Politics Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[andalusian]

How do you think they're paying for college?

I believe the fact that I am paying for it proves exactly what they are...

 

[illmatic99]

How she got vilified for some Dems losing in the House this year was despicable.

 

[julius]

How she got vilified for some Dems losing in the House this year was despicable.

The media and people need an enemy. And she (and the other 3) were chosen because they represent things that scare people.

 

[Minstrel]

I think there are two things here (from the Democratic side) with AOC:

1. Does she threaten the Democratic establishment? Yes, absolutely. She's an avatar for a drastic (for America) reprioritization in terms of what we focus on and spend federal money on. Every establishment, not just the Democratic one, has people who benefit from the status quo and the leaders of that establishment are always primary among that. Any drastic change to the party is going to change who the "winners and losers" are and that's threatening to the people who are currently in charge.

2. Is the fact that she (and Bernie Sanders and others who are Democratic Socialists or lean that direction) threatens the Democratic establishment the reason they aren't winning over majorities of the national Democratic population? No, I don't think so. As an example, large majorities of black Americans supported Clinton over Sanders. Large majorities of black Americans supported Biden over Sanders. The reason is not that they're economically conservative (they can be more socially conservative, but that's a separate issue) or the wrong group of people for the message of economic populism that Democratic Socialists are selling. The reason is that black community (especially, but to some extent also Hispanics) as a whole prefer smaller, incremental gains over purported revolutions, because large-scale upheavals often redound to the detriment of minority populations. They're not looking for risky, they're looking for slowly growing the gains in racial equality and economic safety nets. To be sure, there are plenty of black Americans looking for big revolutions but (from what I've read and heard) they're not the majority of the community. White Democrats are more likely to find appeal in economic populism but there are also a lot of (often older) more conservative white Democrats who view it as "socialism" and they come from a time when socialism absolutely was a bad word. So you end up with something of a split among white Democrats and a minority of non-white Democrats which isn't the path to power in the Democratic party.

I think the ideas of Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders and all are going to win in the long-term, but not when they are considered "revolutionary." Those ideas will win when they start to become mainstream, which is in the process of happening. As @speeds noted, some of their ideas are already more popular than not and society in general moves to the left over time (in fits and starts, not as a smoothly linear thing)--in 20 years, it's quite possible that where AOC is today will be considered orthodoxy and maybe even the "conservative" viewpoint within the Democratic party.

It's fine to criticize the Democratic establishment if they're out of step with how you feel, but I think people overstate their power in determining who wins, either in terms of actual nominations or in terms of the war of ideas.

 

[barfo]

Say what you will about the boomers, but at least we vote. If younger people voted in similar numbers, they wouldn't have to wait till we die off to take control. It is entirely legal, ethical, and possible to vote boomers out of office - but it does require actually voting.

barfo

 

[yankeesince59]

I think the ideas of Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders and all are going to win in the long-term, but not when they are considered "revolutionary." Those ideas will win when they start to become mainstream, which is in the process of happening. A

Yup, sooner or later, I believe some of their ideas will no longer be viewed as "revolutionary"...but instead, gradually be seen as"evolutionary".

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Say what you will about the boomers, but at least we vote. If younger people voted in similar numbers, they wouldn't have to wait till we die off to take control. It is entirely legal, ethical, and possible to vote boomers out of office - but it does require actually voting.

barfo

Oh great, so Millennials are killing voting now

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[Lanny]

Kudos

 

[ABM]

I loved Back To School.

 

[wizenheimer]

Oh great, so Millennials are killing voting now

or maybe what they are doing is reading clear words with an obvious meaning and immediately distorting them because of bias

 

[ehizzy3]

Say what you will about the boomers, but at least we vote. If younger people voted in similar numbers, they wouldn't have to wait till we die off to take control. It is entirely legal, ethical, and possible to vote boomers out of office - but it does require actually voting.

barfo

boomers as a whole are trash

 

[e_blazer]

boomers as a whole are trash

Just shows you the psychological impact of growing up in a time where we had regular nuclear attack drills at school. Like crawling under your desk and covering your head was going to be a help.

 

[theprunetang]

Just shows you the psychological impact of growing up in a time where we had regular nuclear attack drills at school. Like crawling under your desk and covering your head was going to be a help.

At least you had the ability to work a normal full time job and support a family and pay for life expenses. Hard enough to make it on your own now, let alone take care of an entire household. Livability in our current society is fucked.

 

[e_blazer]

At least you had the ability to work a normal full time job and support a family and pay for life expenses. Hard enough to make it on your own now, let alone take care of an entire household. Livability in our current society is fucked.

We were kind of the crossover generation for that. When I was a kid, hardly anyone had moms that worked outside the home. By the time I was working, the age of women getting a job was in full swing, but I think for most middle class folks it provided extra income. Now, for most people you need two incomes just to get by. Somehow it seems like the American Dream has been derailed.

 

[Minstrel]

boomers as a whole are trash

@MARIS61 can probably confirm how disgusting a term it is.

 

[e_blazer]

@MARIS61 can probably confirm how disgusting a term it is.

I consider it a mark of pride. I intend to have "Boomer" stenciled on my disposable diapers at the home.

