On Tuesday night, Missouri voters were among those who went to the polls for primary elections in four states. When it comes to the race to watch, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) became the second member of the Squad to lose her primary. Although the ultimate margin of victory ended up being closer than it looked earlier in the evening, DA Wesley Bell still looks to have won without a doubt. As she spoke to her supporters at the end of the night, Bush herself actually acknowledged she's become even more radicalized.
"Let's be clear," Bush shouted as she addressed her supporters, a phrase she went on to repeat several more times. "Let's talk about what it really is, because now I don't have to worry about some strings that I have attached, and as much as I love my job, but all they did is radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid."
Bush already looks to be radicalized, especially when it comes to her anti-Israel positions, which she later addressed in her remarks. At least one supporter in the crowd could be seen holding up a watermelon sign, which has been co-opted as a Palestinian symbol.
To say "now they need to be afraid" also sounds an awful lot like a threat.
In such a clip, Bush also expressed what could signify a sense of maturity as well, as she mentioned that "I just grew up a whole lot more over the last week weeks." She also recognized that "there is nothing that happens in my life that happens in vain, so this happened, it was because it was meant to happen" and "because of the work that I need to do!"
That doesn't necessarily translate to more growth, though, or Bush acknowledging that her unpopular views, victim status, and/or other scandals could have contributed to her loss.
With her voice rising even further, egged on by the crowd, Bush declared "AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down!" The American Israel Public Affairs Committee had supported Bell in this race.
Cori Bush defiant in defeat: "All they did was radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid."
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 7, 2024
"They about to see this other Cori, this other side," she said. "AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down." pic.twitter.com/690T0aEhmZ
It wasn't just the pro-Israel group that was the subject of Bush's ire. "And let me put all of these corporations on notice: I'm coming after you too," she declared. "But I'm not coming by myself. I'm coming with all the people that's in here that's doing the work!"
She also doubled down on her sense of being radicalized. "What you didn't want to do was allow me to get radicalized even more, because this is the thing: I ain't scared! I don't fear you! I don't fear you," Bush continued to shout.
The soon to be former congresswoman claimed "what my issue is, is my people not getting what they need and at the end of the day, whether I'm congresswoman or not, I'm still taking care of my people, and so, and let me say this, because your side was so weak, you had to spend $19 million!"
Criticizing the use of money in politics has been a narrative from the far-left. We've seen this not only with Bush's race, but June's primary race to oust soon to be former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), another Squad member. We've seriously heard from figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), another member of the Squad, that primaries and spending money for them is somehow a supposed thread to democracy.
For all of these complaints, AIPAC has much to celebrate, including but not only with the Missouri 1st race.
Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) August 7, 2024
Congratulations to Wesley Bell and George Latimer! https://t.co/cfm8CnLjX2
AIPAC and our 4.5 million grassroots members were proud to help progressive pro-Israel leader Wesley Bell defeat anti-Israel Squad member Rep. Cori Bush last night.
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) August 7, 2024
Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics! https://t.co/Cr7kzyL4P7
Bush herself acknowledged how she herself defeated an incumbent in her own primary from 2020, which she discussed in the context of how she spent less money for that race.
As Bush claimed, despite all her lamentations, excuses, and even threats to do with this primary race, "we spoke about who we are, what we plan to do, and we came from a place of integrity and character!" She still went on to place blame elsewhere, though, claiming "but lies, deceit, distorting... costs a lot of money!"
Given that she lost her primary, evidently the voters of Missouri's 1st Congressional District no longer had such positive thoughts about her as their congresswoman.
Cori Bush continues: "And let me put all of these corporations on notice: I'm coming after you too. But I'm not coming by myself. I'm coming with all the people that's in here..." pic.twitter.com/gqQXO5DIPM
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 7, 2024
Bush also took a cheap shot at her opponent, all while offering platitudes to Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims.
"Let me to say to my Arab and Palestinian, our Muslim community: I hope that the new member of Congress, who will be taking over in January, you know, right before his trial starts." As the crowd reacted, Bush apologized and got back on topic.
She went on to say that "we need to build the community back, because what just happened helped to rip the community apart... and I don't want feed into that, because we have to be one St. Louis, because we have to grow. And so, I just hope that he actually takes the time to learn about our Palestinian, and our Arab, and our Muslim communities, that he actually speaks to you, and that he sees the beauty in what we have created, that--that transcends our ethnic backgrounds and our religions and the way that we have been able to do that," which she's put out to Bell "as some homework."
Cori Bush hits at Wesley Bell for a looming civil trial, then sort of walks it back. "We need to build the community back, because what just happened helped to rip our community apart." She prods him to do his "homework" about Palestinian and Arab and Muslim communities. pic.twitter.com/tN8vSdobSa
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 7, 2024
According to the St. Louis-Post Dispatch, there is a discrimination lawsuit against Bell that has been delayed until January 27, 2025.
Bush herself has her own scandal involving the misuse of taxpayer funds to pay her security guard, who is also her husband, for which she is under investigation by the Department of Justice.
Bell has made his support for Israel quite clear when he announced that he was challenging Bush at the end of October of last year, just weeks after Hamas terrorists attacked our ally in the Middle of East. After 1,200 Israelis were killed and approximately 240 people were taken hostage, Bush was among the first to call for a ceasefire.
Speaking of Hamas, Bush also appeared confused as to if Hamas even was a terrorist organization and even appeared to liken them to black activists. Her spokesperson's clarification to The New York Times didn't exactly help much, considering that such a statement focused on blaming "the far right."
With an estimated 99 percent of the vote reporting, Bell enjoys 51.2 percent of the vote to Bush's 45.6 percent. She had been facing three challengers in total.
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