Why?
How do you define fascism, and how does it differ from the modern day Republican Party?
So there’s another reason the Right may want to elevate her importance by giving her such attention, in addition to her being the convenient Goldstein, the desire to paint all Democrats as extreme in some way, and the desire to reinvigorate “socialist” as an invective - and that’s that she has the potential to be divisive within Democratic ranks.
But the impact of these idiotic attacks seems to end up going other ways.
That’s true. But AOC is a idiot on economic issues.
Which economic issues? Fiscal policy, monetary policy, macroeconomics, finance, labor economics, trade? Really, isn’t each of us ignorant about some part of economics?
But of course, it’s easy to throw out a statement like, “She’s a idiot on economic issues,” without examples or support, and be justly ignored. I can do that too: “DrDeth doesn’t know labor economics from a hole in the ground.” But that’s just cheating; it’s not based in anything, but it sounds like I know something about your ignorance when I don’t. Impugning the lady’s intelligence has just become a repeated drip of defamation.
I know she had that hyperbolic line about how unemployment was low because we’re all working multiple jobs. Yeah, a lot of fun was had at her expense for that line, on this board. But that’s not a particularly stupid line for a politician.
AOC is effective because she’s a campaigner. It remains to be seen if she’s also a drafter of policy.
Here’s one economic issue: The fact that it’s really difficult for an ordinary person to move out of state to accept a job, even if it’s a well-paying job. That’s an issue about which Ocasio-Cortez is the only member of Congress who’s not an idiot. And that’s the kind of economic issue that we need more awareness of in Congress: The kind that affects ordinary people, directly.
And besides, some fascists are very fine people.
And this week the White House illegally but effectively authorized the US military to summarily shoot unarmed civilians on US soil for the commission of a misdemeanour. Nothing to worry about there.
Could I get a cite for that? I did a search for her name and unemployment and didn’t get any hits. I missed the discussion the first time around.
Generally, I’ve seen that issue stated as, unemployment is low BUT people are working multiple jobs, so it’s unsustainable.
There’s also the idea that unemployment doesn’t only count full time employment.
I’m curious to see the context for her statement.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez graduated cum laude from Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations. Among several other honors, she was Educational Director for the 2017 Northeast Collegiate World Series.
I trust that those calling the young Congresswoman-elect an “idiot” will inform us of their own credential in economics … or lack thereof.
If she ran in the Democratic primary in 2024, would you vote for her? My guess is that many people would say yes.
Republicans are playing chess while we play checkers. They’re setting up candidates to run against. The media is powerful and predictable and they’re going to exploit it. They’re the ones pushing for Pelosi. They’re the ones creating this AOC “gang of four” in popular perception knowing that they can foist power onto non-mainstream inexperienced legislators to sow discord in the Democratic Party. They’re trying to create a Tea Party on the left knowing how crippling that can be. Pelosi is going to win, but she’s going to have to contend with a fractured party that is going to limit her power. AOC is playing the Republicans game and she doesn’t even know the rules and I’m not sure she knows the game has started.
My humble take is that conservatives are extremely invested in the Obama messiah trope… i.e. “Obama had next to no qualifications and yet Democrats chose him over war hero John McCain, just because he was black and had a muslim middle name”. I think this belief is the true genesis of “why you got Trump”. I think conservatives see this same story ready to unfold anew with AOC, their pundits understand how effective it was, and everyone is, either consciously or unconsciously, ginning it up for another round.
My guess is that some people would say yes but not many. It is silly to think this is all about a possible Presidential run in 6 years. The right wing media doesn’t look that far ahead. People get all this because Hillary was attacked for so long ahead of her run but that was also for more immediate reasons. She and Bill were always considered a team so attacking her was attacking him. She also very much telegraphed her own run for President pretty early.
How does it even make sense to ask the question yet of whether people would vote for her in a presidential primary? As always with primaries, it would depend on who else was running, and we don’t even know that for 2020 yet. And even if some people would say now that they’d vote for her, six years is a long time for people to change their minds.
Underestimating your enemy is the prerogative of the overwhelmingly strong, not the party barely holding one half of one branch of government.
The conservative media and Republican Party are led by very intelligent people with very long term goals and paths to achieve them. They are constantly looking ahead and talk about policy effects 30 or more years out. Watching CNN this morning they had a Trump economist talking about economic policies with effects in 2050.
To get back to AOC, we can talk about the right now. Before she was even sworn in, AOC was portrayed as being in a fight with Pelosi. Whose side were you on? My guess is that again, many on our side are siding with a 29 year old bomb-thrower with limited government experience and non-mainstream ideas against proven capable leadership all because of conservative media advancing their narrative.
All of the claims that Ocasio Cortez is an economic “idiot” go back to one of two things:
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Her statements about unemployment and multiple jobs, which are admittedly odd things for an econ graduate to say, and
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Her political positions.
Point 2 is just stupid. As has been pointed out, being a socialist means you have different economic priorities. It does not mean you are ignorant of the science of economics, just as being a Republican doesn’t prove you are economically literate. Economics is a science, not a settled matter and not a guide for how to set your values.
As to point 1, a politician misspeaking once or twice really proves nothing.
Whose side was I on in the grossly exaggerated “fight” between Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez? The side that isn’t making up bullshit in order to foment division in the opposition party. There are valid arguments for why Pelosi should go and for why Pelosi should stay. It’s possible to advocate for either of those positions without it being a “fight”.
Cite.Pretty much every word of her claim is wrong.
I addressed your point, which was wrong and silly. She is an economic idiot, as demonstrated above, and she does often play the race and gender card when she is challenged on being wrong. So I didn’t undermine my argument; I undermined yours.
Regards,
Shodan
Well, she may have a great education, but she shoots her mouth off before she thinks. Very Trump-like in that.
For example she has been quoted all over the internet as saying:*“I don’t think people who are taking money from pharmaceutical companies should be drafting health-care legislation. I don’t think people who are taking money from oil and gas companies should be drafting climate legislation,” *
Which means the GOP only has to arrange for oil companies to send $5 to each Dem congressman and viola- no more climate legislation!
That is some seriously weak shit, dude.
You dont think the GOP would do it?