Ocasio-Cortez: House Democrats too old to understand income inequality

[John Gruff]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by berniesandersmittens (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Taking issue with the average age of a Democratic House member, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is quoted as saying:

Link to tweet

?s=21

[mcar]

1. Getting less and less impressed with her

[hlthe2b]

3. Ditto

Disappointed to say the least.

[monmouth4]

34. Me too. Has become quite full of herself..n/t

[Hortensis]

128. She is an argument for the virtues of at least

a little maturity. This is such a kiddish thing to say. When she's 65, if she's been in office she'll remember long decades of people who've wept as they told her their problems and of battles won and lost. I'm starting to be afraid she may not have the stuff to be able to learn, though. At 10 years old I wasn't that clueless.

[BannonsLiver]

177. She's going to get taken down a peg or two once she's in Congress

She’ll either be with the program or she’ll be in the background. That’s how it works.

[Gothmog]

13. I was never impressed with her

[sarah FAILIN]

215. I see the need for new faces, but...

I expect everyone to be classy and smart about the changes. This candidate toasted her cookies imo posting on Twitter right after the election about her opponent. Now she says this which is disrespectful imo to all the older folks. I started out making $3.35/hour so I think people my age and older know about income inequality. We just worked through it and survived. Then you have the comment about flipping a district red which made her look less than smart. Luckily I won't have to consider the issues with her.

[BlueWI]

242. I earned $3.35 too in the early 90s for a short stretch.

Have you seen the data on how much increase there has been in income inequality since then?

When we start to imply that I got mine, stop whining and get yours, how does that distinguish us from Republicans?

There's also data trends to show that the millennium generation is on track to earn less than their parents. These are trends that should concern us all.

Older generations, including mine (Gen X) helped create these realities, or at least we've had a voice as these realities have arisen. Are we ready to hand this economic inequality off to our kids and grandkids without acknowledgement of the severity of the problem, or focused action to address it?

[struggle4progress]

19. +

[brush]

48. Wow. She campaigns against Dems quite a bit. Not a good look.

[honest.abe]

2. Yeah, they are all senile and ignorant.

Must she continue to insult Democrats??

[John Gruff]

4. How old is Bernie?

I forgot.

[workinclasszero]

18. Isn't Bernie a millionaire?

[George II]

77. Yes. He was worth about $300-500K two years ago, now I think he's worth over $2M.

But we don't know for sure because he's refused to release his tax returns.

[grantcart]

100. He is now making in excess of a million a year

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-makes-one-million-dollars-second-straight-year-book-deals-992845

Running for the Democratic nomination has turned into a very good business for the Senator of Vermont.

We do know his minimum gross because of recording requirements

What we cannot see is if he has increased his miniscule donation record without a tax disclosure

It should be noted that Sanders screed used to be against "Millionaires and Billionaires" but is now just against Billionaires.

[whathehell]

106. Oh please..

He's 75 or 76 years old and until he ran for President, he was the poorest person in the Senate...Your reach is exceeding your grasp.

[Wwcd]

127. No, that post is exactly the truth.

"Money & Media"..just like he said..

[grantcart]

162. More word salad nonsense in defense of Sander's hyporcisy

1) First Sanders probably wasn't the poorest person in the Senate, Joe Biden probably was. We can't say definitively because Sanders never released his tax returns. Biden on the other hand has released all of his assets so I know exactly what assets he has including the fact that he has 4 life insurance policies with Mass Mutual.

2) What does a person's net worth have to do with anything? Nothing. The issue with Sanders is his raging hypocrisy on two rather obvious issues:

First his lack of transparency. He demanded that Clinton release speeches but he refused to release his tax records, something that BOTH Democratic and Republican candidates for President did for 40 years until Sanders and Trump stopped the practice.

Secondly his attacks against the classes changed after he joined the millionaire class:

Before the election he routinely railed against the "Millionaires and Billionaires" as this quote from BernieSanders.com in 2016

https://berniesanders.com/issues/income-and-wealth-inequality/

There is something profoundly wrong when we have a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires at the same time as millions of Americans work longer hours for lower wages and we have the highest childhood poverty rate of nearly any developed country on earth.

And after he joined the Millionaire class he dropped the attack on the Millionaires and focused only on Billionaires:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/14/power-billionaires-bernie-sanders-poverty-life-expectancy-climate-change

Meanwhile, as the billionaires flaunt their opulence, nearly one in seven people struggle to survive on less than $1.25 (90p) a day and – horrifyingly – some 29,000 children die daily from entirely preventable causes such as diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia.

I don't fault Bernie or anyone other making sound investments during a long professional life and having a respectful portfolio that was based on a lifetime of saving and investing.

Here are the facts:

1) Sanders cashed in and virtually all of his net worth derived from activity that was an auxiliary to the campaign for a party nomination for a party that he a) promised to join and never leave and b) continues to denounce as a failure:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/bernie-sanders-democratic-partys-platform-has-been-a-failure-for-the-past-15-years

“The business model, if you like, of the Democratic Party for the last 15 years or so has been a failure,” Sanders said, a line that was met with applause at a panel event in Mississippi Wednesday night.

I find Sanders comments in 2018 very strange because of the choice of words "business model" for a political party but putting that aside he is basically calling the 8 years of the Obama Presidency a failure because that was the "business model" of the Democratic party between 2008 and 2016, but again a very strange way for an experienced politician to characterize it.

2) Before he ran his sole income was based on his Senate income and afterwards he was able to monetize that bring in millions. That's fine, but if you were listening carefully he stopped railing against "Millionaires and Billionaires" and started focusing on just the few "really really rich". In the article from January he no longer rails against the top 8% of Americans (which he now joins) but rails against Jeff Bezos and his 100 billion and 4 mansions, etc.

The target of Sanders attacks depends on how much money he personally has.

3) Sanders is the least transparent of politicians. Except for Trump all Republicans released their tax returns but Sanders refuses. It amazes me how those who would demand of it from every other politician don't mind that Sanders refuses to disclose his assets and income, something that everyone else has done for 50 years.

Its not about his wealth or lack of it but the raging hypocrisy that he engages in.

[whathehell]

164. More knee-jerk Bernie bashiing bs

and if "probably" is the best you can offer as refutation, I'm not very interested in the rest of your screed. Goodbye and good luck.

[grantcart]

165. Well that is a new height in intellectual cognitive dissonance. It is only "probably" because

Sanders refuses to release his tax returns while Biden has released everything, I even know that he has 4 Mass Mutual Life Insurance Policies because Biden, unlike Sanders is transparent.


You have no facts
You have no line of argument

Simply the assertion that the rules that apply to every other politician don't apply to Sanders.

Sanders rail against millionaires and billionaires changes when he becomes a millionaire.

I don't fault him increasing his wealth. Its just the raging hypocrisy which is detailed above point by point but you don't have the courage to respond to.

[sheshe2]

159. Multi millionaire.

[oasis]

65. He's not a Democrat so I guess she's giving him a pass.

[Hekate]

196. Older than Hillary by several years. nt

[hlthe2b]

5. Yet her mentor, Bernie is not exactly a spring chick, now is he?

Does she think HE doesn't understand income inequality, given that has been his platform for decades?

[kcr]

112. Neither was Ted Kennedy while we're at it

I guess working in his office, as she claims she did, didn't teach her anything.

[George II]

75. I'm 70 years old, sharp as a tack, and I'm HIGHLY offended!

[Cha]

124. Ooops, here's Nancy Pelosi.. Not "too old.. "

Link to tweet

[womanofthehills]

199. Sorry, but most of our politicians are very rich old white men

However, only 20 percent are women - it should be half and we definitely need some younger representatives. She is not saying the representatives are senile and ignorant. i believe she is saying congress should be more representative of who it represents. I'm a grandma but I am sure ready for younger people (like Beto) to be in congress. I love the idea that he is being supported by donations from regular people and not corporations.

