Claire McCaskill Hates on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez From Outside Congress...

[demmiblue]

In a move that definitely does not make her an abject motherfucking hater, now-former Sen. Claire McCaskill has shared that she’s “confused” about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being “the thing.”

According to CNN, in a thinly veiled attempt to give Ocasio-Cortez “advice” during an exit interview—a classic inroad to being a shady asshole—McCaskill (D-Mo.) stated that she “doesn’t know her” when asked about the freshman representative. (I’m not throwing a Mariah Carey meme in here for giggles; she actually said that.)

Despite this, McCaskill had some choice words for Ocasio-Cortez, calling her a “bright, shiny new object [who] came out of nowhere and surprised people when she beat a very experienced congressman” and, well, shit—after implying that voters are like distractible children or magpies going after pretty things, I cannot imagine why McCaskill lost her Senate seat! I’m also sure this sentiment has nothing to do with McCaskill being one of those “very experienced” congress members who were ousted, or her being nakedly salty-as-fuck about the buzz Ocasio-Cortez has garnered.

Continuing with her “Are you sure you don’t know her, sis?” moments, McCaskill continued speaking on Ocasio-Cortez for a hot second, per CNN:

https://www.theroot.com/claire-mccaskill-hates-on-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-from-1831338782

Link to tweet

[hlthe2b]

1. "This is white feminism" Really?! No, this is the pain of losing and handling it badly.

I think the quote in the tweet is really inappropriate, however.

There have been at least a half dozen threads about McCaskall's comments over the past several days and none of those I've seen respond were anything but critical towards McCaskall. Yet no one felt the need to make to make it a "white feminist" issue as did the tweet commenter. This is just wrong, imo

[demmiblue]

4. Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't... but I have appreciated Zerlina Maxwell's voice on MSNBC.

I am open to listening to her interpretation.

[George II]

8. Even when she calls a sitting Democratic Senator a "shady asshole"?

[Basement Beat]

81. "Shady asshole" wasn't from Zerlina.

Nor was it from the article she retweeted(The Hill). Was only from the writer of the article the OP posted (The Root).

[George II]

89. I realize that, but the article linked in the OP is from theroot, written by....

Natalie Degraffinried, who called McCaskill a "shady asshole".

The OP isn't about the tweet, it's about the article in theroot, of which four paragraphs where quoted word for word. The subject line is the headline of the article from theroot.

I don't know why people would post an article like that and others would stick up for Natalie Degraffinried's characterization of McCaskill.

BTW, it's incorrect, too - McCaskill isn't a "now-former" Senator. She is still a Senator.

[kstewart33]

142. Didn't McCaskill say "I hope she hangs the moon"?

Sure doesn't sound like hate, does it?

The only one who sounds hateful is the author of the article. The Root needs to raise its publication standards.

[onetexan]

144. agree, the media seems to have blown it out of proportions in effort to make a baity headline

while i do think Senator Mccaskill should have not gone there in offering unsolicited advice to a "young'un" who happens to be outspoken and a media darling at the present, i don't think she meant it to be a negative comment re: Ms. AOC.
I took her comment to be she was contrasting between an experienced candidate (which she said weighed more in previous years) versus being a young candidate.

That said, i do detect that the tone of Senator Mccaskill's overall comments as of late carries a tad of resentment (that she didn't get reelected despite all her years in politics) and could have been taken to be a diss on younger candidates. I do hope she didn't mean that and that she will continue to help the party be a more united front going forward, and support these young'uns gain the necessary experience with her own invaluable knowledge and experience.

[kstewart33]

153. Well said.

[George II]

2. What's with calling Senator Claire McCaskill "a shady asshole"? What's the point of this OP?

[Eliot Rosewater]

68. We know the point, dont we.

sigh

[kstewart33]

128. The Root article is way out of line.

A lot of hate and disgust and missing McCaskill's key points.

You want free college for all? It takes 60 votes in the Senate. Today, that's a pipe dream. The first step is winning Senate seats and that means appealing to the white working class.

McCaskill knows that. The author has no idea.

