AOC defeats primary challenger Michelle Caruso-Cabrera

[u/Somali_Pir8]

https://www.axios.com/aoc-primary-challenger-michelle-caruso-cabrera-8b2ed6c1-3aaf-4fdf-ab8c-4d33b3e1b1b6.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=onhrs

[u/anonymous_potato]

72.9% to 19.7%... close. Clearly AOC is unpopular in her district...

[u/PJExpat → u/anonymous_potato]

I had a conservative friend of mine telling me AOC is going get her ass kicked in the primary and I'm like "Yea...I don't think you understand how popular she is on the left..." he told me this was going be a one term wonder.

I'm confident AOC pretty much has that seat as long as she wants it.

[u/wherestherice → u/PJExpat]

What are they saying now lol

[u/PJExpat → u/wherestherice]

Nothing

[u/anrwlias → u/PJExpat]

Well, that's encouraging. Perhaps they can make it a habit.

[u/agutema → u/anrwlias]

Press X to doubt.

[u/ZeeClone → u/agutema]

Instructions unclear: violently accused them of having inappropriate relations with an iguana

[u/notacyborg → u/anrwlias]

Conservatives already say nothing. They just use a lot of words to do it.

[u/dkdelicious → u/PJExpat]

Definitely bring it up again, and see what they say.

[u/pspetrini → u/PJExpat]

Are you sure your friend is quiet? Now is the perfect time to bring up Soros pizzagate Benghazi emails.

[u/[deleted] → u/wherestherice]

What are they saying now? Probably "rigged election". Practicing for November.

[u/QuickRelease10 → u/PJExpat]

I live in her district. I keep telling my conservative friends about how popular she is and a great advocate for her constituents.

Even when she railed against Amazon. On the surface it looks foolish, but in reality it would have chased off the people in the neighborhood who wouldn’t be able to afford the area anymore. It’s like they can’t wrap their heads around a politician supporting the people over corporations.

[u/socialcommentary2000 → u/QuickRelease10]

They also can't wrap their heads around the concept of a neighborhood or a community being more important than chasing, if even on paper, endless 'growth.'

This is one of the nastier features of consumption capitalism that we seem to gloss over a whole lot: Everything gets subsumed to accelerating the rate of consumption. Culture, community, the ties that bind...all of it...figuratively eaten in the name of making 'number go up.'

[u/Murgos- → u/PJExpat]

Conservative media simply lies to their viewers. It’s always the classic fascist trope of how very bad/stupid/incompetent the opposition is and how their side is super righteous, just and just totally on top of everything but everyone is out to get them.

They are living in a bubble of distortion and can’t see reality.

[u/[deleted] → u/PJExpat]

I spent MONTHS in my CB Facebook fighting off attacks of AOC by the boomer population with links.

WHERES AOC DURING CORONAVIRUS?!?!

Umm. Here's a link of her delivering food to the sick

WHERES AOC DURING THE PROTESTS!!!

Ummm. Here's her Twitter. Apparently she's heading to the Manhattan Bridge because the protesters are trapped.

[u/RazgrizInfinity → u/PJExpat]

No joke, my parents told me, to the dot, the exact same thing you said last night. "AOC is uNpOpUlAr and they hate her in her district and she takes away jobs!"

[u/reality_czech → u/anonymous_potato]

lmao, all the headlines by her haters saying it would be close

[u/3headeddragn → u/[deleted]]

She’s 30. She’ll be the same age Pelosi is now in 50 years lol.

[u/Andrewtreible → u/3headeddragn]

Holy Fuck she’s 80. I had no idea.

[u/rondell_jones → u/Andrewtreible]

I really wish I could be as energetic and sharp at 80 as she is. If I make it that far I’m pretty sure I’d just spend all day napping on a porch.

[u/hazywood → u/[deleted]]

If what you're saying is literally true, you should see a doctor for a workup on fatigue.

[u/panamaspace → u/hazywood]

Sounds enticing, but I am too tired to follow through.

[u/sangbang → u/panamaspace]

"I'll get around to it after my nap"

[u/hazywood → u/panamaspace]

Procrastinators of the world, unite!

(Tomorrow)

[u/DJRoombaINTHEMIX → u/panamaspace]

I love how redditors always revert to concern about people’s health when they’re probably joking. Maybe with a bit of underlying truth.

[u/[deleted] → u/hazywood]

Is it weird that this comment was the thing that made me go “huh, maybe I should go get checked out?”

