Charlie, you realize 85% of AOC's power is people like you acting like her words matter, right? The media is doing with her the exact same thing they did with Trump. Spend their time talking about what she's *saying* instead of what the actual leaders are *doing*, and it creates the mindset in the population that she actually is a significant leader, instead of a relatively new back-bencher. Trump was positioned to take advantage of chaos in the primary by the media making sure we never stopped hearing about him. Keep doing the same with the left, and this is just going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I do not understand why so much power and meaning is given to the AOCs and MTGs of both parties. For once can one of the media outlets do a deep dive on what these people actually do with their positions? How about legislation created and passed for the benefit of their districts? It is sad that these days that they get elected to be famous and turn Congress into a reality show. Likes and followers are not votes but unfortunately in this day and age it is more important and newsworthy than how they do the actual job they were elected to do.
The old saying in DC is that congress has work horses and show horses. MTG is clearly a show horse. AOC has been at times, too, but she's matured since she was first elected. I don't hold out hope that MTG will ever change.
Most of these people are doing little or nothing beyond performance art. Some of them don't actually KNOW how to do anything in Congress (they have zero idea of how the process works). Some of them do not have the connections to get anything done and/or they simply lack the seniority and position to do anything. Some of them basically have no intention of doing anything--because they did not get elected to do anything other than the performance art.
I will leave it to you to determine who is who. It is fairly obvious though.
MTG IS doing the job she was elected to do. She wasn't elected to do any legislation... a lot of Republicans were not elected to do that kind of thing. They exist largely to express the outrage of their constituency and to block legislation or (when in actual power) do some social legislation and cut taxes (in homage to the people who give them lots of money).
I will say AOC is an excellent questioner on House committees. Very few pols are good at that. And she hasn't even been to law school where you learn how to question a witness.
I'll give credit where it's due as well: she does her homework prior to her committee hearings and comes prepared with good, substantive questions. She can't hold a candle to Katie Porter, but who can?
Just doing a little venting too. I have been a local elected official for over 10 years and just shake my head when I see the low bar that these people have set for them. I donтАЩt disagree with you one bit.
The only thing I might quibble about in your statement is that MTG probably represents a substantially larger number of republicans than AOC does of elected Dems.
AOC has only the power that any young, attractive, telegenic woman who speaks to the Media gives her. To most people, she is just a junior congress woman from NY.
The House Progressive Caucus held the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal up for how many Months? Injuring Biden and the Dems image of competence. AOC and Jayapal have enough influence to change whether the Dems lose the house or it is a moderate bloodbath.
The infrastructure deal that passed? That was explicitly supposed to move forward with BBB, but didn't, despite the outrage of the progressive caucus? Meanwhile, did BBB pass, or did the moderate desire to kill it actually work?
As for their actions impacting the midterms, I have no idea why anyone thinks that the infrastructure bill was or is actually going to move any voters in November. People logically think that it's important, but the only time they actually *care* about bridges or roads is when they fail. Preventative maintenance doesn't excite the emotions, and we live in an emotionally-driven time.
The infrastructure bill passed, but - and I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong - BBB died or is stalled in the senate because of Sinema and Manchin. You're probably right that infrastructure won't move votes, but it was and is a huge accomplishment.
Policy and policy outcomes don't actually drive elections. Most people have no idea what is in the bill or what it will do for them--and they won't even notice in most cases unless you mount a massive PR campaign to tell them, which the Democrats notoriously never seem to do.
They held up the infrastructure deal for a few weeks, but with such a small majority they had an outsized influence. Just as Manchin and Sinema have more influence than they deserve for the same reason.
I think it was a couple of months, maybe. But the 6 people in the Progressive Caucus showed everybody by voting against it. What a coalition. SIX out of how congress people?
The one thing Trump can't stand. That's a symptom of someone with attention deficits. Perhaps all his followers have them too. If so, it kinda fits with Hoffer's true believers who "do not want freedom of conscience, but faith тАФ blind, authoritarian faith."
I think you are absolutely right. Pelosi isn't as polarizing as they need. It's easier to make boogeymen (boogeypersons?) of people who are new or inexperienced.
It's interesting, too, because it doesn't seem to work the same way with R's. I believe that Pelosi has told AOC to sit down and be quiet with meaningful results. Has anyone tried that with MGT and the like?
Thank you. AOC - and 'the squad' for that matter - doesn't carry nearly as much weight inside the Democratic Party as is imagined by folks on the right. And that includes the whole 'defund the police' trope - which the President, the actual leader of the Party, has rejected over and over. As does the overwhelming majority of rank-and-file Dems.
Her big claim to fame was defeating a fellow liberal Democrat in a deep blue district in NYC.
None that I know of. The right tried to make a big deal about the Asheville, NC PD budget being cut as evidence of the left's defund the police agenda. But the real story was that mental health crisis response was placed back under the control of the health department and that portion of the PD budget went with it. Responding to mental health emergencies was something the police department had complained about for years.
Charlie, you realize 85% of AOC's power is people like you acting like her words matter, right? The media is doing with her the exact same thing they did with Trump. Spend their time talking about what she's *saying* instead of what the actual leaders are *doing*, and it creates the mindset in the population that she actually is a significant leader, instead of a relatively new back-bencher. Trump was positioned to take advantage of chaos in the primary by the media making sure we never stopped hearing about him. Keep doing the same with the left, and this is just going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I do not understand why so much power and meaning is given to the AOCs and MTGs of both parties. For once can one of the media outlets do a deep dive on what these people actually do with their positions? How about legislation created and passed for the benefit of their districts? It is sad that these days that they get elected to be famous and turn Congress into a reality show. Likes and followers are not votes but unfortunately in this day and age it is more important and newsworthy than how they do the actual job they were elected to do.
