she'd said it was coming; I'll give her that.
Ocasio-Cortez offers her services to the Biden campaign #WeAreTheRevolution https://t.co/kgk8DG0GXo
— World Socialist Web Site (@WSWS_Updates) April 19, 2020
I'll unwind some of it and add some art...
In an interview published on the New York Times’ website Monday, Representative from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, declared her support for the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, Joe Biden.
The Times posed the question directly: “Is an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsement of Joe Biden a sure thing?” To which the congresswoman responded, “I’ve always said that I will support the Democratic nominee.”
The endorsement itself is not surprising. Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly promised to back whoever won the nomination. It is, moreover, part of the mobilization of the Democratic Party as a whole behind Biden.
....................
She explained to the Times that she believes the process of uniting “should be uncomfortable for everyone involved,” adding, “that’s how you know it’s working.” The real “discomfort” she anticipates, however, is not from Biden, but from the workers and youth who supported the Sanders campaign and are hostile to Biden but whom she wants to convince to support the Democratic Party candidate.When asked to give examples of ways in which she hoped to see Biden “get uncomfortable,” she criticized a proposal made by the Biden campaign to lower the Medicare age to 60. Ocasio-Cortez complained that Hillary Clinton’s “olive branch” to the left in 2016 was to lower the Medicare age to 50.
The second significant aspect of the Times interview is what it indicates about Ocasio-Cortez’s own political aims. She is advancing herself as an advisor to the Biden campaign and perhaps even lobbying for a position in a future Biden administration.
Ocasio-Cortez went out of her way to compliment Biden’s victory: “I want to respect his win, he won because of his coalition building, he won because of his service, he won for a lot of different reasons.” She did not take note of the mobilization of the entire Democratic Party leadership to push Biden’s nomination and undermine the campaign of Sanders.
She went on to lay out what she sees as the weaknesses in the Biden campaign, not from the standpoint of political principles, but rather from the standpoint of Biden’s chances of winning:
“I’ve flagged, very early, two patterns that I saw [among Biden’s campaign], which is underperformance among Latinos and young people, both of which are very important demographics in November. And so, I don’t think this conversation about changes that need to be made is one about throwing the progressive wing of the party a couple of bones — I think this is about how we can win.”
In other words, Ocasio-Cortez sees herself as a useful tool for the Biden campaign. Specifically. she points out that he is lacking support from “Latinos and young people.” Lucky for Biden, it just so happens that Ocasio-Cortez is a young Latina, two identities which she leans on heavily in her own self-promotion.
She goes on to advise Biden on his messaging: “I think people understand that there are limits to what Biden will do, and that’s understandable — he didn’t run as a progressive candidate. But, at the bare minimum, we should aspire to be better than what we have been before. And I just don’t know if this message of ‘We’re going to go back to the way things were’ is going to work for the people for who the way things were was really bad.”
There is a strong element of Obama’s “hope and change” rhetorical strategy in Ocasio-Cortez’s advice to Biden: “People need to feel hope in a Democratic administration. And that’s what this is about.”
..........................
In response to a question about whether or not a Biden-AOC unity rally could be in the cards, Ocasio-Cortez responded: “It could be.” The congresswoman followed this by doubling down on her support for Biden stating that she understood the “goal ultimately” was to win the 2020 election: “And I’m not trying to needle as a way of making a point or to score points. I want to win. And I want to make sure that we win broadly.”Ocasio-Cortez’s statements should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the political trajectory of the congresswoman. She has been moving to the right since her election in 2018. She has cozied up to Nancy Pelosi who she warmly referred to in February as “mama bear” and dropped almost all of her earlier radical sounding rhetoric.
Comments
Somehow
I still don't see the DNC letting her keep her seat.
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
but...but...but:
it was the DNC that (who?) crowned the demented biden, no?
Like Biden will even want her support!
We are, kinda, stuck with this nonsense for the next six and a half months. Think of it as the political equivalent of a "stay at home" period.
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
each to his or her own...
but there may be several reasons he might like to keep her around, cass.
on edit; for one: not to wax too salacious...
Well done!
It's not very often I see that word used correctly.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
grin.
Bollox to that
Has she seen the recent video of Bidone struggling with Roosevelt, WWII and production?