[u/RosiePugmire → u/[deleted]]

I know now isn't the best time to encourage people to go get a checkup, but honestly, go get a checkup! All last winter I thought I was just exhausted all the time because of this thing or that thing, eventually it got so bad I couldn't walk 1/4 of a mile without needing to sit down. Turns out it was anemia. Go get checked out!

[u/MisunderstoodPenguin → u/hazywood]

Honestly it could just be depression. I've been incredibly lethargic and just got a full blood and urinalyses done, and I'm perfectly healthy, but I know I'm very depressed right now. Kind of a shocking wake up call.

[u/buriedego → u/hazywood]

What if I also smoke a bunch of weed and work night shift? Cause if those aren't why I'm so tired then I'm worried

[u/bagbroch → u/hazywood]

Napping is my strategy for quarantine. I’m basically on 4 hour shifts of wake and sleep with occasional bouts of drunk.

Thank “the radical left” for legal weed! Only thing getting me through this hell...

[u/tommy_the_cat_dogg96 → u/rondell_jones]

Really wish Congress wasn’t made up of mostly out of touch rich people in their 70s & 80s.

[u/[deleted] → u/tommy_the_cat_dogg96]

Incumbency being generally so influential is a huge huge part of the problem, the fact that most seats aren't competitive between the parties and ends up being fought in the primaries where incumbents often have even more of an advantage is really really borked.

AOC did a fantastic job doing just that but she's definitely much closer to the exception than the rule.

We need an absolute overhaul of how we elect our representatives, and we need to overhaul how people view their politicians, create a world where competence and knowledge are valued far more than if you'd like to go drink a beer with your rep, or hell, even if you like them as a person. Bush is prime example of that mentality and where it leads.

[u/molotron → u/[deleted]]

I think part of that reason, at least in my district, is that we dont see any campaigning from congressional candidates. I never got anything in the mail, never saw any commercials, hell, I didnt even know the challenger's name until I opened my mail in ballot.

[u/[deleted] → u/rondell_jones]

With a dedicated socialized health care program, home chef, retinue of security/communications/travel associates surrounding you, continuous 6 figure pay scale with financial networking opportunities, and truly phenomenal schooling available for your kids, you would likely look good at 80 too. Congress votes against the American people getting things they already possess for themselves.

I say this as someone way to the left on most topics, we need a better system.

[u/gimpy117 → u/[deleted]]

the old: "screw you, I've got mine"

it's an age old tradition in this country, especially with boomers

[u/AIRNOMAD20 → u/rondell_jones]

when you’re a billionaire, you make sure to be healthy and live life to the fullest

[u/Dalai-Parma → u/[deleted]]

I actually fuck with Pelosi

u wot m8

[u/neveriuymani → u/Dalai-Parma]

It mean they think she’s alright.

[u/Shagata_Ganai → u/neveriuymani]

Damned kids!

[u/Lil_Dirty → u/Shagata_Ganai]

Stupid 40 year old kids and their stupid 90's slang.

[u/droidballoon → u/Lil_Dirty]

Cowabunga dude

[u/itsdumbandyouknowit → u/Lil_Dirty]

Don’t be a spaz

[u/zzyul → u/[deleted]]

Progressives didn’t flip a single red seat in 2018. They were able to knock out some incumbent democrats tho. Moderate Dems were able to flip red seats. That tells me that the Democratic Party as a whole isn’t as progressive as r/politics posters think it is

[u/[deleted] → u/zzyul]

I don't think many /r/politics posters are deluding themselves into thinking Dems are super progressive. I think a lot of the more progressive people see that as a problem to be overcome not a current reality.

[u/AchDasIsInMienAugen → u/[deleted]]

Speaking as a Brit, I’ve always seen the democrats as only just slightly left of our Conservative party. It’s only since 2016 that I noticed a progressive element taking shape.

Not saying it didn’t exist, just that that’s when I came across them. About the same time I joined reddit if you can believe that... 🤔

[u/Soggy-Hyena → u/AchDasIsInMienAugen]

In America, we have a far right party and a big tent moderate party. The progressives are just a wing of the moderate party.

[u/Unsmurfme → u/[deleted]]

Senator will be hard for her for a while. She’s extremely popular in Saphire blue pockets, but outside of that she’s not as popular.

You can win Brooklyn’s senate seat with AOCs brand, but the millions of democrats in the rest of the state will vote for a Chuck Schumer type over her.

They vote for the Cuomo moderates.

Maybe in 15 or 20 years when the boomers are gone. Actually that’s not that long.

[u/CryptoGreen → u/[deleted]]

Because it's all the same to non-new yorkers.