[msongs]

3. no hate in evidence. is theroot a $ making for profit site? nt

[George II]

7. They sure don't know much about Congress....

....Cortez is an as yet unseated REPRESENTATIVE, she takes office in about a week. McCaskill is a SENATOR. How is McCaskill supposed to know her? I seriously doubt that an outgoing Senator is going to make the rounds to meet all of the newly elected members of the House.

But if she does, perhaps McCaskill remembers this past summer when Cortez, at the time not even elected to office, travelling out to her state to actively campaign against the VERY popular incumbent African American Congressman Lacy Clay. That would stick in my craw, too.

BTW, an indication of Clay's popularity and the esteem his constituents have for him, he won his primary (against the candidate Cortez campaigned for) by 20%, and then won the general election by a margin of 80% to 16.7%!

[question everything]

66. Interesting. I don't think many here are aware of this (nt)

[Gothmog]

70. Good Post

[cwydro]

61. Not a fan of the root.

This is divisive and does not belong here.

[brush]

69. What do you have against "The Root"?

[cwydro]

74. People who were very vocally against Hillary last election.

Perhaps you missed it.

[brush]

79. Do you mean a particular writer or the whole site?

The site has many writers who come from an African American perspective. I find much but not all of the content has merit.

[cwydro]

84. Actually, I enjoy reading content from numerous sites. Even if I don't like everything written.

One of their writers really put me off last year.

So there ya go.

[demmiblue]

85. Michael Harriot. Yep.

I enjoy hearing from Jason Johnson (Political Editor for The Root) on MSNBC.

[brush]

88. So put down the writer not the whole African American site. Some might get the wrong idea.

[cwydro]

100. "Some might get the wrong idea?"

How about if I say something about Huffpost. Or Politico?

Give me a break. Lmao.

[brush]

107. I'm SMH that you don't get putting down a whole AA site instead of the writer...

is not cool. For instance, "The Root" has posted many articles on Black Lives Matter, BBQ Becky, Pool Patrol Patty and their ilk as well as all of the shootings of unarmed black men by killer cops and I've posted their links here without any problems.

It's the writer not the site.

[cwydro]

131. Sorry you don't seem to like to hear differing opinions.

But this is a discussion board.

Nope, not a fan of sites that bash Democratic candidates.

[brush]

135. So we can expect to hear the same from you for every posting from...

"Politico", "Huffpo", "The Hill", "The NYT" or "WAPO" et al as they've all had stories posted here critical of Pelosi, Bernie, the party and Hillary? Many of the Sanders stories particularly bashed the Democratic Party.

Here's one from "NewsWeek for you:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211601192#post36

[samnsara]

5. this is how we become divided. is this what we really want?

[demmiblue]

6. OMG.

[Autumn]

15. Really?

[Xolodno]

25. It's also how we lose elections.

This is how it starts, slowly start shooting our own while the GOP regroups.

[Power 2 the People]

90. +1000

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Yeah, that's helpful

McCaskill continued speaking on Ocasio-Cortez for a hot second, per CNN:

"And so she’s now talked about a lot. I’m not sure what she’s done yet to generate that kind of enthusiasm, but I wish her well. I hope she hangs the moon.

But I hope she also realizes that the parts of the country that are rejecting the Democratic Party, like a whole lot of white working-class voters, need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs, and how we can really stick to issues that we can actually accomplish something on.

The rhetoric is cheap. Getting results is a lot harder."

The thinking that's kept our party from trying to really do anything: It's too h-a-a-a-r-d!

Wonder why the GOP changes the world -- for the worse, of course -- and the Dems can't get anything!

(Duckworth, I'm looking at you, too)

[brush]

71. That perspective is a little outdated doncha think? We just won with a huge blue wave.

[AlexSFCA]

10. I wonder if McCaskill had the guts of AOC, would she have won

Look at Sharrod Brown, unaplogetic progressive winning easily in trump country; trump voters voted for him.

[question everything]

18. A small difference of an extra (or lack of) X chromosome

If nothing else, 2016 and the attacks on Pelosi have shown that misogyny is alive and well.