[honest.abe]

210. Being rich, white, old and male doesnt mean they are wrong or dont understand the issues.

Of course we need younger representatives but that doesnt mean we should insult those who are there now and have worked their lifetimes to make things better in this country.

[Cha]

281. Thank You, honest abe!

[R B Garr]

6. Her family moved to Westchester so she could go to a nice school. Her dad was

an architect. The family kept the place in the Bronx, apparently, so they had two homes -- in New York.

[George II]

79. He wasn't just an architect, he owned his own architectural firm with a number of employees.

[R B Garr]

153. Wow, that is elitist level, hardly from a position in life

to criticize others. I can’t even imagine coming from that kind of privilege. My divorced parents made few sacrifices for us. Her comment is offensive.

[CatMor]

7. As a older female I sure do know about income inequality.

[DFW]

10. But you can't possibly

At 28, Ocasio-Cortez knows everything.

Does't she🙄 ?

[CatMor]

12. She never bothered to learn how far back the fight for equal pay for equal work goes

[DFW]

45. It's the path of least resistance

It's so easy to think you're the first one to come up with an idea. I remember talking to people during Vietnam War protests who were amazed to hear that some in America thought that going to war with Spain in 1898 was worth protesting, too.

[Skidmore]

16. +1 nt

[sheshe2]

148. Yes, CatMor

And here you go. It sure is not new and we have been fighting for it for years.

Link to tweet

She needs to learn the history.

[CatMor]

155. There is much I didn't know about Harriet Tubman...

and her fight for compensation she was duly owed. What a crime it took so long for her to be compensated.
Thanks SheShe for the info.

[Phoenix61]

8. Wow, just wow

The more she talks the less impressed I am.

[a kennedy]

9. This is not good......wish someone could talk to her......

someone other then Bernie. This is not good.

[comradebillyboy]

60. Susan Sarandon talks to OAC.

But I'm sure that's not who you had in mind.

[lunasun]

188. And Sarandon is old so what would she know??

[comradebillyboy]

20. It's an even bigger shame her opponent didn't bother to run.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Give it up. The more she critizes other Democrats, the more I dislike her. She

seems to believe she is smarter than anyone else.

[gratuitous]

15. My, my, my

The ellipsis in that tweet does a LOT of heavy lifting.

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. WTF is wrong with her?

[Autumn]

21. Good interview, she made some very good points.

I think it's not only politicians that don't see that rising income inequality has resulted in that stark political reality for the younger generation, it's the people too. The title misrepresents what she really said and talked about but that's par for the course.

[theaocp]

25. Derangement syndrome hurts all of us.

We are so damn tribal these days that it's hard to let it go. I watched the video and there is definitely more to what she was saying than is indicated in the headline. I recommend even her haters watch it, if for no other reason than increased context. It's okay. It's short.

[Autumn]

31. The whole interview is about half an hour. I'm not in her state

so I don't have a dog in this hunt but she's sharp and right on top of everything. She sees what younger people, not just politicians are facing. We need the younger people to step up and change things for themselves and the world.

[JHan]

145. I'm young and I could craft a message to yet more young people involved in politics .. without..

attacking my own goddamned party.

Wierd huh?

[Autumn]

151. She didn't attack the party, she discussed the differences in the political

landscape from back then and the political landscape now. She also discussed the need for the Democratic party to spend money on campaigns for more young people to run in state house seats and later Congress. Makes sense to me. Wierd? Is it wierd that a younger person would see the political landscape as being different than older ones? I think it would be strange if they saw it the same. Time marches on.

[JHan]

173. The statement in the OP is:

"The average age of a House Democrat right now is 65 years old... I don't think that they exactly see how rising income inequality has resulted in a very stark political reality."

Which is the same ole " dems are out of touch" "dems don't have solutions"

And speaking of tired, I'm tired of the same conversation about the future of the party when things are being done on the ground and democrats are talking about things like healthcare, wages, the economy plus having to deal with Trump's GOP and their bullshit. Democrats are reaching out to younger voters, and young voters can join the party any time. Nothing is stopping us from joining. Complex issues like college debt , wages, how to take the next step in healthcare reform - all of these are things dems have talked and are campaigning on.

[betsuni]

182. The old Limousine Liberal insult, updated to out of touch "bought by corporate interests" elites.

I want to know how AOC knows that Democrats aren't encouraging and helping young people get into politics. Has she researched this? How does she know that older Democrats don't understand the political landscape, don't understand income inequality? I would like old Joe Biden to say something about that.

Tired of the gaslighting.

[Madam Mossfern]

233. I watched the clip

so I could see her words in context. I'm sorry, but as an "old" person, I found her comments offensive. Having children that are a bit older than she is, I understand very well the economic situation as it is presently. To state that Democratic legislators who were in their "heyday" in the nineties and are part of the 3rd way is divisive.

That - is just what the Democratic Party doesn't need right now. Funny how I don't see older Democrats denigrating younger ones for their age.

Just a mild suggestion for her - dropping all those "likes" when she speaks would help us old folks understand her better.

[Autumn]

237. Everyone has an opinion, I gave you mine as an older person,

I didn't take anything she said to be denigrating older people.

[oberliner]

22. You don't expect to see the "out of context quotes to make Democrats look bad" game at DU

But here we are apparently.

[pecosbob]

33. Seeing quite a bit of this lately...

I'd say they're coming from persons who don't necessarily have the best interests of the Democratic Party in mind.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

278. Sad really, especially at a time when we need to stand united like never before.

[pnwmom]

40. What context could make that quote okay? n/t

[lapucelle]

110. She doesn't sound familiar with the Democratic platform.

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform#middle-class

[Cha]

126. That's putting it kindly.

Link to tweet

[Wwcd]

131. K & R Insult the work of an entire generation..

Um..cuz..like they're really old & how would they know what being a struggling young person could even be like!!

Holee fk.

I'm actually embarassed for her.

[workinclasszero]

23. Constant division, attacking democrats

not the damn GOP who are the ones that made America a hell for the working class.

Who benefits from the constant divisive attacks against democrats???

[lark]

24. Really dumb, dumb statement.

Guess she is so young she has no clue that people over 60 vote a great deal more than people under 30. Going after old people when it comes to elections is really stupid. I'm so over her.

[Autumn]

32. You really should listen to the interview. The title is misleading.

[melman]

26. Ah the daily 'bash AOC' thread

Of course none of the people 'no longer impressed' bother to actually listen to the clip. But apparently her actual words are of no interest to them. Pretty sad.

[Squinch]

30. It's really the "quote AOC" thread, but I guess with her that IS pretty damaging to her image.

[HopeAgain]

43. Change is scary to people, so they look to discredit

Yes, she is inexperienced and young. She will make some mistakes. But if the Democratic Party wants a future, she is tapping into something that cannot be ignored. This young lady is doing what seems to be missing in a lot of campaigns, and that is fearlessly framing the conversation in bold liberal terms.

[brush]

54. She needs to stop campaigning against Dems and do some research on the repugs...

responsible for income inequality. It sure wasn't Obama, or Clinton.

Has she never heard of W Bush and Reagan and the trickle down theory the repugs have been trying and failing at for the last 35 years or so, only interrupted by the boom of the Clinton years and the Obama administration's recovery from yet another repug recession?

Place the blame where it belongs, for God's sake.

[HopeAgain]

57. You mean

stop campaigning against the established Democrats?

[brush]

61. Repugs would, IMO, be a more appropriate target. Yes.

[HopeAgain]

63. I think campaigning for ANY Democrat is fair game

regardless of who they are running against. If we can't move the party left during the primaries, when can we?

