So... I've just finished watching AOC... My thoughts...

[Ohio Joe]

Wow... Just wow...

I want a representative like AOC... Perhaps the best display on the floor i've ever seen.

She was assaulted in public... Took it without taking the bait and did her job like a seasoned pro... Got a bullshit non-appology... Then not only put together and delivered.. Just a badass and awesome response but also put together a great team of additional speakers to refute the repubs indecency.

I live in Colorado so I can't vote for her but... I want more candidates like her and I look forward to one day voting for her in a Federal election.

[Beakybird]

1. She delivered a scorching retort.

[jimfields33]

4. I'm waiting for the day we have a brawl in the congress

Japan and other places have them. It will be republicans who do it for sure. I think it’s coming.

[DeminPennswoods]

12. Already happened

as, iirc, back in the 1800's one member of congress beat another with his cane.

[CloudWatcher]

28. 1856 - the caning of Charles Sumner

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

The Caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22, 1856, in the United States Senate, when Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, used a walking cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican from Massachusetts, in retaliation for a speech given by Sumner two days earlier in which he fiercely criticized slaveholders, including a relative of Brooks. The beating nearly killed Sumner and it contributed significantly to the country's polarization over the issue of slavery. It has been considered symbolic of the "breakdown of reasoned discourse" and the use of violence that eventually led to the Civil War.

[TomSlick]

42. Pikers.

In 1837, the Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, John Wilson, attacked Representative Joseph Anthony with a Bowie knife on the House floor, stabbing him in the heart and killing him instantly.

Apparently, Speaker Wilson took exception with comments made by Representative Anthony about the requirements for collecting bounties on wolves.

[CloudWatcher]

44. Cool story!

And he got away with it!

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/wilson-anthony-duel-5664/

Wilson lodged at the same place as the judge, paying for the judge’s meals over the course of the trial... The jury returned a verdict of “guilty of excusable homicide,” the same as not guilty or a pronouncement of justifiable killing.

[TomSlick]

45. I was taught in law school that in Arkansas courts,

the best defense to a homicide charge is "the bastard needed killing."

[SCantiGOP]

47. And another South Carolinian

In 1964, Strom Thurmond and Ralph Yarborough of Texas wrestled to the floor. Both were Democrats of course, but Yarborough was the only Southern Senator to vote for the Civil rights Act and Thurmond had held a 20+ hour filibuster of the act.

[raccoon]

61. As a native is SC, I find that cowardly of Brooks. If he had a

Problem with Sumner, He should have challenged him to a duel. It was cowardly to beat a guy with a cane and the other guy had no cane or weapon of any sort.

[Ponietz]

21. Gym and Matt can't wait

[TheBlackAdder]

26. Gym Jordan: Most sites say he's 6' 0" tall. His High School records and this image show he's 5' 4"

.

He's got two inches on Reese Witherspoon.

.

[jaxexpat]

50. Yeah, but Witherspoon's got grit.

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. She is very good at her job.

I appreciate her ability to cut through the bullshit to get to the essence.

[Throck]

3. I've donated to her and she's not from my state.

Every little bit counts.

[LizBeth]

5. Will we women get the same applause and support when we call out the sexist slurs among fellow Dems?

[Ohio Joe]

8. I cannot promise I will call out every sexist slur...

There are simply too many, I don't have enough hours in the day. My intent here was not even to call out this particular sexist slur... My intent was to applaud the response.

[PatrickforO]

19. Provocative comment. Yeah, we should be calling out all slurs, whether sexist,

LGBTQ, ethnic or racial, or ageist.

And we need to be supportive when we do it.

I'm a 61 year old white male, raised in suburbia during the 60s and early 70s, whose dad said he'd 'die before I was bused.'

I'm not even going to pretend my family wasn't racist, and my dad wasn't sexist. Because it was and he was. My wife just turned 60, and she's got some horrible stories about some of the sexism she encountered in the 80s in the oil and gas business.

My point: way back when is way back when. I cannot look you in the eye and say I've never done or said anything sexist or racist or anti-gay, because that would be a pure lie. Point is, I don't do or say those things now.

The other point is we need to talk openly about this stuff and try to come to terms with what we've done and find ways to grow into what we could be as a republic. Which is back to your point - call it out when it happens. That's how we learn to live better with each other.

