Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

And this is quite ironic coming from a
Sinema supporter, when she's the one actively sabotaging Biden's term, and Democrats' prospects in general, by helping to torpedo his legislation. Not getting bills passed is bad for party morale and elections.

The thing is, it's not really the Biden agenda. It's Progressive Caucus/Squad agenda masquerading as the Biden agenda.
Biden did not run on spending trillions on new entitlements designed to effect "transformative change". He ran on bringing back normality.
Unfortunately, the left wing of the Democratic Party pulled him hard to the left.

They might have pulled him to the center, but you attributed something to me I did not write.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

How do you know that?

Because he wasn't running on being a transformative left-wing president. He ran on restoring normalcy.

Restoring normalcy to Qrazy Qarens requires Reich wing propaganda to be reduced, but it's at an all time high.

 

[Derec]

Restoring normalcy to Qrazy Qarens requires Reich wing propaganda to be reduced, but it's at an all time high.

Are you having a stroke? What does this Scrabble bonanza have to do with Biden being pulled to the left on things like $3,500,000,000,000.00 in new entitlement spending?

 

[Derec]

They might have pulled him to the center, but you attributed something to me I did not write.

You called B³ "[Biden's] legislation" when it really sprang from the left fringe. It even includes the stranger aspects of AOC's GND, such as so-called "civilian climate corps" ...

 

[ZiprHead]

How do you know that?

Because he wasn't running on being a transformative left-wing president. He ran on restoring normalcy.
But again, the Squad/Progressive Caucus pulled him to the left. Hard.

While Biden's campaign website is no longer active, Politifact has a list of his campaign goals. Here are some of them.:

Restore ACA's contraception mandate

Double value of Pell Grants

Support the study of reparations for slavery

Make 2 years of community college or a high-quality training program tuition-free

Make public colleges and universities tuition-free for families who make less than $125,000

Guarantee 7 days of paid sick leave

Offer a public option health insurance plan like Medicare

Offer up to $8,000 tax credit for child care

Work to codify Roe v. Wade

Increase the federal minimum wage to $15/hour

Guarantee 12 weeks paid family and medical leave

Give disadvantaged communities 40% of spending benefits related to clean energy

Provide Section 8 vouchers to low-income families to cap housing costs at 30% of income

Offer universal preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

Increase access to affordable housing

Improve Obamacare

Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood

Put US on a course to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Reverse the transgender military ban

Immediately rescind the “Muslim bans”

Make HBCUs, TCUs, and under-resourced MSIs more affordable for their students

Forgive student loan debt from public colleges and universities

Reduce health uninsured rate for African Americans

Direct federal resources to help prevent violence against transgender women

Nominate the first Black woman to U.S. Supreme Court

While it's not the complete list, it seems pretty lefty and green, to me anyway.

 

[Elixir]

Restoring normalcy to Qrazy Qarens requires Reich wing propaganda to be reduced, but it's at an all time high.

What does this Scrabble bonanza have to do with Biden being pulled to the left on things like $3,500,000,000,000.00 in new entitlement spending?

1) There is only one Q in Scrabble, so not a Scrabble bonanza.
2) It's looking like a maybe $175b/yr, less than a quarter of the defen$e budget instead of almost half of it. That's what pull to the left gets you. If people were rational they could have sold a 7t$ package, after seeing what a $1.5trillion tax grift to the rich can buy.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Restoring normalcy to Qrazy Qarens requires Reich wing propaganda to be reduced, but it's at an all time high.

Are you having a stroke?

No, are you having harmful fantasies about your ideological opponents again?

What does this Scrabble bonanza have to do with Biden being pulled to the left on things like $3,500,000,000,000.00 in new entitlement spending?

That's called an anecdote. He's not a communist even though that is what your overlords are telling you.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

They might have pulled him to the center, but you attributed something to me I did not write.

You called B³ "[Biden's] legislation"...*FULL STOP* ...

Hello, Earth to Derec. This is now the second time I am telling you that you mistakenly attributed a quote to me that I did not write.

 

[lpetrich]

Wasn't Ted Cruz eviscerated online for daring to go on vacation while there was some sort of emergency (hurricane or snow storm, don't remember) in Texas? So why does AOC get a pass?

Maybe Derec doesn't remember it but I do -- it was the Texas blizzard of February of last year. AOC organized a relief effort for freezing Texans while Ted Cruz was off at Cancun.

Last fall, Hurricane Ida hit New York City and AOC canceled a visit to an anti-pipeline activist event because she had to take care of her district. This is someone who got started with anti-pipeline activism.

Given all that she's done last year, she deserves a break.

 

[Swammerdami]

If a right-whinge asshole like Cruz is EVER condemned for deserting his state, then rational Congressers are NEVER allowed vacation.

Welcome to the Right-Whinge Bullshit Machine and Trumpist "logic."