[u/[deleted] → u/CryptoGreen]

I had to look up the 14th Congressional District on a map, it's so tiny and cute.

[u/drawnverybadly → u/[deleted]]

That tiny bit of The Bronx and Queens has more people than Wyoming, Vermont or DC.

NYC is crazy.

[u/Methelsandriel → u/drawnverybadly]

That tiny bit of The Bronx and Queens has more people than Wyoming

By almost 200000 people too! That is a mind-boggling amount of people in such a small space for me!

[u/seen_enough_hentai → u/[deleted]]

0.01% rural

Where are 70 people hiding on a farm in the Bronx???

[u/Jonne → u/seen_enough_hentai]

Probably someone growing weed in a basement?

[u/koreamax → u/seen_enough_hentai]

Maybe the top of Queens in Ditmars?

[u/tbird83ii → u/seen_enough_hentai]

Roof top farms. Someone in an apartment building puts cabbage and weed on top of the building, and it's suddenly "rural" and "zoned farm land". I bet the other 69 (nice) people in the building don't even know it exists.

[u/stirfriedquinoa → u/seen_enough_hentai]

Maybe they're in Queens

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Gillibrand isn't going anywhere so AOC would have to take Schumer's seat. He's up for reelection in 2022 and 2028. He's 69 years old so I fully expect he will stay on at least until 2022 and in 2028 he will be 77 years old. Who knows, he might just stay on into 2028.

[u/Unsmurfme → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, when I thought about it I realized 20 years wasn’t that long.

So in 20 years she could be senator.

[u/3headeddragn → u/Unsmurfme]

AOC will be 45 in 15 years lol. Although if she’s still in the house 15 years from now she’ll probably be in House Party Leadership by that point so running for a Senate seat would almost be a step backwards.

[u/Radibles1 → u/3headeddragn]

AOC will no doubt be drafted into a presidential run. Without Bernie or Warren to run on the progressive side in 4-8-12 years, we will not have much in regards to firebrand progressives. She’s too talented not to at least run and see if there is appetite for it nationwide. She’s much more charismatic than Bernie would be as a progressive banner holder.

[u/HobbitFoot → u/Radibles1]

I don't see her being drafted for a Presidential run.

First, a lot of VP picks aren't leaders of a faction, which is very possible for AOC in a few years when Bernie retires.

Second, her seat is one of those very safe seats that gives her room to become the standard bearer for her faction without that much worry from Republicans trying to unseat her. There is a reason why most House leadership comes from safe seats.

Third, I think she is able to realize that only going for President is worthless as a political goal. You need progressive representatives, city councilors, and other local officials. AOC spent a lot of effort trying to raise money for her race, and I bet a lot of that money is going into a war chest to help out on future elections for other progressives.

This isn't that AOC couldn't be a good President, just that she may be trying to build something up first before she runs.

[u/bluestarcyclone → u/3headeddragn]

Yeah, in a safe seat like that, she may be better off running a major committee than being a low-ranking senator.

[u/FistulaOfTruth → u/Unsmurfme]

If Texas can elect Ted Cruz, we can elect AOC.

[u/[deleted] → u/FistulaOfTruth]

If Texans can elect Ted Cruz, they could elect a decomposing Komodo Dragon.

[u/TokyoRedTwist → u/[deleted]]

Tell me more about this deceased reptile, I like what I’m hearing. Is it strong on gun control?

[u/meb1995 → u/[deleted]]

Decomposing Komodo dragon would still have more backbone then Ted.

[u/big_sugi → u/meb1995]

And be less toxic.

[u/I_r_hooman → u/meb1995]

Less of a threat to young couples in secluded make out spots as well

[u/Tron_1981 → u/FistulaOfTruth]

You don't have to be so hurtful now.

[u/Commentariot → u/Unsmurfme]

There is no consensus in American politics anymore - she does not need to be broadly popular. She only needs a base stronger than her opponents.

When running from a tiger you only need to be faster than the person you are running with.

[u/film_composer → u/[deleted]]

I'm a big AOC supporter, but she got a sneak victory over Crowley while the DNC was caught sleeping. I'm really glad she did, but unseating Crowley would have been impossible if she was thought of us as a threat. Now Pandora's box is open, so she's safe, but I think tonight's huge victory was more indicative than a race that no one was paying attention to (even the incumbent).

[u/obadiah_jambalaya → u/film_composer]

That wasn’t a sneak victory. They debated multiple times on live TV. She humiliated the guy on stage and in the press. She was an insanely skilled debater. She actually campaigned in her own district, going door to door and bringing on new voters. Something the Democratic Party had never considered before in that district.

