AOC isn't nominating herself for the position here. She's just breaking an important taboo in Democratic politics: questioning Pelosi's leadership, her age, and the way she's managed her caucus, all of which have led to a string of failures and defeats. https://twitter.com/politico/status/1339217629052071938

It is NOT HARD to evaluate Pelosi's record over the last ten years. House Dems have disappointed electorally more often than not. They have few policy accomplishments to their name. They failed to significantly constrain Trump or use legislative oversight powers effectively.

The reason you don't hear any criticism of Pelosi isn't because she's effective - she's been a disaster - but because she's kept a death grip on power in the House, which means that criticizing her comes with sharp political consequences.

Thus, in Democratic circles, and in media circles, Pelosi is spoken about like an indispensable, indomitable, fearless warrior, even though it's trivially easy to find examples of her being outmaneuvered, and her politics are defined in almost every instance by caution and fear.

Anyway, this is how gerontocracy works: People aren't long-time leaders because they're great; they're called great because they're long-time leaders.

The dynamic reaches back to ancient history, why would we be immune? Kudos to AOC for opening discussion, though much too late.