thebeave
Contributor
lpetrich has a little crush and therefore loves to post about anything AOC related.
Will you guys stop bickering? I'm trying to read about her gel nails and you two are distracting me.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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Will you guys stop bickering? I'm trying to read about her gel nails and you two are distracting me.
lpetrich
Contributor
Beyond Bernie: DSA Electeds on Building Power - the Democratic Socialists of America - what Fox News got so worked up about
Started off with Brian Cina, VT State Rep. He went to college to be a social worker, and he was also an activist and a community organizer. In 2011, the Occupy movement had a camp in Burlington's City Hall Park, and BC was inspired to get into politics. It seemed to him that he would be more effective in public office than as an activist. Something that may explain other activists going into politics, like Pramila Jayapal and AOC. Back to BC, he ran for local school board, then for VT State Rep.
He described the origin of the progressive movement in Burlington, from antiwar activists who moved to that state, and how it came to power in Burlington, with Bernie Sanders winning by 10 votes. He got to some of the successes of progressives there, successes that involved fighting local "Blue Dogs" in the Reagan and Bush eras. Successes like making Burlington's former industrial waterfront a public park rather than a place for luxury condos, land trusts that make 25% of Burlington housing "social housing", and using 100% renewable energy.
Then Candi Cdebaca of the City Council of Denver CO. An activist and community organizer.
Then Khalid Kamau of the City Council of South Fulton, GA. He was a Black Lives Matter activist and a union organizer. He noted that over half a city's budget is usually public safety - police and fire departments. He also noted that residents' concerns may often differ from activists' concerns, like installing speedbumps and picking up the trash. Then about district-attorney elections and the like. Often a few hundred or a few tens of votes. A determined campaign effort could make the difference in such races.
Started off with Brian Cina, VT State Rep. He went to college to be a social worker, and he was also an activist and a community organizer. In 2011, the Occupy movement had a camp in Burlington's City Hall Park, and BC was inspired to get into politics. It seemed to him that he would be more effective in public office than as an activist. Something that may explain other activists going into politics, like Pramila Jayapal and AOC. Back to BC, he ran for local school board, then for VT State Rep.
He described the origin of the progressive movement in Burlington, from antiwar activists who moved to that state, and how it came to power in Burlington, with Bernie Sanders winning by 10 votes. He got to some of the successes of progressives there, successes that involved fighting local "Blue Dogs" in the Reagan and Bush eras. Successes like making Burlington's former industrial waterfront a public park rather than a place for luxury condos, land trusts that make 25% of Burlington housing "social housing", and using 100% renewable energy.
Then Candi Cdebaca of the City Council of Denver CO. An activist and community organizer.
Then Khalid Kamau of the City Council of South Fulton, GA. He was a Black Lives Matter activist and a union organizer. He noted that over half a city's budget is usually public safety - police and fire departments. He also noted that residents' concerns may often differ from activists' concerns, like installing speedbumps and picking up the trash. Then about district-attorney elections and the like. Often a few hundred or a few tens of votes. A determined campaign effort could make the difference in such races.
lpetrich
Contributor
Then AOC herself. She started out by stating that theory is indeed important, but what's most important to many people is practice. She noted the "sewer socialists" of the late 19th and early 20th cys., people who did good government and delivered for their citizens, and avoided being corrupt. Self-styled socialists were elected to a lot of city offices back then.
She said that learning about the theory is gradual, like education more generally, and that includes such things as a general strike. That seems to me to be a rather drastic move. Coordinated but less-general strikes would be easier to organize, I'm sure -- the less organizing, the easier. State legislatures are important - that's why the Koch brothers have tried to buy them. City councils and other local offices also. That's where voter suppression, police brutality, etc. take place.
Then a panel discussion. Who is to foot the bill for austerity measures? The poorer citizens, especially minority ones. Georgia Republicans have long cut public-health systems as a way to cut the budgets. The state is now sitting on a $3B rainy-day fund. Brian Cina then talked about Vermonters objecting to their Republican governor's wanting to close three state colleges.
AOC got into her vote against the most recent relief bill -- that it offered very little to ordinary people and much more to the wealthy. She didn't see herself going back to her district and explaining voting for it to the people there. She then gets into how many of her colleagues spend some 4 hours per day dialing for dollars -- and feeling that they have to avoid displeasing their donors. AOC has been successful with small donations.
