AOC: "I don't want new leadership that's more conservative."

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Ocasio-Cortez Currently Backs Pelosi, ‘Most Progressive Candidate,’ For Speaker

TPM:

Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a freshman representative belonging to the progressive faction of the House delegation, said Monday that she currently backs Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for speaker, since Pelosi is the “most progressive candidate” running.

“Right now, out of the field, I would say that she is the most progressive candidate,” Ocasio-Cortez said on her Instagram Live where she often takes questions from constituents. “All of the rebellion for the speakership are challenges to her right, and so I think it’s important to communicate that.”

“My standard in this is: I’m going to support the most progressive candidate that’s leading the party and right now that is Nancy Pelosi, in terms of running,” she continued. “I would like to see new, younger leadership, but I don’t want new leadership that’s more conservative.”

...same message she delivered to the group of young folks gathered in Rep. Pelosi's office:

Link to tweet

[Caliman73]

1. Sounds reasonable...

AOC must die, she's horrible...


She is young and energetic and has the conviction of her passion. Most of us have been through the phase where we thought we knew better than people who had more experience. She has made missteps and there are things about AOC that can be off putting to some, but that is the impetuousness of youth.

[bigtree]

7. upstart!

...how dare she contradict the cw?!

[brush]

26. Now all she needs to do is back off the"primary Dem incumbents" pledge and we'll be good.

[empedocles]

2. Here comes another one of 'those' threads

[try and remember, fox news et al, made AOC a national name - for their own, anti Democratic interests.

[demmiblue]

4. Lol... nice try!

[JCanete]

20. wow...that's a pretty ridiculous statement. nt

[Autumn]

3. John Lewis has also joined her in her "Green New Deal" to address climate change.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211450164

[bigtree]

6. saw that

...AOC could be a major force in organizing our Democratic response to the threat of climate change (global warming).

[blue cat]

5. Well I for one

I’m drawing back my claws now.

[LuvLoogie]

8. Well done, AOC.

It looks like leadership is rallying around her, encouraging her enthusiasm, and pushing back on right-wing criticism of her. And she is reciprocating. Perhaps she is looking to be a bridge rather than a wrecking ball.

[Power 2 the People]

12. +1

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. Good. Me neither

Glad she is supporting Pelosi

[Bettie]

10. I'm just glad to see at least one thread that isn't

all about bashing her.

Thank you.

[lunatica]

11. I admire that she doesn't fight the opposition with kid cloves

and I’m quite willing to see her fail a few times because when she gets experience she will always fight for us. She will be a powerhouse.

I’ve always been a Progressive Democrat. I learned long ago to be patient and to acknowledge progress, even if it is incremental. She will mellow in her actions and words though she will always fight. Like Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Elizabeth Warren and Maxie Hirono of Hawaii. We should be happy they won’t just shut up and sit down!

[Power 2 the People]

13. Preach it lunatica!!

[Bettie]

14. Well said

and very much my thoughts as well!

[lunatica]

16. I don't get why DUers who have been screaming for Democrats to take off the gloves

are now bashing her for doing it.

I hate to say this but it looks like the double standard of sexism to me. Alive and well, thriving right here before the votes are even completely counted.

[Bettie]

18. Looks that way to me too

the same people who are angry about sexism and ageism as it applies to Nancy Pelosi (who I also support) don't see that they are criticizing another Democrat in a sexist and ageist manner.

I love that she's young and idealistic, that she still believes that she can change the world. Yeah, it might lead to some missteps, but that's the point of being young and resilient enough to bounce back and learn from mistakes.

I also get tired of hearing "support Democrats" and then seeing some of the loudest shouters about that not supporting THIS Democrat.

[lunatica]

19. I support Pelosi too

I should have added her to my list of women who don’t shut up and sit down. I thought it was a given though.

[Bettie]

21. Yeah, but these days, I always put that in

since people assume that if you don't say it when talking about this particular young woman, they figure that you hate her.

[demmiblue]

24. I support her, as well.

I did put her name on my trash by keyword list though... too much drama.

I think that the media is really hyping up the 'fight', and people here are buying into it.

She is going to be Speaker of the House, that is a given.

[Small-Axe]

27. Could it be because we hoped that those who removed their gloves...

would strike at Republicans?

And Greens.

Not at Democrats.

[lunatica]

30. It's not who she opposes. It's what she's fighting FOR

All Democrats need to get behind Climate Change because when the planet dies nothing else matters.

She also supports Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.

Stop with the bashing.

[Small-Axe]

31. We clearly are not of like minds.

I'm not bashing. Please stop with the games.

I support Democrats.

[lunatica]

33. I was referring to the the plural you

Not to you personally. I apologize if it came across that way.

[Caliman73]

28. Some people are mad because she has focused on Democrats too.

AOC has been part of Justice Democrats which is an organization associated with Cenk Uygur and TYT. TYT was heavily aligned with Bernie Sanders and they claim to be fighting to get money out of politics. The problem that people have with TYT and Justice Dems is that they went hard after Hillary Clinton and some staff on the show still regularly do. They claim that corporate beholden Democratic politicians are just as bad or worse than Republicans.

I can see some of the concerns. Cenk can be extremely annoying with the constant harping on Democrats, though he goes after Republicans too and it is assumed that Republicans are hopelessly corrupt so the focus is on the party that is salvageable in their eyes. I happen to disagree with the tactics though.

Anyway. Because of AOC's affiliation and some of her recent comments, the fact that she backed certain Democrats against other Democrats during the 2018 primaries, and recent media portrayal of her Freshman orientation support for the sit in people at Pelosi's office; people have a negative reaction to anything she does.

I am not sure the sexism is coming specifically from DU, though being at DU doesn't make you immune. I do think there is a definite double standard about how women are reported on in the media vs. men as well as Democrats vs. Republicans.

Ultimately I think that it is about fear from people in power of left leaning ideologies because left leaning ideologies typically seek to distribute power and the benefits of labor equitably among the population and oppose the concentration of wealth.

DU people seem to think that AOC is some kind of double agent or that she is just going to make Democrats look bad and cost us an election. They want her to shut up, instead of holding the media accountable for putting out a narrative of Democratic infighting.

[lunatica]

34. I agree.

There is a streak of purity thinking on DU that disturbs me sometimes. We need to celebrate our party’s big umbrella and the herding cats reputation we have. When it counts we do great things for the people of this country.

If women are to be leaders they have to be scrappers when it’s necessary. If women come in being ladylike and demure they’ll be ignored for years. AOC isn’t one of those. Just like Elizabeth Warren, Pelosi herself and Maxine Waters aren’t.

I’ve known this from my own life. I was the employee who was a union member who demanded fairness for people management picked on and who spoke up at staff meetings and who said no to puerile new rules made up by power hungry bosses. Once I had that reputation management actually respected me. I didn’t give a shit whether they liked me or not. And one reason I got away with it was because I was a highly professional employee who knew more than they did. It was because I knew so much about policy that I made them back down many times.

[TCJ70]

15. Fully grown garlic is always the weapon of choice when heading to a fight...n/t

[lunatica]

17. ?

I’m not getting your reference.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

22. Lol. It took me a second. Check your subject line in the post responded to.

[lunatica]

23. Oh! OK

Thanks!

[bigtree]

35. what does this mean?

[TCJ70]

36. Look at the title of the post I replied to. N/t

[BannonsLiver]

25. This where I'm at

She’s new to congress and politics. We need to give her space to figure it all out. This is a hard job, contrary to what a lot of people think.

[LiberalFighter]

29. She turned that around nicely.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

32. Guess I can agree with AOC for once at least