I guess the swag resulting from power in DC has corrupted the incorruptible.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
'the incorruptible'
as in aoc? if so, au contraire, imo.
ocasio is 'uncomfortable'
with her endorsement (of biden)
leopards have spots
zebras have stripes
monkeys like bananas
another sold out lackey
question everything
seems so, amigo.
but that's long been her road. 'watch what i tweet, not how i vote, who i admire!'
has the penny dropped?
oh, my yes; the buzz mill said it would be crucial for biden's running mate (it appears biden agrees) to be a female person of color; kamala harris (aka 'the lotus flower' has been raising money for him (hint, hint, joe). some speculate michelle obomba, but this is sublime:
‘AOC says she is ‘having conversations with Biden’s team’ over policy’ April 16, 2020, nypost.com
If they want my vote it's simple
Make Bernie your VP.
Or go fuck yourself.
Your choice.
i assume you mean
'biden' not really 'they'?
No not that.
If Bernie sells out (or should that be "sells out more"?)
I will certainly not vote for him.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
I’d take Tulsi
Or even my rep Pramila Jayapal. That way he could keep his WOC promise and when someone needs to go full Cheney on his demented ass, we would have somebody reasonable in place.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
Today I received . . .
My five "No Joe" buttons I ordered from the Tim Black show.
I don't know what is going to happen, but Joe would have to have an extremely progressive running mate. I don't see that happening.
Did you see the most recent Joe campaign TV ad? Terrible and hilarious at the same time.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
i haven't seen it,
but i don't watch teevee save for PBS on sunday night. 'no joe' campaign buttons, destined to be collector's items.
closing time for me; i've been awake since 4.
sometimes the zeitgeist is so surreal all you can do is laugh, sing, and dance.
the playing for change band (world peace thru music)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hGSqqhhokE]
g' night.
Hey Wendy,
Appreciate the AOC update.
And, you are likely correct in your interpretation I expect.
We should also be aware though of another possibility: Joe is going to lose. Just like Her.
But, for Joe it might well be even worse. A MFing blowout.
So, perhaps, AOC, and others, might attempt to inoculate themselves against what the neoliberals are going overboard right now to set up: *when* Joe loses, it will be the fault of *everyone* BUT the insiders in the DNC. It will be the fault of the Latin/Black/Left/Young whatever they can come up with to spread the blame to anyone but their incompetent selves (think NeeraT et al.).
Of course, I could be wrong, but it is worth keeping in mind that AOC is probably pretty good at "politics" and this could be just that. She could be saying in part: "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, this is on YOU!"
Or not. We will see.
All I can see with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez --
is that she is paying dues so that if they blame her for the Democrats' defeat this year, she can say "I tried" and have documentation to back it up.
As far as I can tell that is the whole of what is going on. Her volunteering for Biden is to prevent a conversation projected seven months into the future. We are headed into a future of mass death amidst much ado about nothing.
You see things any differently?
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
"You see anything differently?"...Nope, not yet.
It strikes me as the equivalent of vacuuming the house and tidying up after you hear of the start of WWIII and nuclear explosions on the opposite coast, before fleeing North or South. Who will really give a fuck? The truth will out in the end, so stand on that.
Some do say that History is written by the victorious. In my experience, History textbooks are full of just-so bullshit.
And pop culture shapes what people think they know about history
even more than mere textbooks . . .
https://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/
. . . and, more importantly, subconsciously shapes their emotional reactions along the lines the Powers That Be want.
great site, and
new to me. i'd add cartoons also reflect the current zeitgeist as well:
Unfortunately --
the great multitudes of Democrats are going to hold Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to absurd "party loyalty" standards, here in the era when the Left, and ONLY the Left, is expected to defeat Donald Trump by electing Joe Biden.
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
there's a diamond in
the rough in this, but i can for the life of me see the totality of the mind picture you're drawing, dagnabbit:
but i'll keep rollin' it around in my head. ; )
i dunno that we'll ever know
The Truth of it, as the truth is not only a moving target, but is what various people or media believe too much of the time. a torqued version your theory i'd seen earlier on this site by some interviewer had posted that 'trump will win because AOC, et.al. are socialists'. which of course DSAs are not, but would that they were! ; )
one thing is that AOC has star power, and knows it & capitalizes on it. when she'd campaigned w/ sanders, crowds grew to millions, yes? biden knows it, and IF she's angling to be his VEEP, what would he care if he... doesn't survice until nov., or has to be removed from office for blindingly obvious dementia.