She said that learning about the theory is gradual, like education more generally, and that includes such things as a general strike. That seems to me to be a rather drastic move. Coordinated but less-general strikes would be easier to organize, I'm sure -- the less organizing, the easier. State legislatures are important - that's why the Koch brothers have tried to buy them. City councils and other local offices also. That's where voter suppression, police brutality, etc. take place.
Then a panel discussion. Who is to foot the bill for austerity measures? The poorer citizens, especially minority ones. Georgia Republicans have long cut public-health systems as a way to cut the budgets. The state is now sitting on a $3B rainy-day fund. Brian Cina then talked about Vermonters objecting to their Republican governor's wanting to close three state colleges.
AOC got into her vote against the most recent relief bill -- that it offered very little to ordinary people and much more to the wealthy. She didn't see herself going back to her district and explaining voting for it to the people there. She then gets into how many of her colleagues spend some 4 hours per day dialing for dollars -- and feeling that they have to avoid displeasing their donors. AOC has been successful with small donations.
lpetrich
Contributor
AOC stated that not everybody should run for office or needs to run for office, and that electoral politics isn't enough. That's from her experience as an elected official. One also needs a big outside movement to push on the more reluctant politicians. For her, it was a whole lot of experiences that added up -- cleaning houses with her mother, almost losing her childhood home, her father dying of cancer, her being loaded down with debt and having to work in a restaurant after working in educational nonprofits -- but it was Standing Rock that crystallized it for her. Native people being subject to imperialism and colonialism in the form of a fossil-fuel company that disregarded their land claims and that was armed with military-grade weapons.
She left Standing Rock feeling prepared to dedicate her life to a movement for progressive change, to give her life for doing so. Then what she considers a bizarre coincidence: Brand New Congress contacting her about running for office. She accepted, and she ran against Joe Crowley, someone whom she considers to embody everything wrong with the Democratic Party. She didn't know who he was at first, and he was hardly ever in his district. He gave some real-estate developers several million dollars in tax breaks, for instance.
She then stated that she got a lot of endorsements before the DSA endorsed her, and that what we have here is a progressive coalition, several groups, each with their own interests. Black Lives Matter, feminists, immigrant activists, ...
Then KK came in and said that he did nearly 20 years of protesting, and that he went to protesting a chief of police to helping select one.
I looked at the comments and someone compared Trump to Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, presidents from the 1920's.
She left Standing Rock feeling prepared to dedicate her life to a movement for progressive change, to give her life for doing so. Then what she considers a bizarre coincidence: Brand New Congress contacting her about running for office. She accepted, and she ran against Joe Crowley, someone whom she considers to embody everything wrong with the Democratic Party. She didn't know who he was at first, and he was hardly ever in his district. He gave some real-estate developers several million dollars in tax breaks, for instance.
She then stated that she got a lot of endorsements before the DSA endorsed her, and that what we have here is a progressive coalition, several groups, each with their own interests. Black Lives Matter, feminists, immigrant activists, ...
Then KK came in and said that he did nearly 20 years of protesting, and that he went to protesting a chief of police to helping select one.
I looked at the comments and someone compared Trump to Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, presidents from the 1920's.
Derec
Contributor
What exactly is a gel nail?
angelo
Deleted
lpetrich
Contributor
AOC - It's Time To Debate - YouTube
The Bronx and Queens deserve to hear
why their Congresswoman has forgotten them. (link)" / Twitter
CARUSO-CABRERA CALLS FOR “ONE-ON-ONE” DEBATE WITH OCASIO-CORTEZ
I checked on MCC's campaign home page, and it still had no section on MCC's platform -- only running against AOC.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera on Twitter: "DEBATE ME @AOC.
The Bronx and Queens deserve to hear
why their Congresswoman has forgotten them. (link)" / Twitter
CARUSO-CABRERA CALLS FOR “ONE-ON-ONE” DEBATE WITH OCASIO-CORTEZ
I checked on MCC's campaign home page, and it still had no section on MCC's platform -- only running against AOC.
The "Woman of the people" who alleges to care about the Bronx and Queens was living in Trump Tower this time last year. Astroturfing at its finest.
lpetrich
Contributor
Yes indeed. She was recently in the Board of Directors of a financial-services company, and she has received a lot of donations from Wall Streeters.