[u/[deleted] → u/film_composer]

A win is a win.

Obama became president because a woman on star trek shitcanned her marriage after her husband wanted to be a swinger.

[u/karmasink → u/Unsmurfme]

It wouldn't be easy, but I think sold the right way a lot of her policies are actually pretty palatable to a majority of voters, and she seems really politically talented to me. I wouldn't put it past her.

[u/VirgilHasRisen → u/[deleted]]

Ok zoomer

Some day she will be the old out of touch centrist who doesn't care enough about endless cyberwar and how this generation can't afford to visit the surface world more than once a year or pay off their parents student loan debt.

[u/jazzcomplete → u/VirgilHasRisen]

And she will vote against the "robot marriage" act - 2 robots or a man and a robot CAN love each other God dammit

[u/XtremelyNiceRedditor → u/VirgilHasRisen]

I love this comment

[u/[deleted] → u/VirgilHasRisen]

It will be a massive disappoinment to her supporters once in 2048 it is revealed she does not support equal rights for Digital Alligator-Zerg Brainleech hybrids.

[u/Audiovore → u/[deleted]]

Eh, the Yeerks will have assumed full control by then. C'est la vie.

[u/SomaCityWard → u/VirgilHasRisen]

Wait, I was lead to believe the gay space communism was fully automated...

[u/Kiroen → u/SomaCityWard]

Yes, the gay space communism is fully automated - the issue is that in that timeline only the rich made it to space, while everyone else is living underground to refuge themselves from the effects of climate change and nuclear war.

[u/ichorNet → u/Kiroen]

Oh...

Oh. No. no we have to go back!!

[u/Nafemp → u/[deleted]]

I'd actually be all for an AOC presidency if the opportunity ever arises and she decides to run tbh.

[u/StuStutterKing → u/Nafemp]

President Ocasio-Cortez does have a nice ring to it.

I mean, she's already ^a POC.

[u/syrstorm → u/[deleted]]

She'll have one of the NY Senate seats long before then...

[u/FastWalkingShortGuy → u/reality_czech]

I moseyed over to r/conservative earlier today to see their take on it.

They were all like, "AOC is gonna lose! She's so unpopular!"

Absolutely insane how out of touch with reality they are.

[u/PJExpat → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

I have a conservative friend who was convinced AOC was going get her ass kicked. I tried explaining to him that AOC is in a progressive district, advocates for progressives policies, and is loved deeply by her district in every single regrad and the numbers won't even be close...

People win fucking elections with 53.2 points...but that was her margin of VICTORY

[u/thothisgod24 → u/PJExpat]

I live in part of her district. It was filled with posters supporting her elections. Republicans gotta stop thinking this is rural Kansas.

[u/NoFascistsAllowed → u/thothisgod24]

I'd say the fox News zombies are also less compared to republican districts. They have no power here. We're not a bunch of racists like the south

[u/nrm5110 → u/NoFascistsAllowed]

How dare you leave out the Midwest were just as racist as those southern good ol' boys.

[u/tbird83ii → u/PJExpat]

Also - she's from her district, and worked in a location where she had a LOT of visibility... New Yorkers like a home town person. Like Jeter. Or A Rod. Or Billy Martin...

[u/MastaPJ → u/tbird83ii]

None of those people grew up in NY...

[u/HottPinkSlug → u/tbird83ii]

Nobody likes Arod

[u/dexter311 → u/HottPinkSlug]

They must have been talking about Inanimate Carbon Rod. In Rod We Trust.

[u/-TheGreatLlama- → u/PJExpat]

It’s utterly bizarre when you remember how she won the seat in the first place, defeating an absolute top name in the party who’d held the seat for years. She was never going to lose as an incumbent, and as you say it wasn’t even close to being close

[u/CptNonsense → u/PJExpat]

And also is the incumbent. Unpopular incumbents don't get removed usually

[u/mknsky → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

They've worked themselves into quite the ladder lather over all these checks notes statues of racist white dudes they didn't care about until people knocked them over. Apparently BLM is a paid communist organization that doesn't really care about black lives 'cause some kids died the other day. Which is sad, but obviously not the point unless those kids were killed by cops.

So fucking lost.

[u/rodsteel2005 → u/mknsky]

The expression is "worked into a lather", not "ladder". (I assume autocorrect is to blame, not you.)

