Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[Derec]

“All Sizzle but No Steak” - How Ocasio-Cortez is upending the usual sexist scripts for talking about female politicians’ looks.

Oh, not that BS again! There is nothing "sexist" with talking about a politician's looks even if said politician is a female. Why is it that nobody bats an eye when we talk about Trump's or Obama's or any other male politician's looks, but as soon as somebody comments on a female politician, it's "sexist"?

That’s due in part to the simple accessibility of her story: Her mother scrubbed toilets to send her to school. They moved to a better neighborhood, got a house. Her father died. Her mother had to scrub toilets again. Now that woman’s daughter is a congresswoman—educated, with a degree in economics and a giant platform of her own making.

For somebody with a degree in economics, AOC is surprisingly ignorant of it. And note, before getting elected she worked as a bartender. She didn't exactly put that degree into use.

Consider Oprah Winfrey. She is the richest American black woman ever, and she is one of the richest black women anywhere in the world. But she started out very poor, much poorer than what many right-wingers brag about, and gradually worked her way up. Yet the right wing does not like her very much.

Does everybody have to like her? Or, to put it another way, can one like the fact that somebody can work to improve their financial situation without liking a particular celebrity? In the case of Winfrey specifically, she peddled woo on her show a lot.

LL then notes that right-wingers whine that attacks on her get called racist and sexist. But there is a simple solution: don't make such attacks.

The problem is that since AOC and OW are women and one is hispanic and the other black, any attack on either of them gets labeled "sexist" and "racist" by certain people.

Though one right-winger's full critique of her ideas is “Socialism with a smile; fascism among friends, Venezuela meets vegan.” (Greg Gutfield of Fox News)

Succinct and to a point. You may not like the critique or think it unfair, but what is either sexist or racist about this?
And what is sexist about allegations that she changes her voice to shield herself from criticism. The question should be, does she do it? Is her normal speaking voice different than her interview voice?

 

[Derec]

It's not infiltration.

It is when large numbers of people from a culture incompatible with Western culture are imported wholesale and given citizenships. And when those people have five children on average, they will become a bigger and bigger problem as the time goes on even with no new migration.
Look at Europe to see where that leads.

There's nothing sneaky or subversive about it. It's the normal, natural result of religious freedom in a Constitutional Republic that guarantees the right to openly worship whatever gods you believe in, separates Church and State, and forbids religious tests for government employment or holding office.

Islam is not some harmless worship. It's a religion with clear political agenda. It divides the entire World into House of Islam and House of War, to be subjugated under Islam.

You can express your religious views here but you can't impose them on anyone else, which means you can't prevent people from choosing Muslims as their Representatives in Congress no matter how much you despise Islam.

The bolded eventually happens wherever Islam gains power.

 

[Derec]

She insists that her daughter is a democratic socialist.

'She wasn't raised to be a socialist,' Blanca said. 'That's not how Puerto Ricans are. That's not what we do. Socialists are in Cuba or Venezuela. Besides, anyone who tries to help little people like me is branded a socialist.

'She's a democratic socialist, and it's very different. They focus on working people's needs. They're not about the rich or big corporations. Democratic socialists are about what Democrats were supposed to be about, but Democrats are not doing a good enough job.'

 Democratic socialism is socialism. It is not different than socialism, it is a form of socialism. What she probably means is  social democracy.

Not to be confused with social democracy.
Democratic socialism is a political philosophy that advocates political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production,[1] with an emphasis on self-management and democratic management of economic institutions within a market or some form of decentralized planned socialist economy.[2]
Democratic socialists espouse that capitalism is inherently incompatible with what they hold to be the democratic values of liberty, equality and solidarity; and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realization of a socialist society. Democratic socialism can be supportive of either revolutionary or reformist politics as a means to establish socialism.[3]

Not to be confused with democratic socialism.
Social democracy is a political, social and economic ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a liberal democratic polity and a capitalist economy. The protocols and norms used to accomplish this involve a commitment to representative and participatory democracy; measures for income redistribution and regulation of the economy in the general interest; and welfare state provisions.[1][2][3] Social democracy thus aims to create the conditions for capitalism to lead to greater democratic, egalitarian and solidaristic outcomes.[4]

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Lpetrich, do you have a crush on AOC or something? You keep gushing about her.

Posting facts is not gushing.

 

[Derec]

Lpetrich, do you have a crush on AOC or something? You keep gushing about her.

Posting facts is not gushing.

He is posting her tweets regularly and now has posted a fluff piece about her mother. Not exactly hard-hitting facts.

 

[lpetrich]

First, about Oprah Winfrey, one would expect right-wingers to claim her as "evidence" that the US is no longer racist and sexist. But they don't. It's like how the right wing is reluctant to acknowledge that the "liberal media" are capitalist, or that, by their definition of socialism, military and police forces are socialist.