[LizBeth]

22. Good post. I cannot look you in the eyes and tell you I too have not used sexist slurs. I can look

you in the eyes and tell you I have NEVER used a racist slur. Which I think is a good point too. For whatever reason, the racist slur is so horrific to many of us and not so much the sexist slur that even women are conditioned to use and defend. I have literally had to work on the habit to not use slurs.

[70sEraVet]

54. Very well put

I'm also in my 60's, and I've had to learn to change my behavior and my speech as the workplace has changed. I worked for 30 years in an industry that, in the beginning of my career, had no women 'on the floor'. There were women up in the front of the building (secretaries, receptionists, etc.) but we didn't work with them. The workplace changed; women coworkers, a woman supervisor, a younger workforce (computer literates). We had to learn to change our behavior in the workplace!
I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT ANYTHING LESS FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS!

[CatLady78]

57. Good post.nt

[certainot]

49. before that dems could stop ignoring the 1500 radio stations who attacked AOC

since she was elected, calling her shit (commie marxist) all day to 50 mil people a week while dems stuck their ear buds in theirears and walked by, like studying fish without water

[Danmark]

63. Look at Al Franken

You tell me, he was gone in no time.

[LizBeth]

64. That does not have anything to do with subject at hand and he walked away.

[onecaliberal]

6. She torched the toxic masculinity that is the repuke party.

[unblock]

7. I love listening to her. So direct, clear, and refreshing

Especially after listening to other politicians. Hear her say something and it's like *yes!* why can't other politicians just come out and speak plain truths like that instead of dancing around issues or evading or denying or looking the other way or making it sound like it's complicated when it's not.

I also love her delivery. She makes it seem like she's holding herself back, like there's so much energy and enthusiasm there. but as confrontational as others take her to be, to me she seems like she's always itching to amp it up but is smart enough to keep in reined in.

I find it infectious, very energizing.

[volstork]

20. This is a great comment--

you put so eloquently what I was thinking as I was watching AOC.

[sop]

9. I'm stuck with Ted "Yahoo" Yoho as my representative (luckily, he's not running for re-election).

I'd love to have someone like Ocasio-Cortez as my representative.

[Island Deac]

25. The Vet

No, not that kind of Vet but a vet who rammed his arm up cow's asses. He can go back to looking at a horse's ass. I guess he shaves.

[burrowowl]

10. AOC is the future of the Democratic Party!

[jcgoldie]

23. +1

[zentrum]

37. God, I hope so.

[Bettie]

38. Yes, she is

and I, for one, am happy to see it.

[madamesilverspurs]

11. Can't vote for her, either; like you, I live in Colorado.

And my "representative" is the extreme polar opposite of AOC. Ken Buck was our pathetic excuse for DA, and he refused to prosecute an admitted rapist because, in Buck's view, the victim was merely suffering from buyer's remorse. We have an excellent candidate, Ike McCorkle, running against Buck, but in the 4th district there are no unforgiveable sins for republicans.

We need more like AOC.


.

[PatrickforO]

15. I didn't realize we were in the same US House District.

I dislike Buck more every day. McCorkle has a chance, albeit a slim one, because the eastern plains is Limbaugh territory and there are still Kluxers out there. I have hated how my little corner got shoved into Buck's district.

[niyad]

52. My deepest sympathies. You have buck, we are stuck with dougie in 5.

[kag]

62. I feel for you both.

I'm fortunate enough to be a bit northwest, and have the excellent Joe Negeuse, but we have donated to both of the Dem challengers in your districts.

[niyad]

65. Thank you so much.

[PatrickforO]

13. Yeah my US Rep is Ken Buck.

He's a miserable excuse for a man and definitely does NOT represent me. I'd LOVE someone AOC.

[matt819]

14. I thought it was great

She raised the question that many of us raise here all the time, or at least think about, when it comes to the RWNJs.

They are racist and sexist. They are nasty and vile. And we wonder how their wives and daughters (or sons, for that matter) think/feel when daddy is called out in public for this sort of racist, sexist, nasty, vile behavior. AOC noted that she is two years younger (or older, can't remember) than Yoho's own daughter. What does that woman think about her father's behavior and non-apology. Is she embarrassed? Or is she, and the other children of RWMJs, a true believer. IOW, daddy is being wrongly accused, his apology (not required because he was wrongly accused) was spot on, and that Hispanic woman is a liberal bitch.