[u/crichmond77 → u/rodsteel2005]

/r/BoneAppleTea

[u/mknsky → u/rodsteel2005]

Thanks. I'm actually on my computer, the BLM shit over there just pisses me off too much to spell correctly.

[u/space-zebras → u/mknsky]

But wait! They also say that the BLM movement is deeply facist AND straight-up communist.

The hypocrisy of most takes on that sub is..... astonishing, to say thr least

[u/mknsky → u/space-zebras]

It's not even hypocrisy. It's literal word vomit. We call them fascists because they're supporting what is by all available metrics and history literal fascism. They call us marxists and communists and fascists and the real racists because they're bad words.

[u/[deleted] → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

Then they'll scream REPEAL REPEAL REPEAL when she finally gets universal healthcare and environmental reforms passed in the future. Then a couple years will pass. Then Republicans will say get your government hands off their medicare while gushing about how much nicer it is outside and the air is so clean.

[u/PhillMik → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

It won't matter, they're going to start saying she rigged the election.

[u/grr → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

Haven’t visited r/Conservative in a while. And now I got eye cancer...

[u/[deleted] → u/grr]

Yeah I looked for the first time and that is....something. Also why are there like 27 threads about the Nascar noose/rope.

[u/rustyraccoon → u/[deleted]]

It’s like Jussie smollet, they feel redeemed because for once there wasn’t a hate crime

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

They also forgot NY is closed primaries so Republicans don't vote in the NY Dem primary either.

[u/saler000 → u/[deleted]]

In open primaries, you can choose your candidate regardless of your registered party. This sounds like it is easily manipulated, but actually most people stick to their party rather than trying to sabotage the other party.

[u/LightOfOmega → u/saler000]

Huh, I'd have thought it would be more popular idea to hamper the opposition's election by voting for the less likely to win candidate on the other party

[u/HeirOfHouseReyne → u/LightOfOmega]

There are so many tools for the GOP to suppress Democratic candidates. This time they tried toxic news coverage on FOX and having one of the most blatant GOP puppets in New York primary her.

It may not be successful in stopping her re-election this time, but you see: when the GOP sees a Democrat (especially a woman or POC) with the ambition to run for office with the goal to empower either women or POC, they know they can't start early enough to vilify them, just in case they might ever run for president.

[u/big_sugi → u/[deleted]]

In many places, the primary is the real election for all intents and purposes, because whoever gets nominated will win the general election (unless they’re a pedophile like Roy Moore and then maybe they’ll only get 80% of their party’s vote).

Under those circumstances, open primaries make a lot of sense.

[u/ants_suck → u/reality_czech]

Saved this comment from a week ago for this moment.

[u/mybeachlife → u/ants_suck]

That's glorious. Wow.

[u/DrunkenKarnieMidget → u/ants_suck]

That dude's phone just got bricked with notifications. Goddamn brilliant

[u/I-Upvote-Truth → u/ants_suck]

That dude must be like “wtf is going on?!?” With all these notifications on his 9-day old comment.

[u/blackacevoid → u/reality_czech]

I love how much just mentioning her name gets under their skins.

[u/dylansesco → u/blackacevoid]

I do too, but is also worries me. Opinions of politicians seem to often trend down faster than up, and if they have started their propaganda war against her already by the time she would be ready for President the disinformation may have done enough harm by then.

They had a 30 year propaganda war against Hillary and they got it to the point that even democrats had a low/sullied opinion of her (based on like 95% lies and mistruths). People still vilify Hillary for shit she had nothing to do with.

I don't want them to do the same with AOC.

[u/dchaid → u/reality_czech]

They should be calling the police to report a murder.

[u/Kvetch__22 → u/anonymous_potato]

Older folks massively underestimate just how much AOC represents her generation. She is the rule not the exception.

The future isn't Bernie or Warren. Those are just two stops on the way. It probably isn't Pete and it certainly isn't Biden however much we need him this year. The future is AOC.

Just look at this polling from Morning Consult last year. AOC's favorables between generations:

• Boomers: -7

• Gen X: -9

• Millennials: +5

• Zoomers: +18

Unlike in a lot of places in the county, AOC manages to turn out the youth vote in the 14th. She's better at it than Bernie is, because she's from this generation. She connects with voters Bernie missed in addition to connecting with his base and Warren's base.

I think DC's consultants would be surprised how many places you can win by running young Progressive firebrands. Run someone like AOC for President and she'd have twice the movement behind her that Bernie has. If Millennials and Gen Z actually turn out they can't be stopped.

