# Courage to Change: another bad AOC idea **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 21, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326 "2020-02-21T21:45:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/21 "2020-02-22T03:51:36Z")
> [@Mr.Duality](#): > > Change is coming, **dalej42**. You can’t stop it. > > Marx was on the right track with his synthesis, antithesis, change catchphrase. I once heard people keep trying to portray the democratic party as in a civil war between its liberal wing vs its moderate wing. But it’s not. It’s a battle between its current voters and its future voters. Sanders and Warren are doing very well among voters under 44 or so. The future is coming. Every year almost 3 million boomers and silent generation types die off and are replaced by their grandkids. Society is changing. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/22 "2020-02-22T18:34:53Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > **dalej42** has AOC ever done _anything_ that you didn’t think was dumb, self-serving, useless, petulant and/or uppity? :dubious: Yes, the first few months in Congress she did a great job on showcasing her transition from representative elect to Congress on Instagram . She showed the process of finding an office, hiring staff, finding a D.C. apartment. It was fun to see a US Representative in a barren apartment just like the rest of us when we’re in the process of moving. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/23 "2020-02-22T19:34:28Z")
Let’s hope somebody other than AOC is doing the accounting. Otherwise she will be announcing that she has received more than $150 billion trillion gazillion from almost a dozen donors. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/24 "2020-02-22T19:55:52Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Let’s hope somebody other than AOC is doing the accounting. Otherwise she will be announcing that she has received more than $150 billion trillion gazillion from almost a dozen donors. > > Regards, > Shodan AOC showed what an idiot she is. She has a degree in economics and managed to mess up Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes, coming up with Milton Keynes. Perhaps she’s been riding trains in England in addition to spending time campaigning for Bernie, Milton Keynes is a town outside of London where it seems every train makes a stop. In all seriousness, that’s a horrible mistake to make. It would be like someone with a degree in history mixing up Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson Davis. > **[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez confused 2 of history's most famous economists and...](https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/aoc-onfuses-economists-keynes-freidman-namechecks-drab-uk-town-2020-2%3famp)** > > Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez confused Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes in an Instagram post on Friday, calling it a "typo." ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/25 "2020-02-22T21:37:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The only response I have for the OP is “OK, boomer”. Which is nearly as insulting as the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/26 "2020-02-22T23:07:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Oh no! A young progressive politician (who just happens to have a lot of talent and charisma) is trying to encourage and support other progressive politicians! How terrible for the party that young, enthusiastic progressives are trying to encourage and rally other young progressives to fight for progressive policies! Holt: “Sarcasm!! The cowards lie!” ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/27 "2020-02-23T00:11:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The only response I have for the OP is “OK, boomer”. But is he a [Karen](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=890388)? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/28 "2020-02-23T00:35:50Z")
Have you considered an omnibus “latest way AOC is annoying” thread? Because man, does she get under your skin or what. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I once heard people keep trying to portray the democratic party as in a civil war between its liberal wing vs its moderate wing. > > But it’s not. It’s a battle between its current voters and its future voters. Sanders and Warren are doing very well among voters under 44 or so. > > The future is coming. Every year almost 3 million boomers and silent generation types die off and are replaced by their grandkids. Society is changing. I am on record elsewhere as mighty skeptical of generational-demographic electoral determinism (sure, the nation may be 1/4 Latino in not that much longer… but don’t be shocked if half of them turn out conservatives!); but when it comes to \*internal \*primaries, where it’s the ideologically committed that are motivated to bother to show up to vote and stay up all night working on the campaign, it may actually work that way. I know precious few passionate centrists among my millennial acquaintances who’ll go out there to counterweigh the left-progs. Of course, by the time the new generation is actually holding the reins of power effectively, \*they \*are going to be the establishment. Hope they can properly internalize that. But hey, if what it takes to stop the putative “center” of American politics’ out-of-ontrol rightward slide may just be rattling the establishment’s cage with a little dose of actual ideological left, as opposed to over 30 years of running scared from the very word “Liberal”… > [@dalej42](#): > > […]Milton Keynes is a town outside of London where it seems every train makes a stop. Eh, I catch enough Brit programming that I recognized and laughed at the brainfart. So now we know she watches the BBC feed? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/29 "2020-02-23T01:01:28Z")
