AOC breaks with Bernie on how to lead the left

[RandySF]

Of the half-dozen incumbent primary challengers Justice Democrats is backing this cycle, Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed just two. Neither was a particularly risky move: Both candidates — Jessica Cisneros in Texas and Marie Newman in Illinois — were taking on conservative Democrats who oppose abortion rights and later earned the support of several prominent national Democrats.

Ocasio-Cortez’s reluctance marks a break with the outsider tactics of the activist left, represented by groups like Justice Democrats. This election cycle, the organization is trying to boot not just conservative Democrats but also some liberal Democrats and to replace them with members who are more left-wing. In other words, to replicate what it pulled off against Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018 by recruiting Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez’s shift coincides with turnover among top aides in her congressional office — replacing some outspoken radicals with more traditional political professionals — along with a broader reckoning on the left on how to expand Sanders’ coalition after his failure to significantly do so in the presidential primary. Some progressives have questioned whether Sanders should have softened his anti-establishment rhetoric and tried to build bridges with mainstream Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 rather than betting big on turning out disaffected and first-time voters.

Of the half-dozen incumbent primary challengers Justice Democrats is backing this cycle, Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed just two. Neither was a particularly risky move: Both candidates — Jessica Cisneros in Texas and Marie Newman in Illinois — were taking on conservative Democrats who oppose abortion rights and later earned the support of several prominent national Democrats.

Ocasio-Cortez’s reluctance marks a break with the outsider tactics of the activist left, represented by groups like Justice Democrats. This election cycle, the organization is trying to boot not just conservative Democrats but also some liberal Democrats and to replace them with members who are more left-wing. In other words, to replicate what it pulled off against Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018 by recruiting Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez’s shift coincides with turnover among top aides in her congressional office — replacing some outspoken radicals with more traditional political professionals — along with a broader reckoning on the left on how to expand Sanders’ coalition after his failure to significantly do so in the presidential primary. Some progressives have questioned whether Sanders should have softened his anti-establishment rhetoric and tried to build bridges with mainstream Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 rather than betting big on turning out disaffected and first-time voters.



https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/30/new-aoc-divides-the-left-150767

[nycbos]

1. She is learning how the game is played...

... how the sausages are made. She is in the room where it happens.

[True Blue American]

2. After threatening to block the Aid bill

I was surprised how she followed the rule. Times up, she sat down. Impassioned about the virus in her district, but very subdued.

[Bleacher Creature]

3. In less than two years she's figured out what Bernie never has.

You don't effect change by going at it solo and simply criticizing the Democratic Party 24/7, but rather join the party and try to effect change from within.

She's got a bright future.

[Indykatie]

5. AOC's Transition Started When She Risked Being Isolated In Congress Unless She Got Right With Pelosi

Flame throwers rarely accomplish much except making noise and sowing chaos. Making bad endorsements against sitting congressmen and women is no way to go through a political life. Good on her for figuring it out in her first term. I fear it's too late for some others who are aligned with Bernie.

[Bleacher Creature]

10. Yep. I think her work with Senator Markey helped as well.

He stepped up and agreed to champion the Green New Deal in the Senate. When it was announced that he was getting primaried, I think she realized that the number of years a person was in office wasn't by itself a reason why they should be replaced.

[RandySF]

11. The breaking point seemed to be when her former COS attacked Sharice Davids.

[ehrnst]

21. She also hit a point when Sanders embraced the endorsement of Joe Rogan.

That was unacceptable to her.

[Butterflylady]

27. You gotta learn to walk before you run.

[The Magistrate]

4. I Am Rather Fond Of Her, Sir

She is a sensible young woman who has definitely got the 'X-factor' in abundance.





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[redstatebluegirl]

6. She is learning that you can't just run over people and get what you want.

Thank goodness!!! I liked her at first and then I got very annoyed with her.

[Hortensis]

7. It's NOT a break with the activist left tho -- I can't imagine she

won't continue as an activist, and she's good at it.