[George II]

21. As I noted elsewhere here, she is the ONLY woman elected Senator in Missouri, and the first.....

....Democratic Senator elected in Missouri since 1981. And you're questioning her "guts"?

Yeah, a woman doesn't have guts but a man does.

[EffieBlack]

24. I wonder if AOC had run in Missouri, would she have won?

And, fyi, Sherrod Brown is a white man who is not always unapologetically progressive . . .

[R B Garr]

28. Exactly, McCaskill is just saying that talking about abstract

things compared to what you can actually get done doesn’t work in her part of the country.

[womanofthehills]

112. Are you saying AOC is talking about abstract things? - Free health care and free college

OMG! Health care is free in most countries of the world, but in the USA the cost is off the charts. American students go to Cuba to become doctors. How come a small country like Cuba can have free tuition, but we can't figure it out?

[R B Garr]

122. Yet Vermont has rejected all of that. So much for talking....

She was saying she doesn’t have the luxury of indulging in abstract ideas as opposed to talking about what can actually be done. It’s just common sense.

[womanofthehills]

123. So you are saying Medicare for all and free tuition can never happen in the USA?

So we should not discuss it. What should we discuss than?

[kstewart33]

130. Takes 60 votes in the Senate for free tuition.

Never say never, but it's a pipe dream now.

McCaskill's way is a lot better. We've got to appeal to the white working class to build a majority in the Senate.

[R B Garr]

132. She is saying that Missouri is not New York.

Common sense and politics 101, not even worth debating, it’s just common knowledge.

Maybe Bernie could discuss why his own state rejected those free things.

[George II]

38. Well, she actively campaigned in Missouri against an incumbent Democratic Congressman....

..., a POC in fact) in the primary back in the spring. Chances are she wouldn't win (remember when she bashed Tammy Duckworth for claiming that Bronx politics wouldn't win in the midwest?)

Lacy Clay easily defeated her candidate by 20% and then was re-elected by 80% to 16%.

[EffieBlack]

41. And campaigned in Kansas against Sharice Davids and sent an email dismissing her as a "corporate

lawyer.""

Whoops. Awkward ...

[George II]

44. A "corporate lawyer" who worked on Native American reservations at a reduced rate....

....advocating for Native American rights.

[EffieBlack]

46. She left that part out ...

Whoops again ...

[Gothmog]

72. I remember this also

BTW, I am a corporate lawyer

[Autumn]

11. I hope AOC ignores McCaskills advice, it would just be one more thing for people to hate on her

"I'm a little confused why she's the thing,” McCaskill told CNN. “But it's a good example of what I'm talking about, a bright shiny new object, came out of nowhere and surprised people when she beat a very experienced congressman."

"I hope she also realizes that the parts of the country that are rejecting the Democratic Party, like a whole lot of white working-class voters, need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs, and how we can really stick to issues that we can actually accomplish something on,” McCaskill said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422851-mccaskill-on-ocasio-cortez-im-a-little-confused-why-shes-the-thing

She sounds bitter. To call a young Latina woman a thing, a bright shiny new object is petty.

[George II]

19. No, she made those comments about Democratic Representative that. Why do you have to read......

....age and ethnicity into that?

She's not bitter and she certainly is not petty. She has had a distinguished career in the Senate, being the only woman elected to the Senate from Missouri and the first Democratic Senator from Missouri elected to the Senate since 1986.

[Autumn]

23. I didn't say anything about age but I should have. That what people accused AOC of doing.

[George II]

26. Yes you did....

"To call a young Latina woman......"

[EffieBlack]

31. LOL

What are you gonna do?

[Autumn]

35. Who is the young Latina woman woman George? Certainly not McCaskill.

AOC is the young Latina woman that McCaskill called a "thing", a“bright, shiny new object" . Context matters.

[George II]

39. Oh gawd......................

I suggest you reread your post again.

[Autumn]

45. George, Claire said it outright, she implied nothing. Don't hit yourself too hard.

Why do you excuse what Claire outright said and hold against AOC what you think she implied ?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211583884#post55

Are you calling me a liar when I quoted what Claire said?