 

[Derec]

Hello, Earth to Derec. This is now the second time I am telling you that you mistakenly attributed a quote to me that I did not write.

I misunderstood, sorry. Damn this quote system!

 

[Derec]

No, are you having harmful fantasies about your ideological opponents again?

I was concerned because of your indiscriminate and haphazard use of Qs.

That's called an anecdote. He's not a communist even though that is what your overlords are telling you.

Of course he is not a communist - not even the Squad is communist. But they are left wing, and they managed to pull the Biden administration along with them.
AOC, Jayapal et al are like Grima Wormtongue whipering in the ear of King Théoden.

 

[Derec]

So AOC tested positive. I wonder if partying with drag queens in Miami was worth it ...

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

So AOC tested positive. I wonder if partying with drag queens in Miami was worth it ...

So we all have to start wearing masks and social distancing OUTSIDE, right?

 

[lpetrich]

Yes indeed.
Ocasio-Cortez tests positive for breakthrough COVID-19 case | TheHill

Ocasio-Cortez’s announcement comes after Reps. Jim Cooper (R-Tenn.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Young Kim (R-Calif.) announced on Saturday they tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

noting
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "(pic link)" / Twitter

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Tests Positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released the following statement:

"Representative Ocasio-Cortez has received a positive test result for COVID-19. She is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home. The Congresswoman received her booster shot this Fall, and encourages everyone to get their booster and follow all CDC guidance."

She's thoroughly vaxxed - she Instagrammed herself getting the vaccine late in 2020 and early in 2021.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "For information on what to do if you're exposed to COVID, test positive or want to schedule a test or vaccine in New York City -- see our round-up of CDC and NYC resources here: (link)" / Twitter

Linking to COVID-19 Guidance: Omicron Variant, Vaccines, Testing, and more

 

[lpetrich]

From late last August:
Rep. AOC on Retiring and Replacing Peaker Plants - YouTube

On Thursday, August 26th, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, led by Chairwoman Maloney, visited Astoria, Queens to discuss the harmful effects of peaker plants, as they are expensive, inefficient, and disproportionately located in low-income neighborhoods of color, where they pollute and poison. During the discussion, Representative Ocasio-Cortez spoke with local advocates in Queens who are leading the fight to retire and replace peaker plants.

The Hill on Twitter: "Rep. @AOC: "Oil is anything but cheap. It is the most costly fuel source that we have with the ultimate cost being our planet and our future." (vid link)" / Twitter
Noting a lot of costs like geopolitical conflict -- oil is not very evenly distributed, and it tends to corrupt the politics of its extractors, the  Resource curse

At Committee Roundtable, Frontline Communities Discuss Dangers of “Peaker” Power Plants & Urgent Need for Environmental Justice | Representative Ocasio-Cortez

“Peakers are the dirtiest and most dangerous smokestacks, used at times of peak energy demand and largely concentrated in low-income communities,” Chairwoman Maloney said in her opening statement. “For the 1.2 million New Yorkers living within one mile of a peaker, rates of asthma and deaths from COVID-19 are severely elevated. In addition to the noxious fumes from peaker plants, these residents are exposed to constant pollution from large power plants that run all the time, and chronic vehicle congestion. Convening with communities on the ground to address issues like this one is central to the Oversight Committee’s environmental justice agenda.”

As AOC herself mentions, we have some good alternatives, even if they are not as mature as one might want.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC's response to Texas's recent anti-abortion law.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Now is not the time to feel hopeless or helpless. Now is the time to act.
All across Texas, grassroots organizers have been protecting their neighbors and the right to choose.
They need us. We made a split page for 8 key orgs here - % goes to them.
(link)" / Twitter

raf bardigang cadet on Twitter: "So @AOC just raised $26K for @casnhtx abortion fund on her IG live during a tornado warning while enlightening viewers on the broader social safety net we owe each other. (links)" / Twitter

That's Clinic Access Support Network (@casnhtx) / Twitter - "Providing transportation, lodging, emotional support, and more to those seeking abortion care in Houston, TX. #StopTheBans"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "In the last 24 hours, our supporters raised $185,000+ for Texas abortion orgs and made ~100,000 check-in calls to Ida flood victims in our NYC district.
Let this be your sign. Find an organizing community, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. It feels better to be in movement." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "In the last 24 hours, our supporters raised $185,000+ for Texas abortion orgs and made ~100,000 check-in calls to Ida flood victims in our NYC district. Let this be your sign. Find an organizing community, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. It feels better to be in movement." / Twitter
noting
AOC Raised Money for Texas Abortion Funds on Instagram Live | Teen Vogue - "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tackled the Texas abortion ban and Tropical Cyclone Ida at the same time."

