r/moderatepolitics • u/frust_grad • 19d ago

AOC Tells Democrats She’s Willing to Give Up Her Rebel Ways News Article

https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-time-rebel-alexandria-ocasio-140942927.html

251 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

Progressive are probably going to move a bit closer to where democrats are

Progressive are probably going to ~~move~~ say things a bit closer to where democrats are (but then do what they want when they get the power)

72

u/AwardImmediate720 19d ago

And thanks to the permanence of content on the internet they won't be believed. Just look at Kamala's campaign for the perfect example. She ran away from her former progressive positions very hard and they still are the main thing that sunk her.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

It’s mostly because nobody bought her recently acquired centrism. She was left of Bernie in the senate. She just wasn’t a good candidate and connecting with people is just as important as policy in elections; she failed at that spectacularly.

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u/johnhtman 19d ago

Yeah she tried to appeal to everyone, and only ended up coming off as inauthentic to everyone.

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u/AwardImmediate720 19d ago

And the exact same thing will happen with AOC and every other progressive Dem who tries to pivot to center. It's because their recorded statements are now floating around cyberspace instead of held in the hands of a media oligopoly that will happily obey the demands of the Democratic Party to bury information. So when AOC or any others try to pivot center we'll have the receipts to prove that it's not a real pivot. Selling a pivot will mean a lot more than just going quiet or saying a few weak condemnations. It'll require real action, real votes, things that will actually harm the agenda they're supposedly rejecting.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago edited 19d ago

I always tell AOC fans that they prob need to accept she’s gonna have a terrible time winning a national election. Her political ceiling (federal) I think would be house or senate leadership, only I don’t think she’s a political animal like Pelosi.

She’d be better served gaining influence and power in congress than running a national campaign that would require her convincing people she’s a moderate.

If she doesn’t want to compromise on that, and wants to implement a full-blown progressive agenda (both socially and economically), she needs to do that at the local or state level (mayor of NYC?) Americans said no to those policies on a national level, and with so many blue cities walking back or suffering under those policy choices, it’s a toxic position at the federal level until those policies show consistent positive results in blue cities and states.

I don’t agree with her on a lot of things, but I have a lot of respect for her and think she’s at the very least, a decent human being.

4

u/theclacks 19d ago

I don’t agree with her on a lot of things, but I have a lot of respect for her and think she’s at the very least, a decent human being.

The world would be in a much better state if more people had this kind of outlook.

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u/-s-u-n-s-e-t- 19d ago

What evidence is there that it's the "main thing that sunk her"? Pretty much all exit polls were showing very clearly people's number 1 concern was the economy. Stuff like trans issues was ranking pretty low.

The main thing that sunk her is that people are unhappy with the current economy and she was straight up running on not doing anything differently than Biden. Doesn't matter whether she's far left or closer to the center, this makes her unelectable in the current political climate. People want change.

9

u/MissedFieldGoal 19d ago

That’s the risk is to camouflage their stances with moderate positions and then push for more extreme policies when in power. Same for both the progressives and conservatives too.

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u/yoitsthatoneguy 19d ago

There aren’t enough progressives for them to get power

-10

u/TrevorsPirateGun 19d ago

Yeah but on paper they will no longer be Progressives and will be just middle of the road dems. Then they will get power and then all hell breaks loose. Bait and switch

-2

u/latortillablanca 19d ago

All hell, yeah… like medicare for all, affordable housing, foreign policy that leads with diplomacy, people over corporations, tuition free public university, investing in social welfare instead of inexorably feeding the prison industrial complex, pro immigration, green new deal, womens/queer rights.

What a disgusting radical!

14

u/seattlenostalgia 19d ago

This stuff just sounds like a campaign speech with zero substance.

Affordable housing how? Why have states controlled by progressives for decades (ie New York, California) been unable to establish affordable housing policies yet?

People over corporations meaning.. ??? what exactly? Corporations are made up of people. What are you talking about?

I’m too tired to dissect the rest of your comment.

-7

u/latortillablanca 19d ago

Funny you should ask—cos she spells it all out for you. Certainly more than anything kamala or trump did:

https://www.ocasiocortez.com/issues

12

u/working-mama- 19d ago

Abolish ICE (among other things)? Yeah, general public would love that/ s

-4

u/latortillablanca 19d ago

When its broke down this way instead of witb hysteric xenophobia, i think they would yes:

”The IRS estimates that undocumented people pay over $9 billion in withheld payroll taxes annually. Undocumented people continue to work and support this country, and they also suffer from the same economic insecurities as many U.S. citizens today.