[brush]

68. I'm with you in races where there is not sitting Dem incumbent.

Why re-invent the wheel so to speak. Incumbent Democrats have proven they can win a general election.

Devote time, energy and money to candidates in races where there is no proven Democratic winner.

And your concern about moving the party to the left is in theory good, but we have to be in the majority in the House, Senate or state legislatures to move anything anywhere.

Fighting against proven Dem winners and taking the chance with an unproven Dem who may lose to a repug is not as smart as pouring funds and effort into races where there is a sitting repug we can target to defeat and thus gain another seat.

[Cha]

263. "Established".. that ol buzzword? Oh you mean that the Victorious Sharice Davids

and Gretchen Whitmer? Two Progressive Women who are High Standard Dems.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[OilemFirchen]

120. "This young lady".

Where the fuck are the scolds? Huh?

[Cha]

122. AOC "Discredits" herself by her Own Words.. No spinning will change that.

Link to tweet

[Cha]

83. And, you Cannot Defend what she said.. only attempt

to change the subject.

[NurseJackie]

221. THAT is exactly correct!

to change the subject.

THAT is exactly correct! And accuse others of "bashing" her. We're not stupid. We can hear. We can read. The meaning and intent were crystal clear. It's offensive, it's divisive, it creates division and distrust... and those four things weaken the Democratic party.

All I'm trying to say is that anything that WEAKENS the Democratic party only serves to HELP the Republican party (and by extension, the Russians). So I wonder, why would anyone want to intentionally do things (and say things) that ultimately help the Russians?

[Cha]

222. And, all their

candidates Lost! Karma, baby!

[NurseJackie]

223. "What plays in the Bronx, stays in the Bronx," apparently.

"What plays in the Bronx, stays in the Bronx," apparently... and to rework a popular tourist slogan.

All I'm saying is a repeat of what many of us have been saying for quite a long time. There's just no denying that Vermont-style politicians (and Bronx-style politics) don't always play well in Peoria, or "America's heartland". And once again, we're proven correct. The politics of purity, or the politics of pride (rather than being strategic, rather than understanding the area, rather than trying to WIN or stay in power) is a bad strategy.

[Cha]

276. Senator Duckworth is

owned an apology.. that she'll Never get.

Jackie

[uponit7771]

246. +1

[NurseJackie]

218. Nobody is doing that.

Ah the daily 'bash AOC' thread

Nobody is doing that.

[melman]

219. Of course they are

[NurseJackie]

220. No they're not. Quoting her is not "bashing" her.

Of course they are

No they're not. Quoting her is not "bashing" her. AOC's meaning was crystal clear. We're not stupid you know.

[dlk]

27. Hubris...It May be Her Downfall

[appal_jack]

95. You do realize that "her downfall" equals a Repub victory in her district, yes? nt

[LuvLoogie]

113. You know how hubris works, yes?

[comradebillyboy]

118. She will win her election but she shouldn't be burning

bridges before shes elected. Who is going to want to work with her?

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. I am so tired of people taking advantage of Democratic party infrastructure, and trashing it....

at the same time. Why didn't she just run as a Democratic Socialist, or an Independent?

[Wwcd]

134. Same reason Bernie flipped to a D.

"MONEY & MEDIA". His own words when asked why he ran as a Dem in 2015/16

And now he's a millionare!!

[Tarheel_Dem]

138. That sucks. I can't help but wonder if this is an attempt by outsiders to destroy us from within.

[Wwcd]

142. As long as Tad works for Bernie.. its pretty much what Tad does for a living.

The Tad & Paul global electioneering show.
From the Ukraine to the USA.

You are correct.

[Lulu KC]

253. Agreed

but the question to me is, is she part of the attempt or an unknowing shill?

[RandySF]

29. I didn't realize income inequality was a new thing.

[sheshe2]

97. It's not.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210973695#post90

However, to her defense she wasn't born yet. However she should take a closer look at History.

[pecosbob]

35. Not nice to bash Democratic public figures for quotes without context

Probably best to ignore anything coming from the MM that aims to divide with less than one hundred days left before mid-terms. Not in the best interest of all here.

[PDittie]

205. I believe it's against this forum's TOS

and in some cases might ought to be alerted.

She's the Democratic nominee. Whether you like her or or not isn't relevant at this point.

In this forum, as I interpret the rules.

[awesomerwb1]

36. Youthful enthusiasm

I'm not a fan. I WANT to see younger people running for office and getting involved in politics. But you have to be smart and prove yourself and not just talk and talk and talk. Don't step on other people's toes.

Reminds me of a young athlete who comes in all cocky telling seasoned pros how to play, what to do. All she's done is win a primary.
She should try to play a few real games or a get a full season under her belt before acting like she won the MVP award.

Very poor mentorship it seems. Not unifying at all.

[Tom Rinaldo]

37. I know there have been polls here about the average age of DU members

We are for the most part not a young bunch but I don't recall what our average age seems to be. I am confident though that we are not representative of the population at large, we are older on average. Whether or not it is always literally true (and obviously it is not always literally true) there is a perception among many younger voters that their world view can't be adequately represented by political bodies overwhelmingly run by Boomers. I'm a Boomer and I believe they are right. I would say the same about an overwhelmingly white body representing People of Color, of an overwhelmingly Male body representing women's interests, or of an overwhelmingly wealthy body representing the needs of the working class and the poor etc.

The proportions don't need to be perfect aligned, but they shouldn't be wildly out of whack either. I'm a straight white male who I think usually does well regarding issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation etc. Doesn't matter, I can have a positive role to play but people need direct representation by people like themselves. When that is lacking problems almost always happen.

[kcr]

135. Knowing that is isn't ok to bash old people has nothing to do with how old you are.

That's a matter of character and, for a politician, common sense. My teenage children know better.

[wonkwest]

38. In this thread: People reacting to headlines instead of listening for context

It's disappointing. We're supposed to be smarter than this.

Click. Bait. Outrage. Rinse. Repeat.

But, it's Ocasia-Cortez. So it's ok. Facts aren't important. There is a Bernie supporter and a stake right here. Let's bring matches!

This place sometimes.

[Snotcicles]

42. And they will follow the newest, shiny object poster that wanders in here. nt

[wonkwest]

51. It's the one thing that really bothers me about the Internet

This isn't exclusive to DU - I see it all over.

There's a sensationalist headline. 90% of the people responding have read only the headline or maybe a first paragraph or two of the article. They react accordingly.

Then, if you read through the article or listen to the context of the interview, you realize the headline is massively misleading and designed merely to generate outrage and clicks.

So frustrating. I always read or listen through before responding. Headlines on the Internet can't be trusted. They're designed to manipulate and foment a certain emotional response.

[G_j]

125. Marijuana Contains "Alien DNA" From Outside Of Our Solar System, NASA Confirms

(I had just stumbled upon this silly click bait, and it makes a point.)

http://www.sci-techuniverse.com/2018/07/marijuana-contains-alien-dna-from.html?m=1

It is big news, set to shock, amaze, and entertain the world. But unfortunately, it's got nothing to do with extraterrestrial stoners melding with Earth's plants. However, since you're now reading, you'll almost certainly be interested in this research that looked into the clicking and sharing behaviors of social media users reading content (or not) and then sharing it on social media.

We here at IFLS noticed long ago that many of our followers will happily like, share and offer an opinion on an article - all without ever reading it. We're not the only ones to notice this. NPR shared an article on their Facebook page which asked “Why doesn't America read anymore?” The joke, of course, is that there was no article. They waited to see if their followers would weigh in with an opinion without clicking the link, and they weren't disappointed.

We've been hoping for a chance to try it ourselves, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Yackler had some fun with the same article and managed to fool a bunch of people. A group of computer scientists into a dataset of over 2.8 million online news articles that were shared via Twitter.

