Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[lpetrich]

AOC continues to be good at constituent services. Might she one day host a workshop on being a vigilante?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Our Homework Helpers program is off to a roaring start! I can’t thank you all enough.

Our call for volunteer tutors to help families w/ remote learning yielded *11,000* volunteers!

Your response was so inspiring that I decided to sign up for 4 hrs too https://t.co/noDfPsVwzK" / Twitter

With response
Clement McChastity on Twitter: "@AOC How can I get the resources to do this in my community?" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@pukeytrig The biggest resources required to set this up is time & people.

The easiest way to start is to partner with your local PTA or other local parent organization.

We’re still piloting, but if there’s interest maybe we can do a training session on how to start one!" / Twitter
then
Clement McChastity on Twitter: "@AOC Training session would be very cool! Thank you for your response, you rock!" / Twitter

BoldandBawdy on Twitter: "@AOC GOP members are gonna get on here and be like...tutors are handouts, why can’t kids learn on their own, I picked myself up by the bootstraps to do my homework when I was a kid....or some bs like that." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Before she ran for Congress, AOC was a tutor for the National Hispanic Institute and a would-be publisher of children's books. So she has some experience with education.

AOC Just Launched a Homework Helper Program That Could Offer Much-Needed Relief for Students (and Parents) | Parents

Late last month, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's campaign formally launched a virtual Homework Helpers Program following a seven week-long pilot program that involved around 100 students from Throggs Neck, New York. The latest iteration of the program involves educators and volunteers from around the country who will provide students living in New York's 14th congressional district with one hour of free virtual homework help per week.

Ocasio-Cortez explains that the program was conceived in response to the fact that "due to systemic inequities in our education system, working class families are especially struggling with virtual learning and homework." She explains, “It was important for our community to step in and do what we do best, which is to empower and organize local families and leverage our robust volunteer base."

5 Creative Ways Parents Are Finding Child Care During the Pandemic | Parents

1. Child Care Collective
2. Co-Quarantining
3. Nanny Share
4. Small, Outdoor Group Child Care
5. Educator/Nanny Hybrid

Some Parents Are Starting Pandemic Homeschooling Pods—But They Leave Other Kids Behind | Parents

 

[Trausti]

Goya Foods CEO says Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was named 'employee of the month' after boycott

Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue said Monday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was selected as the company’s “employee of the month” earlier this year after she drew attention to the boycott against the company, and a spike in sales followed.

Unanue was criticized in July for praising President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House.

"We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," CEO Robert Unanue said during a speech after a roundtable with Trump and other Hispanic leaders.

Congrats AOC!

 

[ZiprHead]

Goya Foods CEO says Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was named 'employee of the month' after boycott

Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue said Monday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was selected as the company’s “employee of the month” earlier this year after she drew attention to the boycott against the company, and a spike in sales followed.

Unanue was criticized in July for praising President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House.

"We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," CEO Robert Unanue said during a speech after a roundtable with Trump and other Hispanic leaders.

Congrats AOC!

Addressed four posts above, dude.

 

[Trausti]

Goya Foods CEO says Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was named 'employee of the month' after boycott

Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue said Monday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was selected as the company’s “employee of the month” earlier this year after she drew attention to the boycott against the company, and a spike in sales followed.

Unanue was criticized in July for praising President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House.

"We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," CEO Robert Unanue said during a speech after a roundtable with Trump and other Hispanic leaders.

Congrats AOC!

Addressed four posts above, dude.

I know! Congrats again AOC!

 

[lpetrich]

AOC recently Instagrammed on baking bread. She's aoc on Instagram, and she linked to Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe + Video | Sally's Baking Addiction - she started simple, so she used flour, water, salt, and yeast.

I think that she and Kamala Harris ought to exchange recipes.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announces Leadership Team for the 117th Congress | Press Releases | Congressional Progressive Caucus (titles edited out for brevity)

• Chair: Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
• Deputy Chair: Katie Porter (CA-45)
• Whip: Ilhan Omar (MN-05)
• Chair Emeriti: Mark Pocan (WI-02), Barbara Lee (CA-13), and Raul Grijalva (AZ-03)
• Vice Chair for Policy: Jamie Raskin (MD-08)
• Vice Chair for Communications: Marie Newman (IL-03)*
• Vice Chair for New Members: Joe Neguse (CO-02)
• Vice Chair for Inter-Caucus Relations: Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
• Vice Chair for Labor: Don Norcross (NJ-01)
• Vice Chair for Member Services: Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)
• Vice Chairs At-Large: David Cicilline (RI-01), Jesus “Chuy” García (IL-04), Deb Haaland (NM-01), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)
• Deputy Whips: Mark Takano (CA-41), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Mondaire Jones (NY-17)*, Andy Levin (MI-09), Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Cori Bush (MO-01)*
• Executive Board Member At-Large: Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)
• Special Order Hour Conveners: Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)* and Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03)*

The five new arrivals here are indicated with a *. Two of the "Squad" members are present, as are some other notable progressives.