"I'm a little confused why she's the thing," "a bright shiny new object"
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422851-mccaskill-on-ocasio-cortez-im-a-little-confused-why-shes-the-thing

[George II]

47. She didn't say she was "young" (you did), didn't say she was "Latina" (you did)...

She said neither "outright". Where in McCaskill's quote does she make reference to age or race? Nowhere, but for some unknown reason you decided to zero in on something McCaskill never said.

Why?

[Autumn]

55. Nope. As an old Latina I object to a young Latina being referred to as a thing, a shiny new object.

You obviously don't mind. McCaskill called AOC a thing, a shiny new object. You ignore those words. Until you acknowledge those words I have nothing more to say to you.

[George II]

60. Another friendly suggestion - why not go to the video or full transcript from where ....

...that quote came.

Inasmuch as the writer who is paraphrasing what McCaskill said referred to her as "a shady asshole", I wouldn't be surprised if she took that or other quotes out of context.

You read what you want in what McCaskill said, correct or not, I'll stick with the actual words that came out of her mouth. I won't conflate two of her sentences, which may have been uttered with a long time between them, into one thought and then try to psychoanalyze it.

She said what she said, and didn't use either of the two characterizations you've attributed to it.

[Autumn]

91. I didn't click on the link by The Root. I posted Claire's complete comments with a link.

So I have no idea who called McCaskill a "a shady asshole", nor do I care. I have found that nothing The Root posts impresses me so I won't bother to look to respond to that remark that you find offensive. That remark is not relevant to anything I posted. It's not my fault you didn't bother to click on the link in my earlier post and read Claire's exact quotes in the excerpts that I highlighted.

[Autumn]

96. I said that as an old Latina, ME, it offends me to see a young Latina, AOC

called a shiny new object or a thing. Yeah I called AOC young. Nowhere did I imply that McCaskill called her young. I zeroed in on her calling AOC a "thing and a shiny new object". Which she did. IN the article. You zeroed in on my words and tried to make it a thing that I attributed to McCaskill.

Nope. As an old Latina I object to a young Latina being referred to as a thing, a shiny new object.
You obviously don't mind. McCaskill called AOC a thing, a shiny new object. You ignore those words. Until you acknowledge those words I have nothing more to say to you.

You are objecting to what I said about myself as a Latina.

[George II]

97. And I asked you why you had to drag age and ethnicity into the discussion. That has nothing....

....to do with what Senator McCaskill said.

You never did answer why age or ethnicity has anything to do with this. Why?

Your age and ethnicity has nothing to do with what Senator McCaskill said about her either, why would I object to what you said about yourself?

By the way, McCaskill is an older woman, and although I don't approve of the way she's being spoken about here, I don't attribute those comments to her age or her gender.

[Autumn]

99. I told you. I'm an old Latina woman and it offends me to see a young Latina woman

being called "a thing" and "a shiny new object". Women are not objects, no matter that they are Latina, Black, White young or old. That's my point of view on McCaskill's words about AOC, a young Latina woman who has accomplished what many young Latina women have not yet experienced. You have stated many times that you are an older white male so I don't expect you to see from my point of view . You need more of an explanation than that well as to why I object to what Claire said well... that sucks because that's all the explanation you're going to get.

[womanofthehills]

113. Why is McCaskill telling AOC she should pay attention to white voters? - that's bizarro!!

Calling Ocasio-Cortez a “bright shiny new object,” McCaskill told CNN that Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist who ousted a long-seated congressman in a primary upset, should pay attention to the "whole lot of white working-class voters” who “need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs.” She boiled down Ocasio-Cortez’s appeal to her “cheap … rhetoric,” then remarked that “getting results is a lot harder.”

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/claire-mccaskill-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-interviews-abortion.html

[George II]

92. I did, which is an article from The Hill that apparently quotes from the same interview....

....our source of content. The two comments that you're conflating most likely took place at separate times of the interview, and obviously we don't know the questions to which those were her answers.