New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2020 - Ballotpedia
Competing with AOC in the Democratic primary is MCC, Badrun Khan, and Sam Sloan. Withdrawn from the race are Fernando Cabrera, James Dillon, and Jose Velazquez.
The Republican side has these primary candidates: Jineea Butler, John Cummings, Miguel Hernandez, Scherie Murray, Ruth Papazian, Rey Solano, Antoine Tucker. Withdrawn from the race is Israel Ortega Cruz.
Badrun Khan (@badrun_khan) / Twitter - she's a sort of AOC Lite.
Sam Sloan - Ballotpedia has run in the past:
- 2016 NY-13 D primary: 0.5%
- 2014 NY Gov: didn't qualify
- 2014 NY-15 D primary: 8.8%
Sam Sloan - lists some more electoral misadventures, like his involvement with the Libertarian Party, and getting only 166 votes (0.02%) for NYC Mayor in 2013.Derec
Contributor
Oh, so it's just nail polish?
lpetrich
Contributor
AOC in Conversation with Aminatou Sow - The Wing - YouTube
She talked about going out recently with Chuck Schumer - something that was on April 14. In Corona, Queens, NYC - Louis Armstrong wrote "It's a Wonderful World" there. Racial inequities as a pre-existing condition. AOC's feelings vary between being happy to see people recognizing a lot of inequities to mourning about all the bad things that are happening. Trump and McConnell not caring very much about people dying. More conservative Democrats had no plan. For AOC, it supports her progressive agenda. More moderate ones are asking her about what to do.
She talked about being a midwife in the birth of a new world from an existing one, the new word being an imagined ideal one of her policies. I note that it is a world depicted in Star Trek, and a world that she has experienced in the upper middle class and upper class. She talks about reminding herself of what she's fighting for. Picking one's battles and pushing against the other politicians. Not supporting a recent relief package.
I recall something about a former campaigner, Corbin Trent, supposedly wanting AOC to talk about Britain's National Health Service to push the conversation in that direction. But she is content with single-payer insurance.
She says that one has to acknowledge a candidate's flaws - and to support one's best choice anyway, despite their flaws. Like support Biden against Trump while acknowledging his flaws. Biden not very good on M4A and the Hyde Amendment. Then the sexual-assault allegations. AOC concedes that that is a great difficulty. She says that one can't simply say "believe women about sexual assault" until it becomes inconvenient to do so. I congratulate AOC on recognizing this horrible dilemma that Trump opponents face. Last week: Asted Weekly (?) at the NYT, talking about Joe Biden's issues.
Then about how sexist and racist a lot of the discussion of AOC is. If some people are too young, then other people are too old. Infantilizing AOC. She still feels like a normal person in public a lot. She isn't supersensitive from her upbringing. The Tea Party was a "whitelash" to the election of the first black president. She's trying to challenge not just race but also economic power structures. She doesn't let herself be gaslit by her critics. One thing that helps: having a lot of friends from her pre-fame, pre-politics years. They keep her totally sane.
Her first 6 months in office were *very* hard, and she wasn't sure that she could make it through her term. But she's now running for re-election, though she doesn't know for sure how long she will be in politics. As long as she can keep going in it, it seems. She didn't aim at an early age to have a lifelong career in politics. She is also aware of what kind of burden it is to be a pioneer at something, like one of the first women or minorities or whatever.
Video meetings exhausting. She is childless, something very helpful. Older legislators have technical difficulties or are too close. She misses hanging out with friends. Cooking and laundry amplified. She says that she is a bit of an introvert. But she concedes that she's privileged enough to be able to do much of her work from home. Her pet dog Deco has been great. Dress + sweatpants once.
Then about climate change. It shows what happens when politicians disregard the science about something - it can be disastrous. Also shows the inadequacy of small incremental changes and the bad consequences of delay. She also notes that we are not "gods of the Universe", that we are subject to laws of nature and we are part of a larger reality. We are connected to each other and to the Earth.
AOC admires Jacinda Ardern: strong, compassionate, effective leader. In her community, several activists. Angela Davis still an activist. Dolores Huerta, now 90.
Women of color as business owners? Privileged and connected often first in line. Should be willing to ask for help. She concedes that she finds it hard to ask for help. "I need this to do that" "Where can I find this?" Should check on friends. Someone asked her how she was doing, and she cried.
