Dem problem is not insufficient policy centrism. Majority of Dem supporters I know are centrist to just a bit leftward. No amount of policy moderation will make any difference. The problems are (a) politically incompetent leadership that is too beholden to hard-liberal major donors, (b) excessive media attention to bright-shiny-object…
Dem problem is not insufficient policy centrism. Majority of Dem supporters I know are centrist to just a bit leftward. No amount of policy moderation will make any difference. The problems are (a) politically incompetent leadership that is too beholden to hard-liberal major donors, (b) excessive media attention to bright-shiny-object backbenchers like AOC who represent party fringes, (c) inability to forcefully articulate longtime shared community values, and (d) the ability of the right-wing-noise-machine to absolutely dominate agenda-setting. The complicity of the mainstream media in the RWNM's painting the Squad as the party leadership is breathtaking.
I'm confident that AOC is, on a personal level, a fine person and sincerely seeks to improve the lot of her constituents and our country. Her perspectives are a useful and necessary part of the mosaic that informs compromises that generate good decisions. My issue is the excessive attention that the media lavishes on her, as well as some other backbenchers (e.g., MTG, etc.), distorting reality and feeding false narratives.
What the media does is not AOC's fault. It is crazy that so many Americans have a knee-jerk reaction that AOC is a spoiled mindless liberal with crazy ideas. NOT. She represents some of the most conservative areas in NYState. Statin Island? Not exactly a haven of liberals. More like #MAGALand.
Are you nuts? I don't think AOC is a cult figure. She's just a youngish woman who ran for Congress and won. She WANTS to live in the political arena. We are lucky whenever we gain new faces who want to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of governing. Her constituents who are from the Bronx and Queens - are NOT far left liberals. They're hard working, working class persons!
Think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with all of that. I think leadership is the single biggest problem. With effective leadership, a lot of the other problems would diminish or disappear, since that's the sort of thing that effective leaders work ceaselessly to accomplish.
Dem problem is not insufficient policy centrism. Majority of Dem supporters I know are centrist to just a bit leftward. No amount of policy moderation will make any difference. The problems are (a) politically incompetent leadership that is too beholden to hard-liberal major donors, (b) excessive media attention to bright-shiny-object backbenchers like AOC who represent party fringes, (c) inability to forcefully articulate longtime shared community values, and (d) the ability of the right-wing-noise-machine to absolutely dominate agenda-setting. The complicity of the mainstream media in the RWNM's painting the Squad as the party leadership is breathtaking.
AOC is not fringe. I know her. She waited tables most of her life. I know that life. Give me and AOC a break!
I'm confident that AOC is, on a personal level, a fine person and sincerely seeks to improve the lot of her constituents and our country. Her perspectives are a useful and necessary part of the mosaic that informs compromises that generate good decisions. My issue is the excessive attention that the media lavishes on her, as well as some other backbenchers (e.g., MTG, etc.), distorting reality and feeding false narratives.
What the media does is not AOC's fault. It is crazy that so many Americans have a knee-jerk reaction that AOC is a spoiled mindless liberal with crazy ideas. NOT. She represents some of the most conservative areas in NYState. Statin Island? Not exactly a haven of liberals. More like #MAGALand.
Are you nuts? I don't think AOC is a cult figure. She's just a youngish woman who ran for Congress and won. She WANTS to live in the political arena. We are lucky whenever we gain new faces who want to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of governing. Her constituents who are from the Bronx and Queens - are NOT far left liberals. They're hard working, working class persons!
Think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with all of that. I think leadership is the single biggest problem. With effective leadership, a lot of the other problems would diminish or disappear, since that's the sort of thing that effective leaders work ceaselessly to accomplish.