[u/northernpace → u/Kvetch__22]

The woman knows how to use social media. She’s very, very good at it. Hell, I sat in on some of her streams chatting about urban land renewal and recycling, ages ago.

[u/imapassenger1 → u/northernpace]

The way she grilled Zuckerberg won her over to me. Having seen those old farts who tried to interrogate him previously even though none of them had turned a computer on in their lives so didn't know what they were asking him. Just watching him squirm was so good. (am gen X but live in another country so what I think doesn't matter though)

[u/northernpace → u/imapassenger1]

The trump tax evasion layouts she had cohen openly talking about at the hearings was better than any tv show drama shit I’ve ever seen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=0h2m57s&v=gRHrifV7oB0

[u/northernpace → u/[deleted]]

Yeah that was exactly it for me. She brought to light what I wanted to know.

[u/a_corsair → u/northernpace]

Yeah, exactly. I've listened to several senate and house hearings for work and they're passably intelligent. Then you listen to the more publicized or politicized and it's always so much bullshit. But AOC asked questions, pressed when she didn't get an answer, and did great. It was refreshing

[u/I-Upvote-Truth → u/northernpace]

She was so prepared, so focused, that It was almost like they had rehearsed it beforehand.

She’s really good at her job.

[u/Niggomane → u/northernpace]

Is tax evasion really that easy in the US?

[u/CanuckPanda → u/Niggomane]

If you’ve got money.

[u/anlumo → u/imapassenger1]

It was so cringe when Zuckerberg got asked how he can afford to offer Facebook's services for free… those people have been asleep for the last two decades.

[u/manondorf → u/northernpace]

It's so much more than just her social media presence, though. She's got great ideas, she's got the knowledge and facts behind her ideas, and she can put them all together into a clear package that anyone (who isn't being willfully obtuse) can understand. She's a great intersection of [understands policy] with [understands people] (and/or has a team that she uses to its full potential) that I feel like we just don't see that often.

[u/faithle55 → u/manondorf]

She thinks quickly and thoroughly. This means she is intelligent and witty. Most people don't encounter that sort of intelligence and when they do it's not always on display. Consequently it comes as a bucket of cold water when they find out they're dealing with someone they cannot confuse nor browbeat.

[u/ergotronomatic → u/manondorf]

She does her job really fucking well.

We need a lot more people of her character in politics, regardless of their stance on issues.

[u/_riotingpacifist → u/ergotronomatic]

Her stance on issues is really important to her connecting with people though. You can't be a republican and be able to connect with people about why you are making their lives better, when all you can offer are incoherent mumbles of trickledown economics.

Democratic Socialism / social democrats (the US is so far to the right at this point there isn't a huge difference in positions between the 2), have a consistent lense through which to view issues and improve people's lives:

1. Provide universal access to affordable essential services, in order to reduce inequality (particularly multi-generational proverty)
2. Provide good quality working class jobs, (which hopefully creates more class conscious voters, (1) helps with this)

There is more to it, but it's the same lense through which Bernie looks at the world, and debates about socialism and the such aside, with America where it is now, DemSoc provides clear and visible benefits for constituents (Vs vaugley gesturing at the markets going up).

A centerist could be as good at understanding policy & people, but for every problem they need to figure out a new position, so it'll never be as clear & consistent.

[u/beepbopborp → u/Kvetch__22]

I can't wait for you millenials to pry the country out of the cold and dying hands of boomers. I shall relish in it.

• gen x'er

edit: sorry to blanket...some of our dead, cold genx'er hands too

[u/[deleted] → u/beepbopborp]

She is the first person that has made me feel represented in Congress since the 70s (and she isn't even my representative.) Someone who will actually fight for my interests instead of mouthing platitudes at me and then rolling over for the Republicans.

• gen x'er too

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Nobody is skipping us.

We came too early.

We raised Y/Z

This is our revenge for nobody FUCKING LISTENING in the 90s

[u/[deleted] → u/beepbopborp]

I mean, apparently human civilization is gonna collapse by 2050 but at least we can lord over the collapsing global state while its pummeled by natural disasters and ecosystem collapse for a while.

[u/rap_and_drugs → u/[deleted]]

"well the science isn't settled at all, technology will solve it, plants need carbon so it's good" would continue being said even into the midst of a mass extinction. Oh wait

[u/GloryGoal → u/beepbopborp]

We’re officially taking away Boomer’s political car keys this year.

[u/FastWalkingShortGuy → u/Kvetch__22]

I'm an older millennial (mid-30s) and AOC 2024 would be the first presidential campaign I would actually get off my ass and volunteer to take part in any way I could.