She does FaceTime with her friends. Videoconferencing wears her out, so she doesn't do as much as she might. Sending each other tweets and memes and the like. If it lasts much longer, she might bring back handwritten letters. Then about the US Postal Service. One of the last universal public services. She says that Trump "very much" wants to kill it. Having to go to FedEx to mail something. No voting by mail if there is no mail. Republicans loaded down the USPS with pre-funding pensions to age 75. It's bankrupting the USPS. It should do check cashing and basic banking. Her interviewer AS also likes the USPS.
What quarantine cocktail? AOC concludes by saying that she usually does a margarita on warm days and old-fashioned on cold days. She proposes a French 75.
She talked about going out recently with Chuck Schumer - something that was on April 14. In Corona, Queens, NYC - Louis Armstrong wrote "It's a Wonderful World" there. Racial inequities as a pre-existing condition. AOC's feelings vary between being happy to see people recognizing a lot of inequities to mourning about all the bad things that are happening. Trump and McConnell not caring very much about people dying. More conservative Democrats had no plan. For AOC, it supports her progressive agenda. More moderate ones are asking her about what to do.
She talked about being a midwife in the birth of a new world from an existing one, the new word being an imagined ideal one of her policies. I note that it is a world depicted in Star Trek, and a world that she has experienced in the upper middle class and upper class. She talks about reminding herself of what she's fighting for. Picking one's battles and pushing against the other politicians. Not supporting a recent relief package.
I recall something about a former campaigner, Corbin Trent, supposedly wanting AOC to talk about Britain's National Health Service to push the conversation in that direction. But she is content with single-payer insurance.
She says that one has to acknowledge a candidate's flaws - and to support one's best choice anyway, despite their flaws. Like support Biden against Trump while acknowledging his flaws. Biden not very good on M4A and the Hyde Amendment. Then the sexual-assault allegations. AOC concedes that that is a great difficulty. She says that one can't simply say "believe women about sexual assault" until it becomes inconvenient to do so. I congratulate AOC on recognizing this horrible dilemma that Trump opponents face. Last week: Asted Weekly (?) at the NYT, talking about Joe Biden's issues.
Then about how sexist and racist a lot of the discussion of AOC is. If some people are too young, then other people are too old. Infantilizing AOC. She still feels like a normal person in public a lot. She isn't supersensitive from her upbringing. The Tea Party was a "whitelash" to the election of the first black president. She's trying to challenge not just race but also economic power structures. She doesn't let herself be gaslit by her critics. One thing that helps: having a lot of friends from her pre-fame, pre-politics years. They keep her totally sane.
Her first 6 months in office were *very* hard, and she wasn't sure that she could make it through her term. But she's now running for re-election, though she doesn't know for sure how long she will be in politics. As long as she can keep going in it, it seems. She didn't aim at an early age to have a lifelong career in politics. She is also aware of what kind of burden it is to be a pioneer at something, like one of the first women or minorities or whatever.
Video meetings exhausting. She is childless, something very helpful. Older legislators have technical difficulties or are too close. She misses hanging out with friends. Cooking and laundry amplified. She says that she is a bit of an introvert. But she concedes that she's privileged enough to be able to do much of her work from home. Her pet dog Deco has been great. Dress + sweatpants once.
Then about climate change. It shows what happens when politicians disregard the science about something - it can be disastrous. Also shows the inadequacy of small incremental changes and the bad consequences of delay. She also notes that we are not "gods of the Universe", that we are subject to laws of nature and we are part of a larger reality. We are connected to each other and to the Earth.
AOC admires Jacinda Ardern: strong, compassionate, effective leader. In her community, several activists. Angela Davis still an activist. Dolores Huerta, now 90.
Women of color as business owners? Privileged and connected often first in line. Should be willing to ask for help. She concedes that she finds it hard to ask for help. "I need this to do that" "Where can I find this?" Should check on friends. Someone asked her how she was doing, and she cried.
She does FaceTime with her friends. Videoconferencing wears her out, so she doesn't do as much as she might. Sending each other tweets and memes and the like. If it lasts much longer, she might bring back handwritten letters. Then about the US Postal Service. One of the last universal public services. She says that Trump "very much" wants to kill it. Having to go to FedEx to mail something. No voting by mail if there is no mail. Republicans loaded down the USPS with pre-funding pensions to age 75. It's bankrupting the USPS. It should do check cashing and basic banking. Her interviewer AS also likes the USPS.