The study found that up to 59 percent of links shared on Twitter have never actually been clicked by that person’s followers, suggesting that social media users are more into sharing content than actually clicking on and reading it.

“People are more willing to share an article than read it,” the study’s co-author Arnaud Legout said in a statement, Washington Post reports. “This is typical of modern information consumption. People form an opinion based on a summary, or a summary of summaries, without making the effort to go deeper.”


..more..

[wonkwest]

136. This is brilliant, thanks for sharing.

And this thread proves the point. OC didn't say "older politicians don't understand income inequality." She said, "older politicians don't seem to understand the currently shifting politics caused by income inequality." And this is a very basic Millennial argument nowadays. I hear it all the time.

But, well, look at the responses in the thread. It's clear almost all the responses didn't bother to look for themselves at what was actually said there.

If they addressed the context and still disagree with her, so be it. At least that's fair and informed.

(The monkey article linked in yours is really interesting!)

[BlueWI]

198. Thanks for your reasonable response.

The impoverishment of upcoming generations is a real concern and shouldn't be trivialized. We are handing our future generations an unsustainable environment, a huge national debt, and rising inequality that has persisted through Republican and Democratic administrations. It is also true that Congress is dispoportionately middle aged and older compared to the rest of the population. I'm middle aged myself and have worked in a primary profession for 35 years, but even so, I cannot duplicate some of the understanding of current circumstances that can be brought to the table by a younger person with different experiences.

Neither party appeals particularly well to young people, and many of us on DU seem determined to keep it that way. I hope that the conversation around infrastructure spending and reducing college costs becomes more prominent as Democrats hopefully gain a majority, in states or in DC!

[wonkwest]

204. You hit upon one of the major misunderstood things, I think

Walking out of education with six figure debt. That situation just did not exist when these politicians were in school. It's a staggeringly difficult thing to surmount. It's like throwing a million ton anvil on a rocket trying to take off. Most people 60+ just didn't have the first 10-15 years of their adulthood stymied in that way. Obama got it very well, because he had experienced it.

The reason someone like Sanders resonated is because many Millennials felt, "Well, at least someone's talking about it!" But what Millennials were met with were the old guard sneering that those kids just wanted "free stuff". I see that around here sometimes.

OC is inartful. She has more enthusiasm than wisdom, I think. But she is expressing what many of us in her generation feel. As we come into our own power, we're going to start seeing a lot more people like her.

Right now we're like a flaming bag of dog poop for the party. People may try to stomp us out, but they're going to be in for some shit.

[betsuni]

209. No, Obama did not experience school debt.

I'm a year older than he is and I can assure you tuitions weren't high back then. What, is this a new talking point? Second time I've seen it today.

[wonkwest]

224. He was around in the atmosphere and saw it in his peers

I know he personally was just fine. But when he was coming up, the high tuitions were beginning to enroach. He made a big deal about it in his presidency.

It's not a talking point.

God damn. Can't even say kind things about Obama now if there's progressive politics to be pooh pooh'ed.

[BlueWI]

241. Well said.

It would be good to hone the policies and the message to increase the under 35 vote. Obama had a couple of successes with student loan reform and increasing Pell Grant maximums. The community college initiative had promise also, but Sanders' proposals were far reaching and energizing. Good point about the the cost increase. I got my master's degree from Nevada-Las Vegas and the cost was $50 credit hour in the late 80s, $35 per credit for undergrad. It's not fair to younger folks for the middle aged like me and older folks to just ignore how much higher education costs.

Good luck to you and all the best for great news in November.

[blackdove78]

50. Yah

Everybody that disagrees with must not have watched the video.

[wonkwest]

53. You need only look at time stamps to catch that.

People responding within minutes of the post sifted through a 30 minute interview?

I need these awesome relativistic powers. I could get so much done.

[blackdove78]

55. Or

They could have seen it hours ago when it was posted on Twitter.

[wonkwest]

58. Riiiight. n/t

[mopinko]

140. actually, happens fairly often.

i run into lots of stories that i have already read. most good stuff gets posted repeatedly.

[wonkwest]

144. Here's a quick question then

If people actually did watch the interview and listen to her, then why did almost none of the responses note that the OP's headline was misleading at best or intentionally distorted at worse?

She never said what was attributed to her. But the overwhelming number of responses are in reaction to that dishonest headline, responding as if she did say that precise thing.

Am I to believe people watched the video and also wanted to intentionally distort her words?

Either way, it doesn't speak well of the discourse happening.

[John Gruff]

74. You didn't explain what she meant

Interpret it please.

[wonkwest]

102. Why bother?

You posted a dishonest headline. The torches and pitchforks are out. I am not Atticus Finch. If this is what people do to have fun - hate on a solid Democratic vote - so be it.

She did not say the politicians didn't understand income inequality. She stated that they are older and perhaps don't perceive how income inequality is beginning to shift politics around. I've been saying that for a few years now myself. She's coming from a Millennial perspectives that I don't think our leadership is quite getting yet.

But, you posted a dishonest, very truncated, out of context headline and watched the outrage fly.

And I very, very much believe that was the entire intent.

So well, divisively done there.

[brush]

167. Ahhh...what she said is nothing new. Every generation has felt the same way...

no matter if you're talking about Boomers, GenXers and now Millennials.

She'll learn. Hope she doesn't burn all of the bridges before she does though.

[wonkwest]

206. When it comes to student debt and affordable housing?

No, older politicians did not experience that.

Millennials got slapped hard in the face by Boomers, and then were told to quit our bitching.

But sure. Condescend some more. It’s the liberal thing to do nowadays, I guess.

In ten years, Millennials will start coming into their political power. If you’re irritated with our kind now, just wait. It’s going to get a lot worse for you sooner than you think.

[brush]

212. You're kidding right? Many middle age people are still paying off student loans.

And putting off trying to by a house. Again, every generation goes through that stuff.

"I can't believe you wrote this on a Democratic board to other Dems:

"In ten years, Millennials will start coming into their political power. If you’re irritated with our kind now, just wait. It’s going to get a lot worse for you sooner than you think."

Grasp the bigger picture, pls. It's about Dems being united and fighting against deplorables/repugs, not each other, not some generational beef.

Do you not get it? trump and his cabal are trying to turn the country over to Putin and the Russians and you're talking about making it hard on GenXers and Boomers when you take over?

Un-fucking-believable.

[OilemFirchen]

217. I graduated from college in 1977.

Unemployment was 7%. Locally it neared 10%. The minimum wage was $2.30.

I finally paid off my student debt in 1983, and bought my first house... at a 14% interest rate.

Ah... the halcyon days...

[Cha]

264. "But sure. Condescend some more" Looks like you're

the one who is "condescending".

[Cha]

266. You "leave it".

[betsuni]

271. "But sure. Condescend some more. It's the liberal thing to do nowadays, I guess."

Liberals are the enemy? That's not very nice!

[lapucelle]

272. President Obama spoke about how long it took him and Michelle to pay off their student debt.

President Barack Obama, courting young voters crucial to his reelection, told a rowdy college-age crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Tuesday that he knows first-hand about the burden of student loans because he only managed to pay his back a scant eight years ago.

"Michelle and I, we've been in your shoes," Obama, who turns 51 in August, told a cheering, capacity crowd of 8,000 at Carmichael Arena.

"Check this out, all right. I'm the president of the United States. We only finished paying off our student loans off about eight years ago. That wasn't that long ago. And that wasn't easy--especially because when we had Malia and Sasha, we're supposed to be saving up for their college educations, and we're still paying off our college educations," he said.

[Madam Mossfern]

234. I watched the clip n/t

It's not OK, not because of the person saying it, but because of what was being said.