 

[lpetrich]

That tornado warning was for when Hurricane Ida hit NYC, and AOC skipped an event to take care of her district.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Ironically I was supposed to visit Minnesota tomorrow to visit movement leaders fighting the #Line3 pipeline & urging the Biden admin to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure - which is leading to the same catastrophic climate events harming our country and city right now." / Twitter
Remember that in late 2016, she went to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock reservation. So she's commendably responsible, unlike (say) Ted Cruz, who went on a vacation during a disaster that affected his state.

Dr. Lucky Tran on Twitter: "I never want to hear anyone say that a Green New Deal is too expensive ever again (vid link)" / Twitter
NYC subway train in an underground station suffering water pouring onto it from the surface.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I will be canvassing the district today assessing the impact from last night’s catastrophic flooding.
Tragically, we lost several community members last night. Please check in on your neighbors - especially those in low-level apartments. I’ll provide updates here and on @RepAOC." / Twitter
Did her predecessor Joe Crowley ever do anything like that? Seriously.

Gloria Pazmino on Twitter: "8 of the 9 victims are from Queens. 8 of them died in their homes. The 9th victim was found in the back of his car, stuck in the highway. Found this morning" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "How the climate crisis is an inequality crisis: ..." / Twitter

How the climate crisis is an inequality crisis:

Many of these deaths occurred in basement dwellings, many of which are illegal and growing in # due to the unaffordable housing crisis, but do not meet safety standards required to keep people safe in incidents like flash floods.

As a result, among the people MOST at risk during flash floods here are those living in off-the-books basement dwellings that don’t meet the safety codes necessary to save lives.

These are working class, immigrant, and low-income people & families.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "One piece of data I’m seeing: the subway stations + other infrastructure rebuilt post-Hurricane Sandy for climate resilience *worked.*
It was areas that *didn’t* get investment that suffered.
We shouldn’t wait for climate disaster to rebuild & prepare- that’s what GND is about." / Twitter
So she's saying that the investment was worth it. That's actually good news, because it means that suffering the effects of climate disasters is not an absolute inevitability.

 

[lpetrich]

This was last September.
Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "MANCHIN op-ed: “I, for one, won’t support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs.”
(link)" / Twitter
Looking back, it seems as if Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema were stringing us along.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Manchin has weekly huddles w/ Exxon ..." / Twitter

Manchin has weekly huddles w/ Exxon & is one of many senators who gives lobbyists their pen to write so-called “bipartisan” fossil fuel bills.

It’s killing people. Our people. At least 12 last night. Sick of this “bipartisan” corruption that masquerades as clear-eyed moderation.

Fossil fuel corps & dark money is destroying our democracy, country, & planet.

All day our community has been pulling bodies out of homes from the flood. Entire families. And we’re supposed to entertain lobbyist talking points about why we should abandon people & do nothing? No.

Also
Jamaal Bowman on Twitter: "Hey Joe, these are the homes in my district after last night’s storm.
How much destruction do we need to see before it’s worth investing in our climate?
(pix link)" / Twitter
With pictures of flood damage to homes in his district.

 

[lpetrich]

Josh Wingrove on Twitter: "Manchin says Democrats should “hit the pause button” on a $3.5 trillion package incorporating the bulk of Biden’s economic agenda -- a clear challenge to the effort by party leaders to get the plan through the evenly divided Senate, per @LauraLitvan: (link)" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Or maybe we hit the “cancel” button ..." / Twitter

Or maybe we hit the “cancel” button on this so-called “bipartisan” charade of an Exxon lobbyist drafted infrastructure bill unless we actually pass a law that helps people’s lives with healthcare expansion, childcare, climate action, etc.

Alternatively, if we want to bring down the $3.5T we can bring back taxing the rich and boosting IRS enforcement that mods originally worked so hard to trim back!

Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "I wish that I could hit your mute button but here we are." / Twitter
Presumably addressing Joe Manchin. But for him to be as silent as Kyrsten Sinema would not be much of an improvement. At least he tells everybody where he's at rather than whining that he does not negotiate with the press, as Kyrsten Sinema does.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Shout out to our @TeamAOC volunteers and staff.
There’s no way we could do this without everyday people who mobilize on our list and are ready to pitch in with mutual aid & movement work.
You’ve been checking in on folks & IDing people in critical need all day. Thank you " / Twitter
Yes, there's a TeamAOC.

David Freedlander on Twitter: "Just got a text from ⁦@AOC⁩’s campaign (she is my member of Congress) asking if everything is ok after last night’s storm (pic link)" / Twitter
Checking on whether he has flooding and what help he might need.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@freedlander Hope you’re ok!" / Twitter
David Freedlander is a journalist who has written "The AOC Generation" about the new generation of left-wing activists that AOC is a member of.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Just last week we held a hearing in Astoria, Queens trying to stop a fossil fuel peaker plant.
A week later, that same neighborhood was flooded in a climate emergency.
Lobbyists say gas is cheap bc they don’t count the catastrophic healthcare & disaster costs of their product." / Twitter