 

[lpetrich]

Brandon Wolf on Twitter: "Honestly, @AOC baking bread and reminding me to slow down and be kind to myself during a crisis that has aged us all decades is exactly the energy I needed." / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "" / Twitter


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "FYI: Wealthy people who skirt taxes & conservatives in Congress have supported, voted for, & succeeded at defunding the police responsible for watching *them* a long time ago. " / Twitter
noting
ProPublica on Twitter: "Congress asked the IRS to report on why it audits the poor more than the affluent. Its response is that it doesn’t have enough money and people to audit the wealthy properly. So it’s not going to. https://t.co/TGsnsUMU7k" / Twitter
noting
IRS: Sorry, but It’s Just Easier and Cheaper to Audit the Poor — ProPublica - "Congress asked the IRS to report on why it audits the poor more than the affluent. Its response is that it doesn’t have enough money and people to audit the wealthy properly. So it’s not going to."

 

[lpetrich]

I was unable to catch AOC on Instagram Live, so I have to be content with what others reported of it.

Sawyer Hackett on Twitter: "On IG live, @AOC makes an important point: by blocking aid to states and local governments, McConnell and Senate Republicans are literally defunding your local police (as well as your schools, your roads, your fire depts, your hospitals)." / Twitter


Ilhan Omar on Twitter: ".@AOC you forgot to tell us what you were making tonight sis." / Twitter

Lauren on Twitter: "@sarahdoroshow @IlhanMN @AOC What she is talking about is AOC did a livestream tonight where she was making a meal whilst talking about political topics. She talked about student debt, racial justice, and healthcare. She was in fact using her platform. Thank you very much" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I tried to make salmon spinach pasta but got carried away about how jacked up our COVID response is and how badly we need stimulus checks and healthcare that all I did was zest a lemon



I’ll post my meal when it’s done " / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "For accountability purposes https://t.co/hlRoYAsN4A" / Twitter
A picture of her meal: salmon, spaghetti, broccoli, and bread

Ilhan Omar on Twitter: "@AOC You were brilliant, loved listening every bit of it and dreaming of the day when none of it would be jacked up. Thank you for passionately speaking to all that is needed and more." / Twitter

Dania on Twitter: "@AOC I thoroughly enjoyed watching you zest a lemon though https://t.co/7aQi8TOtB8" / Twitter
(showing a picture of her with a big cup with bits of lemon peel in it)


kurtis 吴 on Twitter: ".@AOC on ig live “shoutout to my fellow radicals who think we should live in a humane advanced society.” https://t.co/NRyrTOwpOG" / Twitter

kurtis 吴 on Twitter: ".@AOC on healthcare “a guaranteed healthcare system is CHEAPER than what we’re doing right now!” #M4A https://t.co/RVMjwcV3Sg" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Pam Campos-Palma #ShutDownFortHood on Twitter: "The best. @AOC cooking in a #TaxTheRich sweatshirt, breaking down #COVID economic relief bill real talk

Listening to her makes me realize how few Congressmembers in my life I’ve seen talk start of month rent due or unemployment like this. Like they for real know that life. https://t.co/GidxSftGo5" / Twitter

Pam Campos-Palma #ShutDownFortHood on Twitter: "“As elected officials our job is to be the first in modeling responsible behavior... the first! That’s our job. Because I can’t ask you to wear a mask, if I don’t wear a mask.”- @AOC

Palabra

#COVID #publicservice #publichealth https://t.co/7UuTvJW0PJ" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Last January I was sworn in for my first term in Congress. So, what have we accomplished since then? Let’s take 2(ish) minutes to review. (link to vide)" / Twitter
A LOT. She did this video as a part of progressive politicians summarizing their recent years' activities in 2 minutes. She ended up taking 4 1/2 minutes. She mentioned town halls, constituent services, committee hearings like with Michael Cohen, and bills introduced, like her Green New Deal for public housing and her Just Society package.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram: “Last January I was sworn in for my first term in office. So, what have we done since then? Let’s take 2 minutes to review some of our…”

Source of those clips:

Instagram video by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez • Dec 10, 2020 at 7:37 PM
which someone captured as
Aoc drops in for a long chat - YouTube

 

[lpetrich]

Another clip from that long talk: NowThis on Twitter: "‘I just think it’s sad. Why do you need to ‘get something’ for helping your constituents?’ — @AOC got real about what’s holding up COVID-19 relief while cooking dinner in an Instagram Live https://t.co/YHjoGUaJwk" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram: “Last January I was sworn in for my first term in office. So, what have we done since then? Let’s take 2 minutes to review some of our accomplishments.”
2 Years of Accomplishments in 2 Minutes | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - YouTube

Back to her long talk, where she ended up only grating a lemon and starting boiling some water.