i find it mind-blowing that a first term congressperson who hasn’t held office before is skilled enough at fundraising to fund a PAC, and to build a brand as powerful as “AOC” She’s a once in a generation political talent. This thrills the people that share her views and scares the people that disagree with her views. I think it’s great that she’s able to fund a PAC. Even though I don’t agree with a lot of her views, and I strongly disagree on one in particular that affected me personally\* , I can’t help but admire her talent. \*her objection to the Amazon / Long Island City deal ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/30 "2020-02-23T01:12:47Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > i find it mind-blowing that a first term congressperson who hasn’t held office before is skilled enough at fundraising to fund a PAC, and to build a brand as powerful as “AOC” > > She’s a once in a generation political talent. This thrills the people that share her views and scares the people that disagree with her views. I think it’s great that she’s able to fund a PAC. Even though I don’t agree with a lot of her views, and I strongly disagree on one in particular that affected me personally\* , I can’t help but admire her talent. > > \*her objection to the Amazon / Long Island City deal Exactly. Was Obama this good when he was 29? Maybe, but he hadn’t gotten this far. I can’t wait to see how good AOC is once she’s got 5, 10, and 15 years of experience under her belt. The party is absolutely nuts if it pits itself against the most talented young congress-person among its ranks in who-knows how long. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/31 "2020-02-23T02:13:32Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Exactly. Was Obama this good when he was 29? Maybe, but he hadn’t gotten this far. I can’t wait to see how good AOC is once she’s got 5, 10, and 15 years of experience under her belt. The party is absolutely nuts if it pits itself against the most talented young congress-person among its ranks in who-knows how long. This good at _what?_ What has she _actually_ done? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/32 "2020-02-23T02:15:08Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > This good at _what?_ What has she _actually_ done? Not a damn thing except win a thinly attended primary and then win an overwhelmingly blue congressional district. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/33 "2020-02-23T02:23:41Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > This good at _what?_ What has she _actually_ done? She’s become a national political figure, with national fundraising ability, within her first term in Congress. Like it or not, that’s a rare feat, and I don’t buy that it’s random chance. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/34 "2020-02-23T02:52:28Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > She’s become a national political figure, with national fundraising ability, within her first term in Congress. Like it or not, that’s a rare feat, and I don’t buy that it’s random chance. What has _she_ done to achieve that? What positive actions has _she_ taken? I posit that 100% of her notoriety is down to the following four factors: 1. She’s young. 2. She’s pretty. 3. She’s quite good at Twitter. 4. Tucker Carlson likes to make fun of her. Point (4) is the main one. Everything about AOC is so perfectly calibrated to fit conservative narratives about brattish millennial pie-in-the-sky idealism that it wouldn’t surprise me to learn she’d been created in a lab by Roger Ailes as a cheap way to generate content. If it weren’t for conservative media dunking on her all the time, most people wouldn’t have a clue who she was. Obviously, that’s had the side-effect of making her a progressive figurehead. But that’s not because of anything she’s _done_. It’s because of what’s been done _to_ her. And it’s not self-evident _at all_ that she’s a net plus for left causes. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/35 "2020-02-23T02:57:57Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > What has _she_ done to achieve that? What positive actions has _she_ taken? I posit that 100% of her notoriety is down to the following four factors: > > 1. She’s young. > 2. She’s pretty. > 3. She’s quite good at Twitter. > 4. Tucker Carlson likes to make fun of her. > > Point (4) is the main one. Everything about AOC is so perfectly calibrated to fit conservative narratives about brattish millennial pie-in-the-sky idealism that it wouldn’t surprise me to learn she’d been created in a lab by Roger Ailes as a cheap way to generate content. If it weren’t for conservative media dunking on her all the time, most people wouldn’t have a clue who she was. > > Obviously, that’s had the side-effect of making her a progressive figurehead. But that’s not because of anything she’s _done_. It’s because of what’s been done _to_ her. And it’s not self-evident _at all_ that she’s a net plus for left causes. I think that’s a pretty sexist (and wrong) way to look at it. I think she has amazing communication skills – in social media and in person (oratory, interviews, etc.)