It may be signaling a break (rather than just throwing some weight) with the insurgent, anti-Democratic left, like that nasty nest of hostiles in Justice Dems, and if so I'm very glad to hear it. She has talent, but extremists who can't function in congress always end up killing themselves off, and sometimes not before they sabotage what they claim to support.

(Sanders inevitably coming to mind is not an exception -- he's held onto the gold ring he managed to grab in the 1990 election by abandoning active pursuit of his beliefs to vote what he insists is "corrupt" 95-99%" ever since. Then, of course, came a change of roles.)

[The Magistrate]

9. Exactly, Ma'am

There is nothing whatever wrong with activism on the left per se. The problem is when such activism becomes infected with nihilism and revolutionary romanticism. 'Bernie' and his wrecking crew display clearly the pug-marks of both these disfiguring traits.





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[GemDigger]

13. Maybe she is realizing that after the idiot leaves we won't have any money left for

those very, very expensive things Bernie has up his sleeve.

[ehrnst]

22. The goals and metrics for effectiveness are very different in activists and politicians.

Politicians are mostly managers - they keep the wheels turning, approve budgets, read mounds of paperwork.

Many activists can't sit still for that.

[comradebillyboy]

8. So AOC wants to have a productive future in congress

and the Democratic Party. She has correctly determined that making enemies of her potential allies would make her an irrelevant back bencher. One can't pass legislation without cooperation and compromise. She's finally figured that out. Now she needs to jump off Sanders sinking ship before it's too late.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. She's starting to figure out how to do effective politics,

and that's not by staking out a position and refusing to budge from it like Bernie.

[George II]

14. Good for her. She's learning early that you don't get anywhere by pissing off BOTH sides.

[LakeArenal]

15. I'm not interested her beyond..

Did she endorse Biden?

Until then I won’t read one sentence about her.

[Dem4Life1102]

23. Not yet but

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/aoc-pledges-to-support-biden-if-he-wins-nomination.html

[LakeArenal]

24. Yeah that's what Bernie said.

I don’t believe any of them at this point.

[Celerity]

26. I absolutely believe AOC, but not Bernie. nt

[Happy Hoosier]

16. It won't be the bombthrowers who are successful here....

And she's figuring that out. Good. There's a time to raise a stink. Right now is the time with work with the caucus to make needed stuff happen fast.

[peggysue2]

17. Good to read this

AOC appears to be a quick study learning what works and what doesn't. Bomb throwing does not encourage support or even the willingness to listen. It just pisses people off. Similarly, constant attacks on the party you wish to influence has the opposite effect.

The 'bend the knee' crowd, the Bernie or Bust acolytes have wounded themselves beyond repair. If the article is accurate, AOC apparently understands this and, no doubt, would like to hang onto her own seat.

Building bridges as opposed to burning bridges. What a concept!

Good one on her.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

18. To be fair

This is often a time in any Congressional office when the aides that came on at the beginning step aside - either to organize for others, go get other policy-related Washington gigs, or head off to grad school.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. Heavy lesson learned here: You can't play your allies like adversaries. . .

. . .potential and otherwise.

Also, not every district is like AOC's, most especially not those in the purple/red states.

The "Berners" should have learned from 2018, when voters in the battleground districts chose relatively moderate candidates over the "Justice Democrats/Our Revolution" types in the primaries and then went on to pulverize the GOP incumbents and win back the House.

AOC's a quick study, thank goodness.

[LizBeth]

20. This is why I always had hope for AOC though going Sanders was a huge mistake and cost us Warren imo

AOC had a couple months with Sanders hand in his face, finger shaking in her face, being pushed to the side, like Sanders consistently does with women. Not something a privilege old man stops, I have found. While sitting among Democrats watching and helping them to fight for the people, life and death, in the last couple months.

[Gothmog]

25. This will be fun to watch