She got into all the squabbling over a COVID-19 relief bill. She claims that the big problem is not Republicans generally but Mitch McConnell -- he didn't want to issue stimulus checks. He wants corporate immunity from lawsuits about COVID-19 exposure. She considers 5 years of lawsuit immunity a poor trade for a single issue of $1200 checks or a short extension of unemployment benefits. She then described the negotiations, like getting down from $600/mo increased unemployment to $300/mo with no stimulus check. The White House is currently proposing a choice between stimulus checks and unemployment insurance.

AOC noted that we only see this austerity for things that benefit ordinary people. Not for Wall Street bailouts or the military. She also says that we shouldn't take Democrats for granted, even if they are often better than many Republicans on many issues.

She says that she gets considered radical for considering healthcare a human right, even though universal healthcare is common in other industrialized nations, like Canada. I remember someone enthusiastic about Canada's national health insurance back in the mid 1980's who would say that in most other industrialized countries, it would be called ... conservative.

Her position is that one should not have to risk huge bills just to get healthcare.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC asays that it ought to be an issue of national pride, much like that Canadian I once knew. As to rationing, she notes that many people self-ration because of the great expense of some things, like $2,000 for some dental procedure.

"Shout out to my fellow radicals, who think that we should live in a humane, advanced society." After stating that it joining in a lawsuit to overturn an election is a moderate-Republican thing, she nevertheless said that it was radical to want things like healthcare for all.

She said that the way she grew up, she learned to watch out for *all* politicians, and not be crudely tribalistic: D's good R's bad or R's good D's bad. She doesn't like how anyone going beyond local politics has to pick a team, as it were. She then praised parliamentary systems and proportional representation.

As to radicalism, she looked back to the sixties and beyond that to early labor activism. She says that she'd be happy to be considered a sellout for wanting guaranteed healthcare. But she says that there isn't much of that kind of extreme left, and I agree. To a hard-core extreme left-winger, she likely seems like some bourgeois reformist. I once perused what the World Socialist Web Site - wsws.org - has to say about her, and its authors consider her a sellout.

She also notes that anti-shutdown people also tend to be anti-mask. She says that she and her fellow political leaders have to model responsibility, like wearing masks.

Then she says that it is Republicans who try to defund the police by not supporting aid to states and cities.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC then answered some question.

Canceling student loans? For loans held by the Federal Gov't, then it is a simple matter to cancel them with an executive order. Other loans can be more-or-less bought. She then mentioned what Trump has done with executive orders. If he could use them, then Biden can use them. She then got into how college was close to free for earlier generations, like half a century ago.

She also mentioned wealth taxes from past decades, and she got into what she describes as a concentration of wealth and power. What many people have called Gilded Age II, even if not AOC herself. Great concentrations of wealth, while many people starve, get evicted, or have to work 2 or 3 jobs to survive. She said that a society with more empty homes than homeless people is an unstable society. Like luxury apartment buildings whose apartments are bought as investments but never used most of the time. Bought as investments by oligarchs from nations whose leaders have kleptocratic tendencies, nations like Russia and China and Saudi Arabia.

AOC talked about the slogan "Black Lives Matter" and how radical it seemed - some 5 years ago.

She concludes that one must be activist and push the politicians into action -- even politicians of one's own party. Politics should not be a fan club, she says. One should not only put pressure only on politicians who are in the "wrong" party. If you voted for some politician for some reason, then try to communicate that reason to them, like being for canceling student debt.

 

[Derec]

Canceling student loans? For loans held by the Federal Gov't, then it is a simple matter to cancel them with an executive order. Other loans can be more-or-less bought.

Just because you may be legally able to cancel all student loans doesn't make it a good idea. A better idea would be a set amount to cancel for borrowers below a certain income limit. Biden himself proposed $10k. No reason to cancel student loans of wealthy physicians or lawyers or of irresponsible people who took on medical school like level of debt for degrees in Medieval French Poetry because they just had to get it at that overpriced private college.

If he could use them, then Biden can use them. She then got into how college was close to free for earlier generations, like half a century ago.