This is a discussion about an article in the root and the paragraphs quoted.

You didn't just quote McCaskill (I'm not friends with her so I don't merely refer to her as "Claire" ), you mentioned that McCaskill made those comments about a "young Latina", which is entirely immaterial to the OP or the discussion, and wasn't mentioned in the OP, the article from theroot, or the article from The Hill.

I never had any issue with you quoting what she said, what I commented about is you itroduced age and ethnicity into the discussion, which wasn't even mentioned here until you did and is irrelevant.

Did you see "young" or "Latina" ANYWHERE in this discussion or the two articles? If so, where? I didn't until you mentioned them here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11598666

(That's where you also referred to Claire McCaskill as "bitter" and "petty".)

I pointed that out here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11598727

[melman]

103. "most likely took place at separate times of the interview"

They absolutely did not.


"obviously we don't know the questions"

yeah, we actually do know the question. (singular)

It's all right here in the video.


https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422851-mccaskill-on-ocasio-cortez-im-a-little-confused-why-shes-the-thing

[Autumn]

105. Yeah George, young Latina.. old Latina. That's your focus.

It's easy to see why. But you said age!!!!!

[George II]

106. No it's not, it's YOUR focus. I didn't bring any of that into the conversation, you did. To me....

....a person't qualifications and experience are much more important than their age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other biases that others might use to dismiss or criticize anyone.

I don't know why that's so important to you. If a person can do the job, who cares about all that personal stuff?

[sheshe2]

102. Ya, you did. nt

[apcalc]

30. +1

[MineralMan]

12. Sorry, Claire. She won her election.

You lost yours. So, she'll be in the House and you won't. There is that to consider, I think. I hope she turns out to be a good representative for her district. Apparently yours didn't think you were that.

[Jake Stern]

48. Yeah as a Dem in a cobalt blue D-29 district

Sorry, not an impressive feat.

Winning a senate seat as a Democrat TWICE in a state that Republicans routinely carry by double digits is something to hang your hat on.

Let AOC run for a seat in a deep red state like South Dakota, Arkansas or West Virginia where the electorate is still 80-90% white - AND WIN - then I'll be impressed.

[MineralMan]

49. And who will be taking her seat in the House on January 3?

[Jake Stern]

54. Immaterial. Claire already proved herself many times over how to win in a cherry red state

People forget that before the Senate she was elected state auditor, prosecutor and to the MO House.

AOC is trying to act because she won a safer-than-Fort-Knox blue seat she's somehow entitled to tell politicians in Red States how they should act.

I started out supporting AOC but have grown to dislike her shenanigans.

[Kurt V.]

63. she proved you can beat foot-in-mouth opponents. as a Missourian

I'm pretty disappointed she's burning bridges on the way out.

[crazycatlady]

95. Her real victory was in the primary

I would say unseating the #4 Democrat in the House is an accomplishment.

[womanofthehills]

114. It's a very "impressive feat" that a Latina working women won a primary with not much money

One of the most powerful Dems in Washington lost to a 28 yr old Latina girl. She raised $600,000 from small donations while he raised 3 million and she still won. I think that's really impressive!!

It would make no sense for a progressive to run in a deep red state. Why would you even go there.

[Kurt V.]

62. this.

[question everything]

75. This is really low

You should read some of the comments by George II who clearly knows what he is talking about

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11598646

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11598780

AOC comes from a safe district and before even taking her seat started generating headlines.

[melman]

86. OMG

Post of the year.

[womanofthehills]

117. OMG #2

[MineralMan]

137. No, it's not.

AOC unseated a Demcratic incumbent, through grassroots efforts. Yes, her district is a safe one for Democrats, but she won it with hard work in the primary.

Claire McCaskill's Senate seat is in a very tough state for Democrats. To win and retain that seat, she had to compromise frequently and take more conservative positions. A few times, she voted in ways that were not compatible with Democratic principles. That got her wins for two terms, but not this time.

Too bad for her, really. However, she will not be in the Senate now. AOC will have a seat in the House. In politics, winning is the only sign that you are in the right place for your state or district. If you win, you get to use your influence. If you lose, you don't. It's that simply, really.

