4/5
Just one of the Worst Democrats in Congress both on an ideological and interpersonal level.
Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05)
While most Democrats in 2016 were having a disappointing election night, Josh Gottheimer was able to defeat a veteran Republican incumbent in suburban New Jersey by masterfully “confederate-baiting” his opponent and raising shit loads of cash from Wall Street. Once in office, this young centrist go-getter proceeded to become one of the most infuriating House Democrats.
While other Blue Dogs have the decency to play down the awfulness, Gottheimer relishes his role as spokesmen for the GOP-Lite wing of the Democratic party. The amount of energy Gottheimer devotes towards collecting negative news clippings on Congresswomen Tlaib & Omar is probably more than he puts into actually helping working families back in his district.
It would take a while to compile the countless instances of Gottheimer acting like a self-righteous jackass, so for now enjoy these stories, courtesy of The Intercept, which paints a pretty vivid portrait of this guy's general demeanor.
In case there was any confusion about Gottheimer's idea of what the future of the Democratic party should look like, he helpfully put it to rest when he endorsed Michael "The Oligarch" Bloomberg for President during the 2020 primary.
Unfortunately for progressives, NJ-05 is not the most fertile political ground. The state is still pretty machine-oriented, and the district has only recently begun to shift to the left. In 2020 Gottheimer beat a Sanders-backed primary challenge fairly handily, but was forced to walk back several pro-cop policy positions and sign on to Ayanna Pressley’s resolution to end militarized policing when the race began to heat up. A paltry substitute to winning, but it highlights why it is important progressives keep the pressure on and take another shot at Gottheimer next time around.