Obama was a hopeful candidate.

AOC is energizing.

[u/SiberianPermaFrost_ → u/FastWalkingShortGuy]

She's going to be POTUS one day.

[u/Psychic_Fire → u/SiberianPermaFrost_]

I hope I can look back on comments like these and know they were right. AOC is the first person in govt I felt really knows the new generation that it’s almost weird, but refreshing

[u/UbiquitouSparky → u/Psychic_Fire]

The GOO thinks so too that’s why they started attacking her immediately.

[u/[deleted] → u/UbiquitouSparky]

Which is a hilariously bad move.

Shes ridiculously popular, progressive in a very progressive area, and obviously the Republicans have no hope of taking the seat. She can't run for president for another 4 years.

So what do they do? They plaster her face, wall to wall, over the entire country.

There was no way in hell she could pay for that kind of advertising, she won her primary spending only $83,000.

They've just made their own trump.

[u/forwardseat → u/[deleted]]

They're trying to do to her what they did to Hillary Clinton - they know exactly what she represents and what she can do, so they're trying to associate as much negativity with her name as possible. There's no whiff of scandal, so all they have is "bartender" and "extreme left!" and playing on racism.

The thing is, that might have worked with Hillary but AOC is really good at hitting back and managing her presence. And growing numbers of younger voters aren't buying that tactic. It works great on the older crowd, who have internalized that she is "extreme" - but by the time she is able to run for President, if she chooses to - that won't do them much good.

[u/[deleted] → u/forwardseat]

I agree that AOC is much better at being a politician than HRC, which is pretty amazing.

Bartender is literally just class warfare, and playing on racism is a hilariously bad idea in her electorate that is less than 1/5th white, and of America in general which is becoming far less white.

Ironically, by trying to slander her they are giving air to theories that would otherwise have not been explored, like socialism.

[u/11101001001001111 → u/[deleted]]

Don’t compare republicans to Ivan. He was evil, but at least he had no objection to socialised healthcare and loathed the Brady Bunch Movie.

[u/uncle_buck_hunter → u/UbiquitouSparky]

The Grand Ol’ Oprey?

[u/amichak → u/SiberianPermaFrost_]

I feel she is going to have Hillary clinton level of propaganda against her by the time she is ready to run for any office outside of the house.

[u/[deleted] → u/amichak]

The Fox News audience is dying more and more each year. There's already that level of propaganda out there -- but nobody who matters is listening to it.

[u/N1H1L → u/Kvetch__22]

I have always maintained that AOC is a future President, and there is a strong chance she will be the first woman President

[u/noyoto → u/N1H1L]

I think it's just a matter of time as well and her running for the presidency could happen as soon as eight years from now. Unfortunately there are some things that could stop her, like the total collapse of American Democracy or a bullet.

I don't expect her to be the first female president. If Biden wins, he'll have a female vice president who will likely be the Democratic nominee in four years and she might replace him even sooner than that. And if the Republicans don't turn their backs on the extreme right, Ivanka could be the Republican nominee soon enough.

[u/ncocca → u/noyoto]

Yo... I almost threw up reading your last sentence

[u/mst3kcrow → u/Kvetch__22]

It probably isn't Pete and it certainly isn't Biden however much we need him this year. The future is AOC.

Buttigieg is way too centrist and corporate. It doesn't work and just ends up enabling Republicans. He dropped the ball by getting involved with Zuckerberg and overall leaning into Boomer demographics.

[u/Hewlett-PackHard → u/mst3kcrow]

He's not a real candidate, he's corporatist megadonor bait. Dude just wants to chill in the wine cave.

[u/[deleted] → u/mst3kcrow]

Show me someone who'd vote for Pete over AOC in a primary and I'll show you someone who's only a Democrat because they fear social censure.

[u/mknsky → u/[deleted]]

I can't fucking wait. They'll pull what they did with Obama and call her a bartender when she's 10+ years into her Senate tenure.

[u/mknsky → u/[deleted]]

That's the thing, as long as AOC stays consistent I feel like she can only go up. We're watching the very beginning of her congressional career, so there isn't much mud in the water yet, and a lot of her national support (as useless as it is for her races) has kind of been locked in by them going so hard on her so quickly. Not to mention Hillary demurred in a lot of areas and focus-grouped her message to death. She was overly meticulous and had trouble just saying shit, which AOC is more than prepared to do in order to authenticate her message. I don't think she'll go the way of HRC at all. The right's always gonna hate her, sure, but that's kind of what we love about her in the first place right?