MTG has Trump's ear.
Both are doing exactly what their constituents want. Performing! Legislative benefits not important.
The old saying in DC is that congress has work horses and show horses. MTG is clearly a show horse. AOC has been at times, too, but she's matured since she was first elected. I don't hold out hope that MTG will ever change.
Most of these people are doing little or nothing beyond performance art. Some of them don't actually KNOW how to do anything in Congress (they have zero idea of how the process works). Some of them do not have the connections to get anything done and/or they simply lack the seniority and position to do anything. Some of them basically have no intention of doing anything--because they did not get elected to do anything other than the performance art.
I will leave it to you to determine who is who. It is fairly obvious though.
MTG IS doing the job she was elected to do. She wasn't elected to do any legislation... a lot of Republicans were not elected to do that kind of thing. They exist largely to express the outrage of their constituency and to block legislation or (when in actual power) do some social legislation and cut taxes (in homage to the people who give them lots of money).
I will say AOC is an excellent questioner on House committees. Very few pols are good at that. And she hasn't even been to law school where you learn how to question a witness.
I'll give credit where it's due as well: she does her homework prior to her committee hearings and comes prepared with good, substantive questions. She can't hold a candle to Katie Porter, but who can?
Just doing a little venting too. I have been a local elected official for over 10 years and just shake my head when I see the low bar that these people have set for them. I donтАЩt disagree with you one bit.
The only thing I might quibble about in your statement is that MTG probably represents a substantially larger number of republicans than AOC does of elected Dems.
agreed
Omg. When have attractive young women NOT gotten a lot of attention from the media?
AOC has only the power that any young, attractive, telegenic woman who speaks to the Media gives her. To most people, she is just a junior congress woman from NY.
The House Progressive Caucus held the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal up for how many Months? Injuring Biden and the Dems image of competence. AOC and Jayapal have enough influence to change whether the Dems lose the house or it is a moderate bloodbath.
The infrastructure deal that passed? That was explicitly supposed to move forward with BBB, but didn't, despite the outrage of the progressive caucus? Meanwhile, did BBB pass, or did the moderate desire to kill it actually work?
As for their actions impacting the midterms, I have no idea why anyone thinks that the infrastructure bill was or is actually going to move any voters in November. People logically think that it's important, but the only time they actually *care* about bridges or roads is when they fail. Preventative maintenance doesn't excite the emotions, and we live in an emotionally-driven time.
The infrastructure bill passed, but - and I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong - BBB died or is stalled in the senate because of Sinema and Manchin. You're probably right that infrastructure won't move votes, but it was and is a huge accomplishment.
Policy and policy outcomes don't actually drive elections. Most people have no idea what is in the bill or what it will do for them--and they won't even notice in most cases unless you mount a massive PR campaign to tell them, which the Democrats notoriously never seem to do.
They held up the infrastructure deal for a few weeks, but with such a small majority they had an outsized influence. Just as Manchin and Sinema have more influence than they deserve for the same reason.
I think it was a couple of months, maybe. But the 6 people in the Progressive Caucus showed everybody by voting against it. What a coalition. SIX out of how congress people?
No, they don't
Seems to me the only people who give a crap about AOC and the squad are Trumpublicans.
They're the ones giving her 'power', ain't they?
I wonder where they get all the energy to be perpetually outraged.
Must be Cawthorn's cocaine-fueled orgies...
MAGA world pays a lot more attention to AOC and her buddies. I've often wondered how it is that they never tire of the endless diet of outrage.
The outrage gives their life meaning and energy.
I think that is it exactly. Without outrage, then there is just policy. Policy is boring.
And they don't have any, so there's that, too.
Yeah. They used to, sadly.
The one thing Trump can't stand. That's a symptom of someone with attention deficits. Perhaps all his followers have them too. If so, it kinda fits with Hoffer's true believers who "do not want freedom of conscience, but faith тАФ blind, authoritarian faith."
I think you're spot on with that comment.
I think you are absolutely right. Pelosi isn't as polarizing as they need. It's easier to make boogeymen (boogeypersons?) of people who are new or inexperienced.
It's interesting, too, because it doesn't seem to work the same way with R's. I believe that Pelosi has told AOC to sit down and be quiet with meaningful results. Has anyone tried that with MGT and the like?
It's hard to insult an Italian grandma.
You mean backbenchers aren't all powerful?
/s
Schocking, isn't it?
Thank you. AOC - and 'the squad' for that matter - doesn't carry nearly as much weight inside the Democratic Party as is imagined by folks on the right. And that includes the whole 'defund the police' trope - which the President, the actual leader of the Party, has rejected over and over. As does the overwhelming majority of rank-and-file Dems.
Her big claim to fame was defeating a fellow liberal Democrat in a deep blue district in NYC.
How many police depts have been defunded? Zero.
None that I know of. The right tried to make a big deal about the Asheville, NC PD budget being cut as evidence of the left's defund the police agenda. But the real story was that mental health crisis response was placed back under the control of the health department and that portion of the PD budget went with it. Responding to mental health emergencies was something the police department had complained about for years.
Like.
Sadly, you're right. And republican voters won't care what's true versus what they want to believe is true.
And the MSM acting like these people are important and influential helps out with the GoP's efforts.
The problem is, as always, these people generate revenue through clicks.
Unfortunately youтАЩre correct. And unfortunate as well-perception is reality.
After her initial election, I told people over and over that Democrats are not taking stands based on the whims of a first term Congressperson.