Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Message to the Democratic Party

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Of course, all politicians say that they are dedicated to the interests and well-being of their constituents. But Ocasio-Cortez, who had the support of progressive groups such as MoveOn and the Democratic Socialists of America, isn’t your average pol. She delivered an important message to the Democratic Party by running an explicitly populist, anti-establishment campaign. And, as the Party prepares for the midterms and the 2020 Presidential election, it would do well to listen to her.

Ocasio-Cortez’s first point was that being opposed to Donald Trump and his actions, while essential, isn’t a sufficient political strategy. Ocasio-Cortez herself is vehemently anti-Trump. Last week, she visited a detention center on the Mexican border; after her victory, she said that she would vote to impeach the President. But she has also warned against fixating on him and his every offensive statement. “What we need to do is lay out a plan and a vision that people can believe in, and getting into Twitter fights with the President is not exactly, I think, where we’re going to find progress as a nation,” she said, on “Morning Joe.”

(snip)

With phony demagogues like Trump busy claiming the mantle of populism, progressive parties need to offer voters the real thing. That’s bottom-up, participatory politics—or people power. If sympathetic billionaires wish to align themselves with such a movement, that is all very well (at least until campaign-finance laws are fixed). But if the interests and policy preferences of the wealthy take precedence over those of the average citizen, that is the politics of plutocracy, not populism.

(snip)

Listen to the speeches of Senator Sherrod Brown, of Ohio; or of Stacey Abrams, who is running for governor in Georgia; or of Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Ted Cruz in Texas; or of Conor Lamb, who won a special election in western Pennsylvania earlier this year; or of Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot who recently won the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s Republican-held Eleventh Congressional District. To be sure, these Democrats are attacking Trump and talking about immigration and the Supreme Court. But their main focus is on promoting social and economic empowerment for people living in their districts.

(snip)


https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-message-to-the-democratic-party

[zipplewrath]

1. All politics are local

As the article suggests, the primary thing that many of these latest winners have done is to speak locally to the locals about local issues. Don't "nationalize" your race. Talk about specific local issues. Mention schools by name if possible. Use the names of local politicians and law enforcement. Mention public transport by its common name. Talk about specific local road improvements. Mention utilities by their common names. Mention local grocery stores. More than one candidate has won over the years by literally going "door to door" and shaking alot of hands.

There was an old measure a couple decades ago where people would ask politicians what a gallon of milk costs. It was intended as a measure of their awareness of fundamental issues in the community. Sorta a "common man" measure.

[Buzz cook]

7. Not since 1994.

Since 1994 every national and even most state elections have been driven by national issues.
What stays local is the candidates and parties ability to organize and get out the vote.

[zipplewrath]

8. Only if they let them

It's been shown time and again that candidates can shift the campaign to local issues. Opponents will try to nationalize it. Often they try to connect them to party leadership. But a disciplined campaigner can fight against that with targeted local activities and advertising.

[Buzz cook]

12. As I said

in 1994 Democratic candidates ran on local issues and they got buried. 20010 the republicans ran on national issues and once again buried the Democrats and then again in 2012.

[zipplewrath]

13. Gingrich managed to nationalize the '94 election.

He made it into a referendum on Clinton and democrats. The Clinton wing took that on and lost.

[samnsara]

2. she did a great job keeping her politics local....not sure the message would resonate everywhere

..else. I for one dont put a lot of faith into one person one message. Theres a lot in her message that has been mentioned by all dems.. affordable education and healthcare ( if not FREE) opposition to trump and ALL his policies, but some of the nitty gritty regarding trade and international policies can be tricky getting one message that will be held true by all. Its a tightrope they must walk and too far off the edge and you fall.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Alexandria's election is local, but her Progressive agenda & message has broad national appeal.

[kennetha]

5. Says who?

Says progressives! As if we are identical with the nation.

You seem to vastly underestimate how complicated, economically, culturally ideologically, and politically diverse and divided America is. As if you could articulate a few easy sounding principles in a sunny tone of voice and beat back all the forces of opposition.

[Buzz cook]

9. Poll after poll indicates that the people

favor programs championed by the Democratic Party. That also includes members of the republican party.

The media and republicans will spin and divert as much as possible, but the point remains that the Democratic party is the party of the people.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. I thought ALL Democrats WERE Progressives... or at least that's what I've repeatedly been told.

[kennetha]

4. She got what, 16,000 votes in a heavily democratic district

in a primary in which total turnout was less than 30,000 votes. And she's being hailed as some sort of model of how Democrats can take back the House and the Senate in the midterms, as if 16,000 democrats in one district can't possibly be ... oh, i don't know, not terribly representative of the entire large sprawling diverse country.

That would be like generalizing from the victory of some right-wing looney in some super-red state to the whole Republican Party. Sure there are certain places where an outright Nazi could win a Republican nomination. But what should one then conclude about the Repugnants in general from such a victory, were it to happen?

The breathless stupidity and shallowness of so much commentary amazes me.

[vi5]

6. Isn't it funny how....

...we never hear people worrying how or whether or not the election of some conservative democrat is going to affect the party or whether it will divide us, or drive potential voters in liberal districts away, or whether people will mistakenly believe that person represents more than just their specific district. But when a liberal or progressive candidate wins there is all sorts of distancing or forehead dabbing done about those very concerns..

[PDittie]

11. +1,000,000