Yesterday, AOC informed me about something very important to me. [View all]

[kstewart33]

I am a moderate (center-left Democrat). Yesterday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Alexandria told me something about myself that I had not realized.

“Moderate is not a stance," she said in a speech. "It's just an attitude towards life of, like, meh. The 'meh' is worshiped now. For what?” 

I had not realized that I've gone through life with a 'meh' attitude about my life. I self-funded my MBA and doctorate education by working as a ghost writer of textbook chapters and teaching supplements. I've had a career as a university administrator, university professor and research and teaching fellow. I have a wonderful family. So I was puzzled. Then I focused on the question: Why are we 'meh' people worshipped now?

Well, we're not worshipped. But I do think we're important. Why? Because approximately 80% of the Democratic gains in the 2018 midterms were in moderate or mildly liberal districts. There's a whole lot of us out there who turned out to vote.

And perhaps those gains also occurred because with a significant Republican majority in the US Senate, promising sky-high changes with no meaningful way of making any realistic progress toward them without compromise, might be a waste of time. Compromise is the foundation of governing. My way or the highway doesn't win many votes in campaigns or in Congress.

So perhaps Ms. Ocasio-Cortez should consider ending her insults of center and center-left Democrats and focus on how to unite all Democrats and nervous independents so we can win the most important presidential campaign in our country's lifetime - Defeating Trump. Because insulting a large segment of the Democratic Party is not a winning strategy.

Quote source: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-sxsw-south-by-southwest-20190310-story.html