But how many people went to college back then? There are so many frivolous degrees offered today. It would probably be a good idea to pare it down (and reduce the number of college graduates while instituting some form of apprentice system) and make college free or nearly so (Germany is doing it that way) but it could never be sold politically.

She also mentioned wealth taxes from past decades, and she got into what she describes as a concentration of wealth and power.

US has never had a wealth tax. Is the Boston educated economist cum barmaid not understanding the difference between a wealth tax and an income tax?

Great concentrations of wealth, while many people starve, get evicted, or have to work 2 or 3 jobs to survive.

People are not starving in the US. There are many forms of assistance including SNAP. Many people do work multiple jobs, that is true.

She said that a society with more empty homes than homeless people is an unstable society.

Any evidence of that being a cause of instability? There are about 500k homeless people in the US. Seems like a lot, but hardly enough to destabilize the country given that it represents less than 0.2% of the population.

Like luxury apartment buildings whose apartments are bought as investments but never used most of the time.

That makes little sense. An apartment building has significant cost to run. Then there are property taxes. If you do not have renters, then you are not generating revenue. Sure, real estate prices may go up enough to offset the annual costs incurred, but that is not proper investing, that is speculation. I can't see outperforming S&P500 with the strategy of buying and holding an apartment building and not renting apartments out.

Bought as investments by oligarchs from nations whose leaders have kleptocratic tendencies, nations like Russia and China and Saudi Arabia.

Bought as investments or as a pied-à-terre?

AOC talked about the slogan "Black Lives Matter" and how radical it seemed - some 5 years ago.

The slogan is not at all radical. The movement behind it, started by "trained Marxists", has always been radical, now more so even then 6 years ago when they first stated burning cities.

She concludes that one must be activist and push the politicians into action -- even politicians of one's own party. Politics should not be a fan club, she says. One should not only put pressure only on politicians who are in the "wrong" party. If you voted for some politician for some reason, then try to communicate that reason to them, like being for canceling student debt.

Or against canceling all student debt. There are much better ways to spend a trillion dollars than to pay off well-to-do professionals' student loans.

 

[lpetrich]

Is the Boston educated economist cum barmaid not understanding the difference between a wealth tax and an income tax?

I think that she may have made a mistake there. As to being a "barmaid", I thought that working people are supposed to be the salt of the Earth.

"People are not starving in the US." - says who?

"There are many forms of assistance including SNAP." - which are often very inadequate. Contrary to what many right-wingers seem to believe. Many right-wingers seem to believe that their recipients lead upper-middle-class and upper-class lifestyles.

Like luxury apartment buildings whose apartments are bought as investments but never used most of the time.

That makes little sense. An apartment building has significant cost to run. ...

Manhattan: a city of empty luxury condos and overflowing homeless shelters | Boing Boing - "New York — like most overpriced cities — has failed to build enough low- and middle-income housing of the sort that people use to live in, and has grossly oversupplied itself with the kinds of safe deposit boxes in the sky that oligarchs use as a form of medium-term asset class, possibly without ever occupying it."

Or against canceling all student debt. There are much better ways to spend a trillion dollars than to pay off well-to-do professionals' student loans.

But according to right-wing ideology, the richer one is, the more deserving one is.

 

[lpetrich]

Congressional Management Foundation | Finalists

• Constituent Service Finalists (2020) - 8
• Innovation and Modernization Finalists (2020) - 6, including AOC
• Life in Congress - Workplace Environment Finalists (2020) - 6, including AOC
• Transparency and Accountability Finalists (2020) - 6

Congressional Management Foundation | Eight Members of Congress Win Democracy Awards for Extraordinary Public Service
Two each in each of the four categories. AOC didn't win any of them.

AOC: 'A lot of Republicans don't know that they have voted for a Green New Deal language, but they have' | Fox News

Asked by Fox News’ Jason Donner what a slimmer House majority meant for the Green New Deal and other progressive ideas, the New York Democrat said she’d still champion those ideas.

“For me, when I think about how we navigate through this body, it tends to be questions of not just, it's less about compromising the what, and more about navigating and adapting the how,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“This year with the Green New Deal for example...while we haven't necessarily been able to push for a full committee hearing for, you know, as one example, what we've been able to do is take off bits and pieces of the legislative language and put them into must-pass pieces of legislation,” she continued.

“And so a lot of Republicans don't know that they have voted for a Green New Deal language, but they have.”

Still, Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats no longer had the “luxury” of allowing a handful of members to “storm off” and vote no on legislation. “So I think it forces us to conference more to talk to each other more. It's something that I've already started to sense and I think that is kind of a silver lining.”