What quarantine cocktail? AOC concludes by saying that she usually does a margarita on warm days and old-fashioned on cold days. She proposes a French 75.
Wow, amazing! Thanks Ipetrich!
Derec
Contributor
Angela Davis is a communist who once supplied a shotgun to a 17 year old so he would hold a courthouse hostage in order to free her boyfriend, armed robber and racial terrorist George Jackson, from prison.
She got away with her crime due to a leftist Marin County jury exercising jury nullification unfortunately, but she should be nobody's role model.
Jarhyn
Wizard
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So what you are saying is that the people who attempted to hold the government in Michigan hostage in order to get their hair cut are terrorists. If you want to be consistent anyway...
lpetrich
Contributor
Barbara Ransby on Twitter: "This is the 35th anniversary of the horrific and racist bombing of the Black liberation organization MOVE in Philly in 1985. We still mourn the 11 people, including 5 children who were killed. https://t.co/237DnuXLSL" / Twitter
I vaguely remember MOVE - the MOVE people struck me as a bunch of jerks. But bombing them was rather grossly excessive.
The day police bombed a city street: can scars of 1985 Move atrocity be healed? | US news | The Guardian - "Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down in the airstrike against a black liberation group. Now an effort at reconciliation is under way"
Dropping a satchel-ful of C4 plastic explosive on the MOVE people's house -- and letting the house and neighboring houses burn.
I vaguely remember MOVE - the MOVE people struck me as a bunch of jerks. But bombing them was rather grossly excessive.
The day police bombed a city street: can scars of 1985 Move atrocity be healed? | US news | The Guardian - "Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down in the airstrike against a black liberation group. Now an effort at reconciliation is under way"
Dropping a satchel-ful of C4 plastic explosive on the MOVE people's house -- and letting the house and neighboring houses burn.
Derec
Contributor
I don't agree with these Michiganders, but what they did was a far cry from taking a judge, three jurors and a prosecutor hostage and demand that a violent felon be freed from prison.
lpetrich
Contributor
Ocasio-Cortez Commits Re-election Gaffe, Losing a Progressive Ballot Line - The New York Times - "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez needed 15 signatures to secure a Working Families Party ballot spot, but a court challenge left her short of the mark."
Ocasio-Cortez fails to secure Working Families Party ballot spot | TheHill
Ocasio-Cortez fails to secure Working Families Party ballot spot | TheHill
That's a rather curious slip-up, because AOC is often very well-prepared and more generally very diligent. When she was running in her first run, she was careful to collect 5,000 signatures, well over the minimum of 1,250, in case Joe Crowley's lawyers invalidated some of them.
angelo
Deleted
Should prove very interesting if her constituents are naive enough to re elect her.
Calling it "bombing" is excessive. It was explosive breaching of an armored barrier, not exactly unheard of in standoff situations. However, it didn't work well enough, the defenders were still a threat and they didn't come out when the place caught fire. Fire crews are never allowed into the line of fire of a standoff situation, they had no choice but to let things burn. Blame MOVE, not the police.
lpetrich
Contributor
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera on Twitter: ".@AOC has hurt working people of the Bronx and Queens with her votes and creates disunity within our party. Her own campaign spokesman ran away from her in March. No wonder why pro union forces don’t want her and neither do our neighborhoods. https://t.co/HdKL44lCwG" / Twitter
News - Michelle Caruso-Cabrera - MCC still has no stated platform. AOC has one, Badrun Khan has stated one, but MCC doesn't have one. MCC seems like she's only running against AOC with nothing positive to offer.
An Open Letter to Press Corps. & AOC Campaign - Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
News - Michelle Caruso-Cabrera - MCC still has no stated platform. AOC has one, Badrun Khan has stated one, but MCC doesn't have one. MCC seems like she's only running against AOC with nothing positive to offer.
An Open Letter to Press Corps. & AOC Campaign - Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
AOC has not made any public statement on that, as far as I have been able to find out. There are two other Democrats in the race: Badrun Khan and Sam Sloan. Any debate ought to also include those two also.