As the saying goes - asking for a friend.

[NNadir]

16. Full speech here:

[LastDemocratInSC]

17. I think (hope) we all get to vote for her someday.

In a national election.

[ananda]

18. I like her too!

She started out a bit immature, but she's growing.

Good for her for handling this mess with class.

[DanieRains]

24. Send Her Money

That speaks louder than a vote sometimes. I live in Washington and send her, and many many others money. ActBlueExpress. Makes it easy.

[Pepsidog]

27. She shamed the classless republicans.

[HelpImSurrounded]

29. I WANT AN AOC for my district too!!

[Blecht]

30. I'm gonna send her money

Just to let her know that there are lots of people out here who are with her.

[Warpy]

31. It is so refreshing to see someone of intelligence and wit in Congress

which has for too long been dominated by Milquetoasts who prize decorum over truth.

She's someone who could survive in the Commons. Or the Dáil. That is high praise.

I wish we had more of her, too, although I have to say I'm pretty happy with my own Rep, Haaland.

[Dios Mio]

32. I wish her the best.

[mvd]

33. Completely agree

I do have a Democratic representative, Madeleine Dean. Considering my area is purple, glad to have her - despite the occasional vote that I don’t like (being against the amendment to cut the defense budget by 10% is one of them). But AOC is one of my favorites.

[Liberal-Of course]

53. Cutting the defense budget?

THAT! always raises my hackles. The gop cut the defense budget in the 1930s. Training consisted of throwing bags of flower at trucks labels "TANK"!

Have Putin and Xi suddenly become our BFFs?

Without Hiroshima and Nagasaki as evidence of what just 15-20 kiloton nuclear weapons could do, we'd have fought a nuclear war over Europe; Stalin and Truman would have thought nuclear war couldn't be as bad as lilly-livered scientist predicted. Look at Trump and Covid.

I'd rather spend trillions on defense and never need it than save billions on defense and lose.

In 1942, Japan could have invaded Hawaii and then the west coast of America. But Japan wasted the moment by scooping up the Philippines and going after Australia. Germany could have finished the job by invading our east coast instead of Britain and Russia.

I admit, however, some programs are wasteful and/or ill-managed. The B-1 bomber got Reagan elected. Carter cancelled that program and pissed off California, thus losing California to Reagan ... and the election. Carter cancelled that program because he knew of the B-2 program but couldn't reveal it. The F-22 and F-35 programs have been mismanaged. The problem with the F-35 is we had another McNamara as SecDef and demanded one plane for all branches.

[Mariana]

56. Please don't hijack the thread.

If you want to talk about the defense budget, please start a new thread to discuss that.

Welcome to DU.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

34. Maybe we will all get to vote for her

for President in 2024, or at the latest 2028.

She will turn 35 shortly before the election of 2024.

[TNNurse]

35. Would vote for her in a heartbeat.

She is smart and brave and prepared.

[zentrum]

36. We all want to vote for her!!!! But....

.....don't live in her district.

[warmfeet]

39. As I have said many times,

I want to vote for her when she runs for POTUS - a few years hence. I hope I am still here to see it.

[czarjak]

40. He said Jesus though?

[Mariana]

55. "I can not apologize for my passion, for loving my god..."

[Politicub]

41. That was watching greatness

Just wow.

[diva77]

43. Check out the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- who the members are and

which candidates they are endorsing.

https://cpc-grijalva.house.gov/

members: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus#Membership

[ALBliberal]

46. Phenomenal. Strong. An enduring speech for our daughters for years to come.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

48. Fantastic speech!

It made me a better person.

[Trueblue Texan]

51. I agree with OP!

No wonder she scares the Right-wing thugs to death--truth-tellers always do. They will trash her name the way they did Hillary's. She will also make an excellent president someday.

[Lucinda]

58. ❤️ ✿❧✿❧✿❧✿ ❧✿❤️

[cayugafalls]

59. She really gave it to him, it was a brilliant speech.

The other speakers were awesome as well.

[CTyankee]

60. This is what I, longtime feminist, have dreamed of happening!

Just burn the fucking House down with your anger, pride, disgust, FURY! This shall not stand!

Thank you, strong women! Thank you on behalf of all women, but particularly what you have done for my granddaughters who are now just entering world after college and facing what you have faced. You have given them HOPE.