My point is that it's not appropriate for a Senator who has lost her election to be casting aspersions on a House member who has won her election. It's just not how you do things in the Democratic Party.

What's next for McCaskill? I have no idea. I'm betting she'll be permanently out of politics at this point. She lost a very important election which would have given her a third term in office. Good luck to her.

[Voltaire2]

138. Yup.

A loser lecturing a winner how to win.

Lame.

[WeekiWater]

14. I'm not confused.

The media jumped on her quick as there were few other upsets. There wasn’t this big unseating of incumbents as was the narrative being built. They are using her to divide. Pretty simple.

McCaskill, you commentary is not necessary and simply feeds the media generated hype.

[question everything]

17. McCaskill won against odds, in 2012 in a red state.

AOC won in a safe Democratic district. Has been generating headlines even before she took her seat. Yes, I can see the doubts. I think many share them and it is unfortunate that only a former member of Congress has the courage to say so.

[Autumn]

20. And McCaskill lost in 2018 so the people in her state obviously weren't all that happy with her

[brush]

77. You're forgetting her courageous vote against Kavanaugh was a big reason she lost.

Takes courage to do that in a red state. She knew that and still voted against the sexually assaulter judge.

[Autumn]

82. Any woman should have voted against Kavanaugh, or any man for that matter.

It doesn't take courage to vote against a drunken pervert, who spent years sexually assaulting women.

[brush]

87. Several women voted for him. Don't brush off too lightly that she knew there would...

be consequences in her red state and she voted against the attempted rapist judge anyway.

Dem. senator Manchin in a red state otoh voted for Kavanaugh and was re-elected.

She stood on her convictions so give her that. She didn't have to and probably would still be senator if she did have the courage to vote against a sexual assaulter.

[question everything]

110. In a Trumpian state?

How easy it is to belittle those Democrats that survived many elections in deep red states but finally Trump won. Remember, he visited MO many times specifically targeting her.

Would you have done better?

And, as posted above, seems that AOC did the same but she failed.

[Autumn]

115. Trumpian state whatever. Someone Trump campaigned for lost to a Dem, McCaskill lost her race.

[George II]

34. Yes, she won in 2006 AND in 2012. She was the first Democrat elected to the Senate since 1980...

....that's 26 years!

She is also the only woman elected Senator from Missouri, too. But now she's being bashed relentlessly, with some gloating about her losing in November.

[R B Garr]

22. Cripes, all MacCaskill was saying is that not everyone runs

in 80% Democrat districts. There are others actually struggling to beat Republicans.

[womanofthehills]

118. Cripes - AOC won a very hard primary

Her opponent spent 18 times more money than she did and she still won.

[R B Garr]

121. LOL, the stats are out there for some time and even AOC

said on talk shows that it was a very low turnout.

But that has nothing to do with this thread anyway, lol.

[womanofthehills]

145. Actually, the turnout was a bit higher than they expected

which helped AOC.

[R B Garr]

150. It is documented that it was quite low. It was the low turnout

that helped her. It’s all documented, so no need to spin something that is counter to what we actually know.

[Voltaire2]

139. Actually her advice was specifically aimed

at Ocasio-Cortez. Her district is overwhelmingly Democratic and the last thing she needs to do is to play Republican-lite in some misbegotten mission to curry favor with Fox News zombies.

[R B Garr]

140. The title says she was "hating" on her, which is laughable

and an obvious ploy to make AOC a victim for arguments sake.

But it wasn’t “advice”. She was saying that not all Democrats have the luxury of being in “overwhelmingly Democratic” districts, so quit acting like every Democrat has to follow the new bells and whistles. It’s not one size fits all. You have it the exact opposite. AOC is the one giving advice to other Democrats.

[apcalc]

27. You're dumping on McCaskill? Seriously?

What she said made sense in many ways. Stop trying to divide. Their was NO hate in her voice, nor anger.

[R B Garr]

32. +1, plus this looks to be a few days old. I think it was on

Yahoo a few days ago, so why drag it here after so long.