That's very good. In her GND national town hall early in 1989, she conceded that trying to pass the whole thing in one go was folly. It would be better to work on bits and pieces and use the GND resolution as a framework for legislating. Something like what she herself has done with her GND for public housing.

 

[lpetrich]

Wilkinson: AOC’s old-fashioned machine politics | Hawaii Tribune-Herald (originally in Bloomberg Opinion)

Some constituents of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez actually got something out of politics this year beside a barrage of campaign advertisements: With a sliver of the almost $19 million that she raised on her glide to reelection, AOC bought and gave away 200 Thanksgiving turkeys.

Turkeys are reminiscent of New York’s Tammany Hall, which used to deliver birds, along with coal and other useful things, to Democratic constituents. Much of AOC’s New York City district is poor. If government is hobbled, and mediating institutions like political parties and unions (another traditional source of holiday turkeys) are diminished, constituent needs go unmet. That’s both challenge and opportunity.

“The Congresswoman believes that when a larger federal response fails, as it has with Covid-19, we have a responsibility to think creatively about what we can do with others in our community to meet the needs of our constituents,” said Ocasio-Cortez campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt in an email. Hitt said AOC campaign volunteers and donors made 200,000 community check-in calls, delivered 80,000 meals, distributed 100,000 masks and recruited more than 11,000 tutors for students in remote learning.

Talk about community services. I recall AOC herself saying that some colleagues consider her efforts a model for COVID-19 relief aid.

"What if Democrats, as a party, provided fewer television advertisements and more health care — delivered directly to struggling constituents?"

"AOC delivered turkeys (and more) this year, like a ward boss of the past. It may be time for Democrats to try some new — or very old — tactics to reconnect citizens to party politics."

I like that.

 

[lpetrich]

Sam Adler-Bell on Twitter: "my mother would like to point out to NYC media, with all due respect, that it is not "ironic" that Corona, Queens had a severe coronavirus outbreak; it is merely coincidental" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s neither.

I represent Corona. It has an extremely high concentration of frontline, essential, & immigrant workers.

Our people are the ones who ride subways hours to clean houses, deliver takeout, etc w/o insurance & left out of relief.

It’s not a mystery, it’s inequality." / Twitter


Snowflake (SNOW) CEO Collects More Than $100 Million — Every Month - Bloomberg
noting
Joe Weisenthal on Twitter: "This is incredible. The CEO of the software company $SNOW is currently on a compensation package that's netting him $95 million in stock options every single month. https://t.co/0cb59T7o5C" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Tax the Rich " / Twitter

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates agree they should pay higher taxes

 

[blastula]

Okay, but maybe it would be ironic if Rosie, the queen of Corona, caught it.

 

[Derec]

I think that she may have made a mistake there.

I think so too. Georgia Tech 1, Boston U. 0. And my degree isn't even in economics.

As to being a "barmaid",

It's a weird job for a graduate from an expensive private university to pursue, instead of something in her field.
I know why she did it though - unlike a real job, bartending allowed her to take a lot of time off protesting things like oil pipelines.

I thought that working people are supposed to be the salt of the Earth.

I never got that metaphor. You salt the earth when you don't want anything growing there, from Romans in Carthage to Homer Simpson in Ned Flanders' yard.

Also, why are only people in blue collar jobs considered "working people"? The rest of us are working too!

"People are not starving in the US." - says who?

"There are many forms of assistance including SNAP." - which are often very inadequate. Contrary to what many right-wingers seem to believe. Many right-wingers seem to believe that their recipients lead upper-middle-class and upper-class lifestyles.

SNAP is not intended to provide 100% of the food budget. It is supplemental. But it is several $100 per month. Not too shabby. Sure, you can't afford filet mignon and lobster on that, but it is a substantial help toward a modest food budget.

Many people paying with EBT cards in grocery stores have brand-name clothes and shoes and often also an iPhone. So don't give me the spiel that they are starving.

Manhattan: a city of empty luxury condos and overflowing homeless shelters | Boing Boing

The author agrees with me. It's not a viable form of investment. These assets are individual condos bought as pieds-à-terre and not whole apartment buildings sitting empty for no reason.

But according to right-wing ideology, the richer one is, the more deserving one is.

a. I am not a right winger.
b. That is a strawman version of "right-wing ideology" anyway.

 

[Derec]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s neither.

Of course it is a coincidence that the neighborhood with very high Coronavirus infection rates was named Corona. The fact that the high infection rates can be explained with things like predominant jobs its residents have does not diminish the coincidence.