[lapucelle]

273. Our Democratic governor is making the $15 minimum wage

and tuition free state university a reality here in NY, but AOC endorsed his opponent because "Cynthia and I both have roots in educational work".


https://www.ny.gov/new-york-states-minimum-wage/new-york-states-minimum-wage

https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/10-2017/10-1-17/tuition-free-suny-cuny-numbers.html

http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2018/06/nixon-and-ocasio-cortez-endorse-each-other/

[rogue emissary]

39. This is just ignorant and bigoted lack of thinking.

I'm not a fan of Ocasio-Cortez, but I subscribe to the any Democrat, even a Democratic Socialist is better than a Republican mantra.

She's showing her her age and frankly her bigotry. As many have already pointed out her most prominent supporter in Congress is over 65 and a millionaire. Yes, he doesn't consider himself a Democrat, but she seems to be taking a shot at him.

Lastly, Ocasio-Cortez is just flat out wrong. Someone that's around 65 has seen the economic trends. They've seen a growing middle class and upward mobility. They know it wasn't a diverse middle class that was prospering, but they've seen better times.

I hope she apologizes and moves on quickly cause this isn't a winning strategy.

[Autumn]

67. She would be wrong, if that were what she had said.

It wasn't.

[rogue emissary]

71. That's what I heard and what PSA transcriped.

I guess laughing at me makes sense or is somehow engaging in a conversation.

[Autumn]

80. Yes talking about the need for younger leadership and addressing

the needs of younger voters, engaging them and drawing them into the Democratic party is a losing strategy

[rogue emissary]

98. unfortunatly she decide to attack older voters while kinda talking about getitng

younger candidates. Will hopefully lead to more younger voters.

Your sarcasm, eye rolling or laughing at me doesn't neglect that she screwed up.

That furbies and soccer mom line was a sad attempt at humor. She than insulated people who support members of Congress like John Lewis. As she said, their heyday was in the '90's suggesting their time had passed. I'll take John Lewis any damn day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[Autumn]

101. She attacked older voters? What part of the 30 minute interview was that?

Soccer moms, 2 minivans and furbies . That sounds like the 90s to me.

[rogue emissary]

143. The voters who are supporting those "average age of Democrat is 65" are older voters.

That's the conclusion if you believe you need younger candidates to attract younger voters. Saying their representatives are past their heyday goes for their supporters as well.

I get it that you don't think she said anything wrong. Still waiting for you to address your sarcasm, eye rolling or laughing.

I want her to win but any politician out their can "Be Best."

[Autumn]

149. You are reading a lot into what she didn't say in her interview.

I use the little emoticons because I can, ther are a feature that the admins set up for us.

I'm an old voter, I'm fine with younger leadership and the party should start investing in younger candidates for state house seats and later Congress. She never said they were past their heyday either. She said the political landscape is not the same as it was in their heyday and it's not.

[rogue emissary]

157. She said their heyday was in the '90s.

In two years we'll be twenty years past the 90's. She isn't saying their best days are ahead of them.

Thing is we agree on getting younger voters to vote Democrat. I don't care if the party leadership is old or young. She shouldn't have to mock voters to do so. Listen to the interview as she laughs about the furbies, minivans and soccer moms.

Again still not addressing the sentiment of your sarcasm, eye rolling or laughing.

[GemDigger]

41. For me, I think what's happening....

is I don't see her making any friends with the older dem voters if she keeps this shit up. She will get her seat and that may be as far as she goes.

[comradebillyboy]

64. The importance of making friends in politics is too often overlooked

People tend to not support folks who shit on them.

[bettyellen]

44. Weird because I've been so disappointed in young voters not knowing enough to vote...

We’d be steadily heavily blue and a much more progressive country if they did. But we’ve had a GOP takeover and then they blame Dems. Makes zero sense to me.

[sheshe2]

90. Plus the fight she talks about started a long long time ago.

Perhaps she was to young, actually before she was born, to know. Bernie was not the first to have fought for this.

Link to tweet

You see, black women have been doing this forever.

[ehrnst]

94. Indeed.(nt)

[brer cat]

116. +1000

Most of us look to our ancestors and elders for guidance and inspiration. Their wisdom was often achieved through hard-fought battles, and we respect their knowledge even though some circumstances have changed.

[bettyellen]

229. I get that some people don't grow up interested in politics... but I feel like there should be a

Learning and participating stage before full on complaining about the system. Because you’d have to know a large part of the reason we don’t have better government is lack of participation of normal folks leave it open for the self interested to control. I’ve always felt we all have a responsibility to participate. And that if you don’t you can’t complain.

[KPN]

231. Seems to me the younger generation is just rejecting and changing

the established societal rules — as younger generations have always done. Maybe they are just rejecting the ages-old notion that one must pay their dues before having any meaningful influence.

[bettyellen]

232. The thing is you DO need to participate to change the rules in politics-Doing the work is required.

You can reject the notion, sure... but it gets you absolutely nowhere. Sure lazy billionaires can change things by spending money but there really aren’t other short cuts. There’s a learning curve, and there are steps to change. You can’t wish that away.

[KPN]

235. They are participating. Just differently than

my generation.

[bettyellen]

236. Participating means doing things, not sitting on the sidelines. You can't change something from the

outside. It literally never has worked that way.
Young people never saw the benefit of fighting for unions of social security or cheaper health insurance... but free college was a great hook to awaken their own self interest. Most of them had no idea how hostile Congress is to spending on education, part of the reason it’s gone nowhere. Now that they’ve learned it takes working with coalitions are they up for it? Some are, but they’re still not voting in big enough numbers.

[betsuni]

129. +1

[PunkinPi]

227. +1 nt

[thewhollytoast]

46. Sounds like some folks are a little too sensitive

If it's to loud you are too old! Go take a nap.

Toast

[tonyt53]

114. Us oldies grew up on real rock. Can't get too loud for us. Time to put the kids down for a nap.

[pecosbob]

47. I'm old myself...

politics seems to be one of the few arenas where we (Americans) don't push oldsters to the sidelines. It might be a better world if we did. I spend most of my time these days pissed off about prices in the grocery store and wondering why all my old favorite brands that have been bought out by Con-Agra now taste like dog food.

I personally don't believe it's possible for most wealthy people to understand what living poor means...that's my problem with Congress, not their age, but their tax bracket.

[krawhitham]

49. She's not wrong

[guillaumeb]

52. A very misleading title.

[John Gruff]

72. Your post is empty

You didn’t say why it’s misleading.

[guillaumeb]

78. First, welcome to DU.

Second, what she said was:

"The average age of a House Democrat right now is 65 years old... I don't think that they exactly see how rising income inequality has resulted in a very stark political reality." —

Not the same thing as the title.

[pwb]

81. Why are so many against this young lady?

Get off her back. She will vote our way. Putins bots are after her big time. Don't fall for it. She is much better than the (R) Russian party.

[guillaumeb]

84. It is quite obvious, is it not?

One wonders, given that her name appears in so many negative posts, exactly why she is seen by some as such a threat.

[sheshe2]

139. Who exactly are you accusing on this thread of being Russian Bots?

Hm?

[pwb]

152. Read the replies? You think these are all democrats?

she is a democrat being questioned and doubted here too much. She doesn't deserve it. The Putin divide is at work again.

[Madam Mossfern]

240. I'm certainly not against her

but if we want the Democratic candidate to win handily, the need not alienate a large part of the electorate. In art school, it was called 'constructive criticism.' It's important and it's also important that we old'uns give some sage advice to the young'uns.

[John Gruff]

92. I has the exact same meaning as the title

What did you think she meant? You didn’t say.

[guillaumeb]

93. We disagree.

The title implies that older House Democrats do not understand the concept, but her statement:

"The average age of a House Democrat right now is 65 years old... I don't think that they exactly see how rising income inequality has resulted in a very stark political reality." —

implies that they do not understand the reality of how income inequality is affecting politics and the entire country.