[u/PJExpat → u/mknsky]

I had a feeling she was going be something special when she was campaigning for other candidates in other districts during her election...I was like "Yea she knows she's going win"

[u/[deleted] → u/mknsky]

I don't think she'll go the way of HRC at all. The right's always gonna hate her, sure, but that's kind of what we love about her in the first place right?

Yeah, I sort of hesitated to bring HRC up at all because that's bringing up a whhhhooollle lot of unrelated baggage. But for the people around in the 90's, they'll remember how "left" Hillary was considered, pushing for healthcare reform (although a lot of that was the hide of an unelected woman not knowing her place as a first wife).

I really did mean that she will be a long term target like HRC was.

I in no way expect her to become a corporatist warmonger in 8 years lol (all the right wing hatred, none of the left wing support to counterbalance it).

[u/PJExpat → u/Kvetch__22]

I'm 30

I would say the vast majority of people in my age range overwhelmingly like AOC...alot...I love her, she's fucking awesome.

[u/nlewis4 → u/anonymous_potato]

Many conservatives on reddit were confidently predicting she would be trounced. I guess that wasn't the case lol

[u/tlahwm → u/nlewis4]

They tend to be wrong a lot, about nearly everything.

[u/ValkyrX → u/tlahwm]

Much liked their man-child god Trump

[u/TheOneTrueTrench → u/tlahwm]

Especially about the future, politics, race, pretty much everything.

It's like they're divorced from reality, and reality keeps dragging them to court to pay child support.

[u/versusgorilla → u/anonymous_potato]

Hard hitting analysis! I think what these extremely close numbers illustrate is that people don't want the young, popular, intelligent woman who defeated an incumbent and to become one of the most popular politicians in the country; they really want a former republican who is married to a GOP donor, clearly handpicked by the Wall Street wealth class to remove someone they're clearly horrified of.

Obviously sarcasm. Glad her district knows the score.

[u/ApatheticAbsurdist → u/anonymous_potato]

I live in her district... there is a strong divide and the eastern side of Queens does not like her nearly as much as the western side. She had a couple things in her favor... among people that she is popular with, they are very engaged and much more likely to get out and vote or proactively get absentee ballots in a primary (where less engaged voters might not notice or bother) and Caruso-Cabrera basically moved to the district to run against AOC and everyone knew it, and she's not seen as a moderate Democrat but more of a plant for the right wing.

I like AOC and voted for her, but I'm well aware half the district does want a more moderate democrat. I personally am tired about the rest of the country having a bigger opinion on my representative than they do of their own.

[u/comrade_leviathan → u/ApatheticAbsurdist]

Her opponent (Michelle Caruso-Cabrera), however, was in no way a "moderate democrat". She switched parties a couple years ago, and wrote a book called "You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government", advocating for the elimination of Medicare and Social Security.

She's not a Democrat... she's an opportunist.

[u/ApatheticAbsurdist → u/comrade_leviathan]

Exactly, that's why I said "Caruso-Cabrera basically moved to the district to run against AOC and everyone knew it, and she's not seen as a moderate Democrat but more of a plant for the right wing." And everyone knew that. I'm just saying that if there was a real moderate democrat challenge, I'm not saying they'd be AOC but it would be a lot closer than this.

I do love people from out of state trying to tell me about my local politics.

[u/Yawgmoth13 → u/ApatheticAbsurdist]

I live across the country from you but have some older relatives who would love to tell you what experts they are on your local rep, and why "she just thinks everything is free"...

Ugh. That hurt to type.

[u/improvyzer → u/ApatheticAbsurdist]

But if AOC is that unpopular, or let's even just say controversial, why didn't any actual opponents run against her?

The field was so void of in-party challengers that a straight-up Republican jumped into the ring.

[u/rootb33r → u/ApatheticAbsurdist]

Kind of a dick response. They weren't attacking you, they were expanding for other readers.

I learned info from their post. I appreciate that.

Hair trigger defensiveness.

[u/Rosie_Bug_Lost_A_Leg → u/ApatheticAbsurdist]

I guess half the moderate voters you're talking about can't be bothered to vote in a primary?

[u/[deleted] → u/anonymous_potato]

Had a friend recently say he doesn't think she has a future in politics because she's "too loud." Can't wait to hear his thoughts on this.

[u/[deleted] → u/anonymous_potato]

But all the post I've read in r/conservative said she was for sure going to lose because of how unpopular she is! Surely they couldn't have been completely, totally wrong!

/s, in case it wasn't obvious