 

[UncleCliffy'sDaddy]

We were kind of the crossover generation for that. When I was a kid, hardly anyone had moms that worked outside the home. By the time I was working, the age of women getting a job was in full swing, but I think for most middle class folks it provided extra income. Now, for most people you need two incomes just to get by. Somehow it seems like the American Dream has been derailed.

BINGO! This^^^^^^^^^ When my wife and I got married back in the dark ages, we agreed that I would provide the income and she would stay at home with the kids (when they arrived) until they reached school age, because that is what I had growing up. We did it, but it just about broke us literally and figuratively. When my wife went back to work life got a bit easier but we still had to work hard to make ends meet. When you get right down to it, we didn’t have it much if any better than the X,Y and Z generations once we hit adulthood. There is plenty of blame to go around for current conditions (not that that will solve anything) but to lay it all on the Boomers is nothing more than convenient.....and lazy. Not to mention wrong.......

 

[riverman]

@MARIS61 can probably confirm how disgusting a term it is.

I thought Boomer was the only Cincinnati Bengal player anybody ever remembered the name of

 

[tlongII]

I thought Boomer was the only Cincinnati Bengal player anybody ever remembered the name of

Kenny Anderson???

 

[riverman]

Kenny Anderson???

I'd have to look that one up....sounds like a basketball player to me....I'm not a football fan but I know who Boomer Esiason is....

 

[tlongII]

I'd have to look that one up....sounds like a basketball player to me....I'm not a football fan but I know who Boomer Esiason is....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Anderson_(quarterback)

Much more revered QB in Cincy than Boomer Esiason.

 

[Big Dog]

BINGO! This^^^^^^^^^ When my wife and I got married back in the dark ages, we agreed that I would provide the income and she would stay at home with the kids (when they arrived) until they reached school age, because that is what I had growing up. We did it, but it just about broke us literally and figuratively. When my wife went back to work life got a bit easier but we still had to work hard to make ends meet. When you get right down to it, we didn’t have it much if any better than the X,Y and Z generations once we hit adulthood. There is plenty of blame to go around for current conditions (not that that will solve anything) but to lay it all on the Boomers is nothing more than convenient.....and lazy. Not to mention wrong.......

Can you imagine these millenials having to grow up with no cell phones, one small tv in the household, 3-4 stations on tv and no ability to watch theater movies at home on a video player?

 

[Big Dog]

I thought Boomer was the only Cincinnati Bengal player anybody ever remembered the name of

Ocho Cinco, straight out of OSU.

 

[e_blazer]

BINGO! This^^^^^^^^^ When my wife and I got married back in the dark ages, we agreed that I would provide the income and she would stay at home with the kids (when they arrived) until they reached school age, because that is what I had growing up. We did it, but it just about broke us literally and figuratively. When my wife went back to work life got a bit easier but we still had to work hard to make ends meet. When you get right down to it, we didn’t have it much if any better than the X,Y and Z generations once we hit adulthood. There is plenty of blame to go around for current conditions (not that that will solve anything) but to lay it all on the Boomers is nothing more than convenient.....and lazy. Not to mention wrong.......

Housing costs in desirable living destinations like Portland (I guess that still applies) are the main reason for the change in standard of living and the need for two incomes. Since I graduated high school in 1970, the average inflation rate has been 3.97% per year. That means that goods should cost about 6.5 times as much today as they did then. That works for most things, but not housing. We were just checking out the house that my wife grew up in in NE Portland. It's just an average post-war Cape Cod with about a 1500 sq. ft. floor area. The neighborhood is decent, but nothing great. Her parents sold it in 1972 for around $30,000. If the overall rate of inflation applied, that would mean it should sell for just under $200K today. Zoom shows it having an estimated value of $517,000, which is more than 17 times what it sold for in 1972. There are multiple reasons for this in Portland, but a tight UGB and gold-plated development standards are certainly factors. There's also the simple supply and demand factor that results from a lot of people wanting to move here. Want a more affordable lifestyle? Move to Albuquerque.

 

[e_blazer]

Can you imagine these millenials having to grow up with no cell phones, one small tv in the household, 3-4 stations on tv and no ability to watch theater movies at home on a video player?

Not to mention one bathroom for a family of six and an older sister who took like an hour to get her makeup and hair just right.

 

[UncleCliffy'sDaddy]

Can you imagine these millenials having to grow up with no cell phones, one small tv in the household, 3-4 stations on tv and no ability to watch theater movies at home on a video player?

Make that a small black and white television. Oh the deprivation.......

 

[Big Dog]

Not to mention one bathroom for a family of six and an older sister who took like an hour to get he makeup and hair just right.

lol, fortunately we moved into our house when I was in the 2nd grade (1961) and had 2 sisters 4 and 5 years older than me. The upstairs had one large bedroom and an unfinished bedroom. I got the unfinished bedroom, but shortly after we moved in we had the upstairs finished with 2 large bedrooms and full bathroom that my sisters mostly used.

 

[riverman]

Make that a small black and white television. Oh the deprivation.......

with rabbit ears

 

[Minstrel]

All these Cincinnati Bengals being name-checked and no one's even mentioned the best player in Bengals history, Anthony Muñoz. Many consider him the greatest offensive tackle ever.