[kcr]

109. You don't seem to get why what she said is offensive.

Your correction doesn't change anything. What does their age have to do with what they can and can't see?

[Cha]

262. It's the exact same meaning.

[dsc]

56. She is considerably far off on her average age

The average age of Congressional Democrats (that includes the Senate) is only 61. The average House age is certain to be years younger than that. Having one's basic facts correct matters.

[Thrill]

59. i think she's beginning to think she's a star before

She actually is one. Stop reading your press clippings

[KPN]

230. She is. The media is making her one,

along with all thenegative attention she gets here.

[RelativelyJones]

62. Does she not realize that she will need allies when she takes the seat she has not yet won?

[Danmel]

66. It's endemic to these new "Democrats"

I've been a committee person for almost 20 years. In my late 50s. I've been knocking on doors, carrying petitions, making phone calls, writing checks for local candidates.
2016 happened and now all these ideologically pure people are very quick to tell us every thing we've done wrong. And they will only carry petitions for their person, and say they would rather have a republican win than an impure Democrat.
We have to cut this crap out and keep our eyes on the prize or we are going to be in deep trouble in November.

[delisen]

69. Remember when JFK ran/won by complaining about Democrats?

When JFK said the old Democrats were the reason Apopalachia was economically depressed?

or Paul Wellstone raged against Democrats

Remember when the rising and younger Democrats harangued us about how Tip O'Neill was too old and did not understand the modern world.

I don't intend to be thrown off the bus by any Democrat because I'm not 25. I hear all the criticism about Democrats I need --from .......Republicans.

From Democrats I want to hear some solid plans on how we can all band together, defeat fascism and build equality.

Regressive forces in America have always tried to limit competition by telling other people they have to get out of the way or should not be allowed to compete or should not be allowed to continue competing.

This is regressive propaganda. Incidentally bankruptcies among people over 65 at at record high numbers. Try starting out again at 65 as so many are doing. Early, underfunded, forced retirements and no job offers. Houses you can't afford to repair or pay tax bills on.......

Cortez seems intent on tearing apart instead of building coalitions-that was indeed the Tea Party approach. They had their victories and now they have just about destroyed the Republican Party-and we are poised to save the country--if we can remember that the opponents of Democracy are Republicans and the enemy of Democracy is Vladimir Putin and his henchmen-not House Democrats.

[honest.abe]

85. I think the unwritten mission of the OR gang is to tear apart the existing Democratic Party.

In the hopes that they can rebuild it in their image.

That is a fool's errand.

[George II]

73. I see she's still fighting Democrats. When is she going to take on republicans, if ever?

[bigtree]

82. you're fighting a Democrat here

...pretending to care about supporting Democrats.

Other Democratic candidates have been critical of their Democratic opponents in this primary, but you reserve all of your attacks for AOC on this.

By the way, it's a LIE that she hasn't or isn't attacking republicans, no matter how much you spam that attack on this Democratic nominee here.

What's even more egregious is the fact that you mean to obscure the reams of policy discussions she's had during this campaign. She's busy defining herself, and you want her to give a platform to republicans by openly attacking someone (who isn't clear).

This isn't about any of that is it? She's 'attacked republicans' as much as anyone else in this primary (as if that's always the main enterprise of primary candidates). This is a specious argument without basis in fact or political reason.

It's dirt-dumb strategy to give republicans a platform, and it's dirt-dumb strategy to spend the majority of your time here bashing this Democratic nominee for having the temerity to participate in our primary.

That's what you're doing here. Not supporting anyone, just tearing at this woman's candidacy on a Democratic message board. And we're supposed to believe this is in the interest of the party?

[Cha]

91. AOC bashes herself with what she says.. and you

don't address that.. you just go around complaining about how poor AOC is treated because of what she SAYS.

How about her "dirt dumb strategy"(your accusation of Democrats)?

[George II]

99. "She's defending herself"? She needs to travel to Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, etc....

...to "defend herself"?

"Other Democratic candidates have been critical of their Democratic opponents in this primary". Yes. Her primary was on June 26 - time to stop criticizing and/or campaigning against other Democrats and concentrate on her own race in her own district.

This is a critical election coming up in November, we don't need Democrats traveling all over the country telling Democrats how bad they are. It's divisive and destructive, and it gives republicans a platform. But for some reason some "Democrats" are happy with that.

[wonkwest]

104. Some Democrats are more equal than others

Once it came out she was a Bernie supporter, the "Don't bash Democrats!" drum was replaced with a "Burn her!" tambourine of fun.

Transparent, tiresome, hypocritical, divisive.

[sheshe2]

158. Wow.

bigtree (71,401 posts)

82. you're fighting a Democrat here

...pretending to care about supporting Democrats.

She just did the ageism thing about Democrats! That us old peeps just don't know shit. That was an attack on Dems. Funny when anyone mentioned Bernie at 80/81 whatever running for Prez we were slaughtered for saying we want someone younger. She says it and it is fine.

By the way, it's a LIE that she hasn't or isn't attacking republicans, no matter how much you spam that attack on this Democratic nominee here.

Link where she has attacked one GOP primary candidate. You know, it's sad. Always respected you here. It is beneath you to call another DUer a liar. I thought better of you.

[SkyDancer]

169. She attacked the Republican party today

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

171. Viscous attack, not....I mean pretty bland and generalized..

Actually very glad you posted that. I have questions about what she said. Maybe you can answer them for me.

What does this mean exactly?

Things the GOP IS concerned about:
-A bold message of economic & social justice resonating with working people

mmmm....since when is the GOP concerned about social justice?

economic justice.[4][5][6][7][8]

Social justice assigns rights and duties in the institutions of society, which enables people to receive the basic benefits and burdens of cooperation. The relevant institutions often include taxation, social insurance, public health, public school, public services, labour law and regulation of markets, to ensure fair distribution of wealth, and equal opportunity.[9]

Interpretations that relate justice to a reciprocal relationship to society are mediated by differences in cultural traditions, some of which emphasize the individual responsibility toward society and others the equilibrium between access to power and its responsible use.[10] Hence, social justice is invoked today while reinterpreting historical figures such as Bartolomé de las Casas, in philosophical debates about differences among human beings, in efforts for gender, racial and social equality, for advocating justice for migrants, prisoners, the environment, and the physically and developmentally disabled

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

As for the GOP economic justice. It is for the rich and only the rich. What is she talking about?

[OhioBlue]

197. The way I read it...

The GOP is concerned about a BOLD MESSAGE of economic and social justice resonating with working class people. They're not actually concerned about economic nor social justice, just the message resonating with working class people.

More plainly, they are lying to voters. They have researched and found a message that best resonates with working class voters and they are crafting their message accordingly. At the same time, they vote for policies that hurt working class voters, increase income equality and further social divide. They suck, but their message is working with working class voters. They are catapulting the propaganda.

[wishstar]

207. She said Repub Jeff Landry told conservatives that he's worried that her message resonates

She was using his remarks to point out that instead of being actually concerned with social justice issues, Republicans are worried that her bold social justice message is resonating with working people. In other words social justice doesn't matter to them, only potential loss of votes to Democrats if Dems like her attract voters by addressing those problems.

[R B Garr]

168. Good question. The most important question of all.

When is she going to attack Republicans instead of Democrats.

[lapucelle]

216. Now that she's done with her endorsement tour, California fundraising,

and the stop in Hawaii, I hope she comes back to NY where we're busy trying to flip red seats in the general.

