican incumbents.   He said Hogg is distracting from the larger goal of addressing GOP far-right extremism and ending what he called a “national nightmare.”

While Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and socialist Senator Bernie Sanders would seem to be natural allies of Hogg, they have not yet commented on his mission.

Among the potential targets are California Representative Brad Sherman, who is facing a challenge from Capitol Hill staffer Jake Rakov and Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who is likely to be primaried by media personality Kat Abughazaleh.  Even the San Francisco seat held by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a potential target.  She is being challenged by tech billionaire Saikat Chakrabarti.

Hogg rose to prominence as one of the survivors of the mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018.  He gained immediate attention by serving as a “reporter” from inside the school.  Seizing on his notoriety, then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brought Hogg to Washington to recruit and use him as a Democrat gun control advocate.

Hogg now represents yet another faction in an already fractured Democratic Party.  He will be funding challengers to incumbents who will be supported by the Democrat National Committee and funded by the Democrat National Congressional Committee.  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

(Hmmm.  Is that a Nazi salute in the accompanying photo?  Just curious.)

So, there ‘tis.