[womanofthehills]

119. McCaskill was very critical of AOC - then tacked on something positive

Kind of like in a passive/aggressive sort of way.

[EffieBlack]

29. Critical part of the quote ...

“I wish her well. I hope she hangs the moon. But I hope she also realizes that the parts of the country that are rejecting the Democratic Party, like a whole lot of white working-class voters, need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs, and how we can really stick to issues that we can actually accomplish something on."

How is this any different from what a lot of people say right here on DU?

[Autumn]

40. This part is crucial too. "I'm a little confused why she's the thing," a "bright, shiny new object"

Outgoing Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) says that she is “a little confused” by the rapid rise of Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

In an exit interview with CNN, McCaskill said she wishes Ocasio-Cortez well, but advised the rising Democratic star to walk the walk.

"I'm a little confused why she's the thing,” McCaskill told CNN. “But it's a good example of what I'm talking about, a bright shiny new object, came out of nowhere and surprised people when she beat a very experienced congressman."

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422851-mccaskill-on-ocasio-cortez-im-a-little-confused-why-shes-the-thing

[EffieBlack]

50. Yes, that was already included in the OP

but why not quote it again, just in case you have nothing of substance to add, right?

[Autumn]

67. But you didn't find that part crucial did you? That's a lot of substance you left out.

Right?

[Vinca]

33. Someone sounds a bit jealous.

[Irishxs]

42. 👍👍👍

[Irishxs]

36. Never Trusted McCaskill-Always seemed to be playing too close to gop

Wasn’t surprised she lost.

[rzemanfl]

52. Bookmarking. n/t

[Jake Stern]

57. Please enlighten me, oh great political wizard

How to win as a Democrat in a statewide race in a cherry red state where the electorate is 80%+ white and Trump won by almost 20 points.

[brush]

83. She lost because she voted against Kavanaugh. Try to remember.

That took courage in a red state and she knew it when she voted against the sexual assaulter judge.

[brooklynite]

94. Care to point to an actual vote you object to?

[EffieBlack]

43. Apparently anything short of falling all over oneself at someone's awesomeness is now "hate."

It's not new, of course - we saw it with a certain previous candidate, as well.

[NastyRiffraff]

73. Yes, here we go again

No criticism of AOC allowed. Even a lack of fulsome praise is suspicious. It's very familiar.

[womanofthehills]

116. It's the same people on every AOC post doing the criticism.

She's a young Democratic - let's stand behind her. She worked really hard to become a Representative - that's how she won. I love that she tweets and lets people know what's going on.

[Jake Stern]

124. Sure wish she'd turn that fire in her belly loose on the other side

instead of people in her own party. I recall her working against the candidacies of a Native American woman with a stellar record of working for Aboriginal rights and that of a well liked African American representative from Missouri.

[womanofthehills]

146. AOL and Brent Welder both worked on Bernie's presidential campaign

Sharice Davids and Brent Welder were both good candidates. Welder was for medicaid for all and shifting corporate money away from politics - so he was more aligned with AOL. Campaigning for one democrat over another is not a sin. It was a close race and I personally liked Sharice. AOL was very gracious to Sharice when Sharice won:

Congratulations, @sharicedavids! Your win is an incredible inspiration to so many, myself included.

[eleny]

51. I'd like to see a public forum conversation between the two

They could cover several issues they agree to discuss. I lean way left of McCaskill but would be eager to watch such an exchange.

[Eugene]

53. The Hill had a less inflammatory version of this. Even then, I thought The Hill was sh*t stirring.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422851-mccaskill-on-ocasio-cortez-im-a-little-confused-why-shes-the-thing

McCaskill's points were that it's time for AOC to walk the walk and don't forget about working class white people.

[Loki Liesmith]

56. Author of article needs to settle down.

The Root is a garbage publication.