Why was she in Hawaii campaigning for Ing? After last night's defeat of Democratic Socialist/ Justice Democrat/ Brand New Congress candidates, it might be wise to start working for local Democratic NY candidates for Congressional seats in the general election, like the remarkable Liuba Grechen Shirley.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38473484/commission-approves-15k-fine-against-kaniela-ing-for-campaign-spending-violations

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38696949/embattled-congressional-candidate-fires-accountant-after-more-campaign-reporting-errors

[ehrnst]

76. Does this extend to Independents?

Nevermind, I know the answer.

[Wwcd]

123. Or how bout Senate Democrats? How bout Old Independents?

How bout Old Republicans?

Wow! I am stunned at this woman's total lack of knowledge & respect for what it has taken for the old-&-in-the-way HOUSE DEMOCRATS to have fought against the Republican money lobby for their entire careers.

Her NY district must be so proud of her with that insult aimed straight at the House Democrats.

How humiliating.

[beachbum bob]

86. She needs to learn to use better judgement, just because a

microphone is in front of her she doesn't have say anything. Silence is better than stupid

[jalan48]

87. She makes a good point. Let's make income inequality a big part of our message.

[wasupaloopa]

103. It has been for a long time. This isn't something new.

[Trust Buster]

88. This woman is 28 years of age. Wage stagnation began during the Reagan Administration.

Reagan was elected 38 years ago. This woman missed the first 10 years of wage stagnation. Today’s average 66 year old would have been her age of 28 when wage stagnation began and the upper class cashed in on the difference. DROP THE FRIGGIN’ MIC...........

[calguy]

89. The problem with this girl.....

is so far left of center, if she becomes too well known, it gives the GOP an opening to brand all democrats in her image. And that's not a good thing for a moderate democrat running a tight race against a GOPrick.

[wonkwest]

105. Girl?

Huh.

If she wasn't so hated around here, I'd generally expect the "Don't be patronizingly sexist," posts to start rolling in.

But it's her. So, I'll just listen to the crickets and check the temperature.

[Power 2 the People]

195. You got it wonkwest

Very puzzling how this young Democrat is criticized constantly on a Democratic board. It's supposed to be against the rules but I guess the rules only apply to incumbents and former Democratic office holders. Let's hope she wins in November so she'll be accepted here.

[link:|]

[peggysue2]

96. "They" Don't See It, Rising Income Inequality?

Right. 'They've' only been fighting for the issue their entire frigging lives, lived with it, been bruised by it. You know, as in dropped right in the middle of it when their own working years started.

Unfortunately this is the second time I've heard Cortez speak to an issue in a foolish, misguided manner. If you don't have your information and ducks in a row don't broach the topic. Not if you want to be taken seriously. I know these are rookie mistakes but please, get over yourself.

And flash alert: blaming older Dems (for whatever) is not going to win votes, advance the Democratic Party or any of the worthy, progressive issues out there.

Oy!

[Tiggeroshii]

107. Great interview. Super sharp.

[Wwcd]

108. Haahaa.....Haaaaaahaaaa And what's her political creds again?

Who gave her those talking points?

WOW!
Insulting an entire generation is a great way to show your lack of grasping the enormity of that statement.

[milestogo]

111. Maybe she's too Hispanic to understand racism.

Yeah, racism and ageism both suck.

[randr]

115. She was doing so well

Ageism will pull her down

[betsuni]

117. This is, like, you know, another version of The Dems Have No Economic Message.

With, like, a side of Out of Touch Coastal Elites.

[Cha]

121. Yeah, lots of buzzwords.. no gravitas.

Link to tweet

Oooops! Nancy Pelosi.. Not "too old".

[Cha]

119. How's THIS for House Democrats Understanding "Income Equality"?

Link to tweet

Oh Oooops.. there's Nancy Pelosi.. Not "too old"!

[BannonsLiver]

181. But but you must not have listened to the interview!1!

[Cha]

184. Hell NO! but lapucelle did and she suggests AOC

did NOT read the Dem Platform.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10976243

[betsuni]

189. If only teachers were as valued as pro sports stars.

Ran across this Key & Peele:

[Cha]

191. LOL.. If Only! I love Key &

Peele.. Good to see them again and in such a valuable venue

Mahlao, betsuni!

[heaven05]

132. I do not

understand her. She will, if, age.....I'm 70. She needs a time out. Her teacher needs to be fired.

[gibraltar72]

133. That's not helping.

[Cha]

192. No, AOC is Not helping.

[riversedge]

137. Some day you too will be elderly--and wiser.

[Hamlette]

141. WTF, those of us north of 65 have been fighting income inequality

since before she was born. She's getting on my nerves.

[Wwcd]

146. Who's giving her these talking points that insult age specific House Democrats???

She hasn't the political creds to know what she's talking about.
What are they?
Where's her political creds that even qualifies such an insulting statement or insinuation?
What are they?

How bout NONE.

[Me.]

183. Justice Dems?

The Young Turks?

[Wwcd]

193. Our Revolution?

They're all under the watchful eye of TAD FKING DeVINE .
Electioneer to Vladimer Putin and still working for BS.

They won't stop till they have destroyed all that Tad was paid to destroy.

This shit's been going on since 2014.

[Me.]

208. Well You Know

There is more money to be had

[George II]

211. I believe it's her mentor, who is 76 years old.

[Sparkly]

147. Oh... the Irony.

[Eko]

150. furbies and two vans.

Apparently she thinks the 90's were so awesome for all of us. SMH.

[kcr]

154. Yeah. Her defenders are all, "but the context!"

No. The context doesn't make it any better. I think she's being fed talking points by the OR crowd and then regurgitates them without any understanding or historical context of her own.

[Eko]

156. There are very few people under 30

that I would trust to lead me on an Easter egg hunt let alone in politics. Experience is a hell of a thing.

[Wwcd]

161. No shit. Hey, Ms AOC, ..been there done that..got anymore earth shattering revelations?

[R B Garr]

160. Exactly. Reading her background and she is far more

privileged than I ever was.

[aikoaiko]

163. More right than wrong

[Cha]

185. NO AOC is WRONG.

Link to tweet

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

166. I think we're looking at a one-term representative.

I'll be amazed if she survives the 2020 primary.

Unless she gets some brains.

[Tatiana]

170. So we're going to ignore the fact that she makes some good points

because she's young and green and not as eloquent as she could be in making them?

Obviously not ALL House Dems are old and used to their cushy seats and committee assignments and power, but a good many of them are. They aren't really investing in cultivating younger talent and leadership. The young Dems like Swalwell and Gallego are taking the initiative themselves (w/ a bit of support from Pelosi, but leadership could be doing a lot more).

The older Dems have retirement benefits, many are millionaires and are financially stable. They don't know what it's like to face crushing school debt or the exorbitant tuition rates for state schools. Her point is that they can't relate and being able to understand a problem is the first step in crafting legislation to solve it. Perfect example is how Obama helped alleviate the interest being paid on student loans. He understood the issue firsthand.

[betsuni]

172. But Obama is 57, not that different from the age of 65 that AOC mentions.

You give him as an example, but he didn't experience exorbitant tuition rates or school debt firsthand. Yet he understood the problem. This is why many people find AOC's comments offensive. As if old Democrats are oblivious, have no life experience or families or friends with children with school debt, live in a solitary bubble cut off from society. As if it is difficult to understand something unless it happens directly to you. That is a Republican trait, not a liberal one.

[Tatiana]

174. She said average age.

I'm pretty sure it's not the Representatives in their 50s that she's referring to. I think what she really means is that the members in their 70s who have a lock on the leadership positions don't seem to want to relinquish their roles or power. People who have been in Congress for decades. No one is saying they've done a bad job, just that we need some new blood, different tactics, and fresh perspectives. It's really hard to change who you are in your 70s or the way you behave. That's why we get frustrated when we don't see Dems "fighting back." They have a hard time letting go of the previously established traditions, rules, and expectations of American politics.