… once-in-a-generation communication skills. Obama and Bill Clinton-level communications skills, or at least their potential. But we’ll see – obviously lots of folks don’t like her. I do, and with time, if I’m right, you and just about every other Democrat will too over the next several years. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/36 "2020-02-23T03:04:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think that’s a pretty sexist (and wrong) way to look at it. I think she has amazing communication skills – in social media and in person (oratory, interviews, etc.)… once-in-a-generation communication skills. Obama and Bill Clinton-level communications skills, or at least their potential. But we’ll see – obviously lots of folks don’t like her. I do, and with time, if I’m right, you and just about every other Democrat will too over the next several years. We’ll see. Why is it sexist? Do you think being young and attractive have had _no_ effect on her popularity. That’s a pretty naive way to look at it. As for her rhetorical skills we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’ve seen plenty of her speeches on YouTube and I don’t think she’s anything special at all. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/37 "2020-02-23T03:08:36Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Why is it sexist? Do you think being young and attractive have had _no_ effect on her popularity. That’s a pretty naive way to look at it. As for her rhetorical skills we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’ve seen plenty of her speeches on YouTube and I don’t think she’s anything special at all. I don’t think being “young and attractive” are in the top 4 reasons why she’s become so popular. I think her abilities had much more to do with it (which are far more than just “rhetorical skills”). Far too often women’s accomplishments are blown off or dismissed because of superficial judgment. But we’ll see. Note this post, and we can check back in 5 and 10 years. If I’m right, it will be very clear. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/38 "2020-02-23T07:42:35Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > What has _she_ done to achieve that? What positive actions has _she_ taken? I posit that 100% of her notoriety is down to the following four factors: > > 1. She’s young. > 2. She’s pretty. > 3. She’s quite good at Twitter. > 4. Tucker Carlson likes to make fun of her. On the off chance you’re actually serious about this I suggest you watch “Knock Down The House” on Netflix. The documentary chronicles her journey from the start of her campaign to the finish where she and her team unseats a giant. She’s done plenty and I am in awe of this lady after watching that documentary. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/39 "2020-02-23T09:43:36Z")
“What has she done?” Well, first she beat a 10 term Dem incumbent by 15 points with very little support or money while bartending and carrying her campaign around with her in a paper bag. Then she became the youngest woman to serve in Congress where she’s made folks like Mark Zuckerberg and corporations like ExxonMobile answer some pretty tough questions. No, her “Green New Deal” didn’t pass, but it dominated and changed the conversation. She’s media and tech savvy. She knows how to connect with her audience, which is huge. She is a master at making clear statements in 140 characters or less. Fox absolutely loves to hate her so they do a great job of keeping her name in the news, which she leverages well. She’s a master at pointing out ridiculous double standards in politics and in daily life. She makes complex matters very easy to understand. See her “Let’s play a game” clip of about 5 minutes or less where she “plays” a “bad guy” who wants to skirt campaign finance rules during a hearing (here [Rep. Ocasio-Cortez lays out 'bad guy' ethics scenario - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRM1t4RU69c)). And she’s likeable, relatable and genuine: When I see my Congressional reps in the media, I know they don’t remember what it’s like to work hard, be poor, and to have debt- if they ever did know any of those things. AOC does. She asked for advice on what to plant in her allotted bed at her local community garden. My Senator said Trump was a ‘mobster’, a “pathological liar,” and was “utterly amoral”, but has since then supported and defended Trump at every turn. I don’t see AOC ever making a 180 degree turn like that. It really is remarkable to see a novice work hard break big like this. We could use more like her. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326/40 "2020-02-23T11:37:34Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > You’re not missing anything. Democrats should be very pleased that such a talented young Democrat is getting a lot of enthusiasm and attention. I guess some folks just find energetic, enthusiastic young people who think for themselves threatening, but it doesn’t make any logical sense. **dalej42** is just pissed that some talented young Democrat _besides Buttigieg_ is getting a lot of enthusiasm and attention. That’s all that’s happening here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courage-to-change-another-bad-aoc-idea/848326.md?page=3)