During COVID-19, undocumented individuals have also filled so many of the essential jobs that kept this country safe, healthy, and fed during COVID-19. However, undocumented people remain ineligible to participate in several stimulus programs established by the government in response to the novel Coronavirus. Immigrant workers were not only on the frontlines of the essential workforce; millions of immigrants have jobs in industries hardest hit by the pandemic. Absent government relief for the nation’s undocumented people, many will experience siginificant economic hardships that can impact entire communities.

Our nation must recognize our history: immigrants, enslaved peoples, and refugees built this country, but they are treated dishonorably. We all do better when we create a just society that embraces our most vulnerable populations and paves a path to prosperity for all. This is why Alexandria introduced The Embrace Act during her first year in Congress, to help ensure that all persons in need are eligible for the largest programs of the social safety net.”

9

u/Rah88sa 19d ago

I don’t see how this makes it any better. Sounds like you guys still have some soul searching to do before the next election.

10

u/working-mama- 19d ago

It’s funny disapproval of illegal immigration equals xenophobia (usually, progressives follow it with accusation of racism). For the record, I am an immigrant. US has one, if not the most, immigrant friendly society in the world.

“Abolish ICE” is an open borders policy. General public will never be in favor of that for a very good reason. No doubt we need changes to the immigration system, and a “guest worker” status for vetted people. But “abolish ICE”, open borders is a very radical concept to me as a moderate. Good luck to AOC with that in any national political contest. Heck, I don’t think she would win her own state.

18

u/-s-u-n-s-e-t- 19d ago

"Affordable housing" isn't radical policy. Saying billionaires shouldn't exist is.

"People over corporations" isn't radical policy. Proclaiming capitalism is evil is.

"Foreign policy that leads with diplomacy" isn't radical policy. Proclaiming Israel shouldn't exist is.

"Queer rights" isn't radical policy. Pushing people born with a penis to compete in women sports is.

"Social welfare instead of prison" isn't radical policy. Demanding to defund the police is.

"Pro immigration" isn't radical policy. Supporting illegal immigration is.

The far left does go too radical in many areas. And while some ideas resonate with the wider public (healthcare reform, accessible education, social policy in general), unless they moderate their message people will not trust them. Bernie's message of free college and universal healthcare would have been far more palatable to the average primary voter if it wasn't also tied to "billionaires shouldn't exist" and praising Fidel Castro.

-2

u/latortillablanca 19d ago

All i did was list AOCs actual public policy positions. Yer contorting that through some conflation of headlines and things shes said out of context. But since we are here—there really isnt a need for there to be billionaires when you have kids struggling through food insecurity and lack of education, and those same billionaires are advocating for even less support for social welfare.

13

u/-s-u-n-s-e-t- 19d ago

list AOCs actual public policy positions

You ignored her radical positions that are extremely unpopular with the electorate. To give you a specific example:

"A small minority of the progressive lawmakers within the Democratic Party including Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez support defunding the police, believing that "Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist" and thus have called for police departments to be dismantled.[76][77]"

Her stances on BLM are also widely unpopular, as are the identity politics she is pushing, as is her position on Israel, as are most of her stances really

billionaires

I'm not saying there aren't extreme people who believe in that message. But the fact that the voter just put in power the literal poster child for a rich billionaire, for a second time (and this time winning the popular vote too!) should tell you how popular "billionaires shouldn't exist" is with the electorate. People just don't see rich people as evil, they see them as successful. They don't want them to not exist, they want a chance to be wealthy too.

0

u/latortillablanca 19d ago

Yeah so—i didnt “ignore” anything. I gave you her public policy positions. We have decades of systemic racism to back up the idea that policing suffers from… systemic racism. So while i dont think her rallying support for BLM = what shed actually try to implement in terms of policy (classic maga move here i feel gross), i also dont think its that far off the mark just as a conversation point.

I just flat disagree with the billionaire point and thjnk its disingenuous at best the dots yer connecting between the morons, bigots, misogynists, and/or apologists that voted for trump and the concept the an everyman actually wants billionaires to live how they live while the social welfare around tbe working classes crumble.

Also the election was close in terms of popular vote. So while those idiots were voting against their own interests, plenty of the electorate is hip to this issue—in the dirextion AOC is going with it.

16

u/-s-u-n-s-e-t- 19d ago

I think you misunderstand. I am not trying to convince you that the politics you believe in are wrong. People on the far left are too radical to be convinced of anything, it's pointless to try.

I'm trying to tell you that the politics you believe in simply aren't popular enough to win elections. Maybe you believe strongly that rich people are bad and the police should be defunded, but most people do not. And no amount of petty name-calling the electorate will change that.

I mean, take a look at the topic of this very post, even AOC is trying to distance herself from the radical left.

5

u/TrevorsPirateGun 19d ago

Go look at Canada. Yes, hell

0

u/burnaboy_233 19d ago

It depends on what’s the political environment and what drove them to power honestly