In contrast, look at the Parkland kids who have started a movement and brought the adults along for the ride. They have single-handedly changed the national debate regarding common sense gun legislation.

The way she said it was inartful, but she is new and has not yet developed the poise or oratorical skills of a seasoned politician.

[kcr]

178. Yet again, people feeling the need to have to explain what she really means

Instead of agreeing with and defending what she actually says. That seems to happen an awful lot, with different people projecting their own interpretations. Why doesn't she have the ability to say what she really means? Because I think she actually straight up says what she means. Why doesn't anyone ever agree with it?

[Cha]

190. Yeah, good point.. AOC always has to be explained by

those spinning her comments.

[JI7]

200. exactly, "well, she wasn't talking about the 59 year old but the 60 year old"

[spooky3]

180. Less than a third of current RETIREES have a pension, and the % drops with

the people now working, even the older people. The average pension is quite small. Many people make more of this than the #s show it to be.

It's really ridiculous to say "they can't relate."

[Cha]

187. We're Calling out AOC because she's WRONG.

Link to tweet

[Older Than I Look]

175. *sigh* ... But we need more Dems in the House.

Even ignorant ones.

[gtar100]

176. Divide and conquer. It's known to be an effective strategy.

Glad she's talking about income inequality. I'll get over any perceived insult. Vote Democratic. Period.

[Thekaspervote]

179. Fools rush in... agree, less and less impressed

[madaboutharry]

194. I find her immature.

She isn’t going to make a lot of friends in Washington with an arrogant attitude. I’m also beginning to think she isn’t that smart.

I wish her well and hope she gets a bit of wisdom before she goes to Congress.

[JI7]

201. i feel the same way about Sanders also

"isn’t that smart. "

it's not just a difference of opinion but when you really get into it they show they don't really know what they are talking to. just uninformed.

this happened when Sanders was asked about breaking up the banks. when you really get into it to see what his plan would be there isn't anything there. it's just about attacking others for not being good enough .

[AlexSFCA]

202. income inequality or authoritarian oligarchy: your choice

[Yavin4]

203. For those people bashing AOC, did you actually listen to the clip instead of reacting to

the false post heading? She did not say what the post title says. She made a fair and honest critique of the Democrats in congress.

[John Gruff]

214. She mentioned their age just for fun

Right? Give me your interpretation, while not ignoring the age mention.

[Yavin4]

225. She used the average age to give context to her larger point

That people in congress are from a generation that did not have to face the kind of economic problems that many Americans today have to face. Thus, there is an institutional lack of empathy for the poor and working class.

For example, a 65 year old congressman may have paid for college by working part-time/summer jobs, something that is not possible in today's economy.

[John Gruff]

243. I'm sure the 65+ are aware of income inequality

They read today’s news and statistics.
She basically called them dumb, because allegedly old people think that whatever happened during their young age it is still happening now.

Only people with Alzheimer’s would behave in such a way.

[Yavin4]

267. I don't really think that they are truly aware of it.

How would they? In the culture that is our congress, how often do they interact with people who are struggling economically. Reading about it in the newspapers is a whole lot different from actually living in it.

[kcr]

269. Her comment is STILL ageist.

How does this not apply to the younger members of Congress? If she had made this age neutral, you'd have a point. Yet again, someone feeling the need to explain what she meant to say. Why didn't she just say that?

The reason is that's not what she meant to say. She meant to be ageist because she is ageist, so she used ageist words.

[uponit7771]

247. Her comment at best was baseless, "may have" isn't something to be used given the context ...

... and more sounds like an impression than factual.

Most likely she has no idea of the background of most dems in congress and could give a damn about finding out.

[betsuni]

249. "institutional lack of empathy for the poor and working class."

That's a new one. Thus!

[Yavin4]

268. On the whole, our elected leaders care more about campaign donors than anyone else.

They spend most of their time seeking donations. If you don't think that there is an cultural, institutional lack of empathy for the poor and working class in our congress and in most of our Dem leaders, then I don't know what to say to you.

[betsuni]

270. They spend time seeking donations because they have to, not because they want to.

Everyone knows this. You don't have to say anything to me. You're wrong that there is an institutional lack of empathy in most of our Dem leaders.

[Cha]

275. He's smearing our Dem Leaders..

It's not true what he's trying to paint them as.

[betsuni]

277. Offensive and wrong!

[Cha]

274. You're so Wrong, Yavin.. That's a terrible

thing to say.. not true. You're smearing our Dem Leaders.

[Gothmog]

213. I love last night's results

Link to tweet

[Blue_Tires]

226. Is that another way of saying "too rich?"

[Blue_Tires]

228. So she means Bernie too, right??

[NurseJackie]

238. I wonder. I hope. It's...

right??

I wonder. I hope. It's only fair. Goose/gander and all that.

[zanana1]

239. This doesn't endear her to people over 50.

I think she has alot to learn. I'm sure she will in time but she should have somebody who is truthful enough to let her know when she's alienating people.

[scardycat]

245. Someone needs to knock her down a peg or two and

get off that high horse of hers.

[uponit7771]

248. This sounds like "Democrats are for the 1%" type of comment that all these peoples

... defenders need to over explain ... again

[dembotoz]

250. Have never felt the established members in house felt my pain

She is right.
On that
I still support these Dems cause they are better than the alternative... but do the understand? No

[betsuni]

251. Right now the 2009 movie where all the Star Trek characters are young is on TV, I'm watching.

The woman who was in "Center Stage" is in it. They're not very bright! Bad people and monsters chase them around. It is not always a good idea to put young people in charge. The old Mr. Spock appears and says things but the Youngs don't listen. Agism is going to be a major talking point from now on, because it's used against Democrats.

[Lulu KC]

252. She's blowing it

I sure hope her district doesn't flip red!

[dlk]

254. Age Discrimination is Very Real and Also Just as Illegal as Race Discrimination.

Apparently, she is too immature and blinded by hubris to understand that alienating a large swath of voters is not the way to win elections. It's too bad she has such an enormous blind spot. She could have gone far, however, this bias will hold her back.

[Lulu KC]

255. Though she does make some good points in rest of interview

HOWEVER, why did she come to KS and campaign against another young woman? This is what I don't get.
Is she actually a Democrat?
I need to think about something else. KS03 has my head truly spinning.

[still_one]

256. Congratulations for writing off 15 to 20% of the population, and ignoring the number of older

Americans who live in poverty.

This comment made by her is not just naivee and wrong, it is blatant age discrimination

[leftofcool]

258. She's going after the 26% of young people who say they might actually vote

Looks like she doesn't give a shit about the 99% of us over 50 who really will vote

[still_one]

259. Looks that way

[democratisphere]

260. A divider, certainly not a uniter.

The last thing Democrats need, especially in these times.

[33taw]

261. I think working for 45 years+ with wage inequality may help you to understand it.

I get trying to highlight current problems that may be impacting younger voters, but maybe some awareness that it should not be at the cost of offending others would be more pragmatic.

[Vinca]

279. She's a novice not skilled in the ways of political weaselry. I get what she means

and it's a good point. Things have changed and the younger among us are the most impacted. IMO, we should encourage her enthusiasm and grit - despite the fact it may seem rude or heavy handed - and hope more younger people hop on the ship with her. I love our older politicians, but everything and everyone has its season. (FYI - I'm older than the average age of House Democrats.) We have to open the door a crack for the younger generations.

[lancelyons]

280. I wonder how much of this is Fake russian propaganda.. perhaps taking things out of context.

I wonder how much of this is Fake russian propaganda.. perhaps taking things out of context.

I cant see her being a person that would discriminate based on age.


after watching the video.. i think the tweet is taking things out of context. So this is more like a russian backed divisive approach.