but no, barring some miracle, the trumpeter will wipe the floor with him, save for the fact his polling approval's going down because: coronavirus.
do you remember back in the day that italian journalist stefania maurizzi had asked where aoc's 'peace plan' had gone. 'oh', she said, 'one of my staffers must have deleted it'. now i can't swear that she's voted for every military budget while in the house, but my guess is yes, or like tulsi gabbard, was absent for the day of the vote.
regardless if her 'peace plan' is still up or not, this is aoc's peace plan in a nutshell for me:
i dunno if you've ever seen the Justice dems' casting call starring aoc and charkabarti or not, and yes, it's obvioulsy been scripted, but it IS self-serving, lol.
i've been working on a thread about the next whoCARES package for a few days, and keep getting bogged down, but apparently aoc will join the roh khanna/tim ryan 2000 grand one. but as a few socialists ask on twitter: why doesn't she call for a major slash in the military budget and send those bucks to the people, not corporations, instead?
anyhoo, just a few thoughts; gotta get to some chores.
AOC is too young to be VP.
indeed she is;
i'd added it downstream.... thank you.
I have a different opinion on age.
Never too old if you have your mental capacities.
Never too young if you know what the hell is going on.
Alexander the Great was 32 when he died.
I knew fascism when I saw it by age 5.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I received a big thick envelope from Nancy Pelosi and the
DCCC asking for money. The letter Pelosi included was chock full of juicy hypocrisies. First paragraph... "People tell me it must be a tough job to be Speaker of the House when the president belongs to the opposite party, lives in a world without facts or decency, and has nearly every Republican in Congress marching in unthinking lockstep behind him."
I have the time to write back in reply and use their envelope.
Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.
AOC is having the life sucked out of her by the Dem Death Eaters and she doesn't even see it happening.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
wish she'd be reading it
rather than one of her aides. your last sentence? by my reckoning, this may be who she's long been, but i may be an outlier altogether in every venue. 'AOC says'...is everywhere.
but she does have time to give make-up tips online, and show folks how to cook in an insta-pot, and claim she buys all her haute couture clothing at second-hand stores. ; )
Nancy is just running out of gourmet ice cream
And those uppity Uber Eats delivery folks are starting to demand combat pay.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
a few other things to add and correct:
my bad: aoc can't be chosen a VP to biden, as she won't even be 31 until oct. (the requirement is 35.
her page/s on opensecrets.org show that her largest contributors 2019, 2020 were:
Google Inc $20,792
Amazon.com $12,078
New York City Dept of Education $11,805
Apple Inc $10,907
Kaiser Permanente $9,237
you may remember that she's been increasingly in favor of social media censorship as people were being mean to her, and she had credited herself for keeping a second Amazon distribution center out of queens, bronx?
and just in case you haven't seen it, both facebook and twitter are banning accounts that don't conform to the conventional pandemic narratives, like this may be soon:
I suggest we extend the shut down until
the powers that wanna be start quaking in their oil filled boots
then, when they start screaming, we will sit down at the table and
discuss health care, military budgets and opening votes to more than
a two headed medusa. If they want to screw us, turnabout is fair play.
question everything
the shutdowns are a
double-edged sword, though. without work, even at serf wages, many can't even survive. free food lines are insanely long, and on and on.
we'll see how the may day strikes go, but so far corona virus is being blamed on trump, nothing else, no one else. stay tuned, i guess; it may change. the serfs are up shit crick w/o a paddle, save for helping one another & giving until it hurts.
tonight's closing song will be by the eurythmics.
and yes, there will be a tomorrow, no matter what miseries await the serfs, including how meager any whoCARES4 deal is struck.
Underneath your dream lit eyes
Shades of sleep have driven you away
The moon is pale outside
And you are far from here
Breathing shifts your careless head
Untroubled by the chaos of our lives
Another day, another night
Has taken you again my dear
And you know that I'm gonna be the one
Who'll be there when you need someone to depend upon
I can't wait till tomorrow comes...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWzRKxhpPA0]
sounds silly, but in 3 different scifi films is the notion that Love, platonic love, can transcend the space-time continuum. i find that heartening. good night.
for positerity:
i ran into this last night:
I’d Take Her In A Heartbeat’: Joe Biden Says He Would Pick Michelle Obama To Be His Vice President'April 20, 2020, pittsburgcbslocal.com
ruh-roh...Clinton? Michelle? oh, they love dynastic rule, don't they?