Lpetrich, do you have a crush on AOC or something? You keep gushing about her.

No, no es amor. Lo que yo siento se llama obsesión.

But seriously, she is a politician who is unapologetically progressive. Her successful deflection of attacks from the Right make her seem like a left-wing version of Ronald Reagan, the Teflon President. Nothing stuck to him. Bill Clinton, however, seemed like the Velcro President.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful. It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule."
Jacob Soboroff on Twitter: ".@AOC is right. Cities like Baltimore, as we showed on @TODAYshow yesterday, need money *now* to stop people from dying of ODs. A true national emergency POTUS must address. A border wall, on the other hand, will save exactly zero lives from OD today. [url]https://t.co/2TOINLzxj5… https://t.co/6vCsBz4OjZ"[/url]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: ".@girlscouts is how I first practiced how to change brake fluid, start a fire, practice self-defense, recreate the NASA Challenger mission, and v importantly: learn to teach myself new skills + navigate ambiguity. There’s a reason a large of Congresswomen are former scouts!… https://t.co/1vzCkePfNr"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "In case you’re curious about where the sudden flood of bogus ethics “complaints” & fake “scandals” are coming from, GOP troll groups are filing a ton of random claims. There’s already a dark-money operation aimed at me just 2 months into my job - happy #InternationalWomansDay!… https://t.co/pjI3CG94sv"
Ashley Balcerzak on Twitter: "There's a new hybrid super PAC "Stop the @AOC PAC" that registered with the @FEC yesterday. The treasurer is @DanBackerEsq, who advises a ton of political committees, including a handful of pro-@realDonaldTrump groups: [url]https://t.co/cLpTSMPHRk)… https://t.co/o3Igt2ItRd"[/url]

 

[TSwizzle]

Lpetrich, do you have a crush on AOC or something? You keep gushing about her.

Think of it as a public service. It saves you the bother of following her on twatter.

 

[Arctish]

I appreciate the updates. This one is a gem:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful. It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule."

 

[Arctish]

It is when large numbers of people from a culture incompatible with Western culture are imported wholesale and given citizenships. And when those people have five children on average, they will become a bigger and bigger problem as the time goes on even with no new migration.

As the descendant of Eastern European immigrants, one of 5 children, and a former Catholic raised in a time when open displays hostility and suspicion of Catholics was commonplace, I call bullshit on your claims. There's nothing new about immigrants from different cultures holding different religious beliefs coming to United States and becoming part of American culture, and there's nothing new about bigots having conniptions over it.

Look at Europe to see where that leads.


Islam is not some harmless worship. It's a religion with clear political agenda. It divides the entire World into House of Islam and House of War, to be subjugated under Islam.

You can express your religious views here but you can't impose them on anyone else, which means you can't prevent people from choosing Muslims as their Representatives in Congress no matter how much you despise Islam.

The bolded eventually happens wherever Islam gains power.

It happens whenever people with a high degree of religious intolerance gain power. That's why it's important to not let bigots control the agenda.

 

[TSwizzle]

It happens whenever people with a high degree of religious intolerance gain power. That's why it's important to not let bigots control the agenda.

*cough* Ilhan *cough* Omar *cough*

 

[untermensche]

It happens whenever people with a high degree of religious intolerance gain power. That's why it's important to not let bigots control the agenda.

*cough* Ilhan *cough* Omar *cough*

One sick old white male Christian fundamentalist after another. Really fucked up ignorant and dangerous people.

No problem.

One Muslim woman.

The sky is falling.

 

[Arctish]

It happens whenever people with a high degree of religious intolerance gain power. That's why it's important to not let bigots control the agenda.

*cough* Ilhan *cough* Omar *cough*

*hands TSwizzle a cough drop*

I'm don't think she's all that prejudiced. She's been outspoken on a topic that's all but taboo in American politics these days and a lot of people got their panties in a wad over it. And despite tremendous effort to equate criticism of the hard right policies of Netanyahu's government with bigotry against Jews, I don't think anyone but Fox news viewers and Zionist partisans buys that story.

We've had 2 GOP presidential candidates in a row travel to Israel as part of their campaigns and reap millions in political donations as a result. We've had the Prime Minister of Israel invited by the GOP to speak to Congress in opposition of a sitting President's foreign policy negotiations while he was conducting them. AIPAC has tremendous influence in Congress and at the state level, all of it directed at muting criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinians and keeping the cash flowing in support of Netanyahu's agenda. But even mentioning these facts inevitably leads to accusations of anti-Semitism, as though we should be ashamed of ourselves for even noticing.

 

[angelo]

Amazon and it's near slave jobs.

New York can do better.

If it can't then the future is black for New Yorkers.

Should the Dems, who have turned sharply left take government in the rest of America in 2020, not just NY and California, the future WILL be black.

 

[angelo]

As the descendant of Eastern European immigrants, one of 5 children, and a former Catholic raised in a time when open displays hostility and suspicion of Catholics was commonplace, I call bullshit on your claims. There's nothing new about immigrants from different cultures holding different religious beliefs coming to United States and becoming part of American culture, and there's nothing new about bigots having conniptions over it.

Look at Europe to see where that leads.


Islam is not some harmless worship. It's a religion with clear political agenda. It divides the entire World into House of Islam and House of War, to be subjugated under Islam.



The bolded eventually happens wherever Islam gains power.

It happens whenever people with a high degree of religious intolerance gain power. That's why it's important to not let bigots control the agenda.

The people of Eastern Europe, orthodox or whatever integrated with their host nations, unlike islam that will never integrate because of it's ingrown supremacist ideology of subduing all infidel non followers of the terrorist prophet Muhammad. They appear peaceful and docile while they're a handful in any given situation, but the moment they reach a sizeable minority is when their demands start, and the compliant p c brigades and apologists assure all or at least most of these demands are met.

 

[untermensche]

Amazon and it's near slave jobs.

New York can do better.

If it can't then the future is black for New Yorkers.

Should the Dems, who have turned sharply left take government in the rest of America in 2020, not just NY and California, the future WILL be black.

The Democrats will not save us.

I agree.

Both the Republicans and the Democrats have sold their souls to corporate interests.

There is no party that represents and supports the working class anymore.

That is why the middle class is dying and life is getting much harder for most.

 

[angelo]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/alexa...ign=daily-edition-2019-03-09&utm_medium=email

 

[Derec]

I appreciate the updates. This one is a gem:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful. It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule."

At the very least she was not using her degree for her job. She graduated college in 2011, so what gives?
Note that she tended bar until she managed to bamboozle enough primary voters to vote for her in a very low turnout primary.

 

[Derec]

Contrary to what her mother says, AOC seems to be a socialist-socialist, even if she wants to bring it about by democratic means.

Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Capitalism as an ‘Irredeemable’ System

“Capitalism is an ideology of capital –- the most important thing is the concentration of capital and to seek and maximize profit,” Ocasio-Cortez said. And that comes at any cost to people and to the environment, she said, “so to me capitalism is irredeemable.”

Also AOC

“It doesn’t feel good to live in an unequal society,” she said, citing an increase in homelessness in New York City among veterans and the elderly while penthouses sit empty. “It doesn’t feel good to live in a society like that.”

What does she want? Government to confiscate housing and put homeless people there, like Bolsheviks did in Russia? It would be a more "just" arrangement.

 

[untermensche]

Capitalism IS an immoral irredeamable system.

She is spot on.

I like this women more with everything I read about her.

 

[Arctish]

I appreciate the updates. This one is a gem:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful. It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule."

At the very least she was not using her degree for her job. She graduated college in 2011, so what gives?
Note that she tended bar until she managed to bamboozle enough primary voters to vote for her in a very low turnout primary.

Just because you have a degree doesn't mean you will be handed a job in that field. A lot of people take whatever paying job they can get while they spend time doing unpaid apprentice type work training, or work as temps, or work on short term projects:

After college, Ocasio-Cortez moved back to the Bronx and found work as an educational director. Following the death of her father, she took on an additional job working as a bartender and waitress to help her mother—a house cleaner and school-bus driver—fight foreclosure of their home.[34][35] Ocasio-Cortez later launched Brook Avenue Press, a publishing firm for books that portray the Bronx in a positive light.[36] She worked as lead educational strategist at GAGEis, Inc.[37] Ocasio-Cortez also worked for the nonprofit National Hispanic Institute, serving as the Educational Director of the 2017 Northeast Collegiate World Series, a five-day long program targeted at college-bound high school students from across the United States and other countries, where she also participated in the panel on the future of Latino leadership.

In the 2016 primary, Ocasio-Cortez worked as an organizer for Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.[40] After the general election, she traveled across America by car, visiting places such as Flint, Michigan, and Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, and speaking to people affected by the Flint water crisis and the Dakota Access Pipeline.[41] In an interview, she recalled her visit to Standing Rock as a tipping point, saying that before that, she had believed that the only way to effectively run for office was if you had access to wealth, social influence, and power. But her visit to North Dakota, where she saw others "putting their whole lives and everything that they had on the line for the protection of their community", inspired her to begin to work for her own community.

Ocasio-Cortez began her campaign while waiting tables and tending bar at Flats Fix, a taqueria in New York City's Union Square.[43] "For 80 percent of this campaign, I operated out of a paper grocery bag hidden behind that bar," she told Bon Appétit.

Used to be we respected hard working folks in this country.