[NoMoreRepugs]

58. IMO a stupid thread and sorry I wasted time reading through it and the comments.

I found it a stretch to accuse McCaskill of anything unseemly - plus to say AOC won and McCaskill didn't makes no sense.
A female US Senate win in MISSOURI - if you know anything about the state - to quote Joe Biden - "Is a big Fuckin' deal"

[Dave Starsky]

59. AOC hasn't even taken her seat in Congress.

She hasn't even sat down to do the job that she was elected by her constituents to do. She hasn't cast a single vote in federal government.

And yet, already, people are coming out right and left to cut her down. I hear about it on the news all the time. I even see the criticism here. But why should we care about this newly elected congresswoman who has never cast a vote in Congress?

Maybe because she truly threatens the status quo.

[Skidmore]

64. Perhaps she needs to learn her job.

As for Senator, she's returning to life as a private citizen. Doing so does not strip her of a right to an opinion on the body she served in.

[Dave Starsky]

93. What are you talking about?

My post was about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She's a new member of the US House of Representatives.

[Skidmore]

98. And my post title is a response to that. ntpost

[sheshe2]

109. Well

Dave Starsky

59. AOC hasn't even taken her seat in Congress.

She hasn't even sat down to do the job that she was elected by her constituents to do. She hasn't cast a single vote in federal government.

And yet, already, people are coming out right and left to cut her down. I hear about it on the news all the time. I even see the criticism here. But why should we care about this newly elected congresswoman who has never cast a vote in Congress?

Well. By your own words, so far she has not even cast a single vote. Fact is, she has not even been sworn in yet. However there are calls for her to run for President in 2020 even though she is to young...all before she has been sworn in or cast her first vote. I find this troubling, don't you?

[FreepFryer]

65. Bad look, McCaskill. AOC needs to prove herself and her bone fides once she takes office...

...but this kind of thing only makes McCaskill’s former donors feel better about abandoning her post-Franken.

[diva77]

76. If you factor in election fraud, then it's entirely possible that McCaskill actually won. A quick

Last edited Fri Dec 28, 2018, 06:28 PM - Edit history (1)

look at the Missouri SOS page displays what "voting" systems have been certified:

https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/qualsystems.asp

Couple that with wingnut media, and you have a formula for turning a swing state red.

I don't have all the numbers, but considering the final tally was

Josh Hawley Republican 1,254,927 51.4%
Claire McCaskill* Democrat 1,112,935 45.6%

and considering that MO has voter ID laws, voting systems that are not secure, and with absentee ballots vulnerable to loss in chain of custody, etc., it's hard to say who really won.

This article points out just some of the fraud:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/opinion/sunday/voter-fraud-lie-missouri.html
-----------
would be great if she would continue to speak out about voter suppression - she did introduce bill
https://patch.com/missouri/stlouis/mccaskill-introduces-bill-fight-voter-suppression

[EffieBlack]

104. McGaskill loses a red state, she's a has-been who needs to shut up and go away

O'Rourke loses a red state and he's the party's shiny new thing ...

[womanofthehills]

120. O'Rourke is busy down on the border helping people get housing - he's not attacking other Dems

We like O'Rourke because his compassion really shows.

[R B Garr]

134. Attacking other Dems is why people question AOC.

That has been spelled out over and over in this thread and others. Any part of Justice Democrats or their affiliates/offshoots and their mission to target Democrats is what is at issue. You seem to understand this with O’Rourke but not AOC. O’Rourke came close to beating an incumbent Republican in a red state, not a low turnout primary in a solid blue district.

[womanofthehills]

147. Actually, the primary turnout was slighiy higher than expected which is why AOL won

So, AOL was campaigning for dems that were more aligned with her goals. That's what it's all about.

[R B Garr]

149. Her own acknowledgement is that it was extraordinarily

low turnout. A lot of people were used to the September primary date and overlooked the earlier one. It’s all documented, and I’m surprised you didn’t know that since her rounds on all the talk shows brought this up.

[shanny]

80. McCaskill is a little confused about a lot of stuff imo.

[Adrahil]

101. See ya, Claire! NT

[sharedvalues]

108. Crappy article, creating divisiveness from nowhere.

I’m a HUGE fan of AOC, and even I think this is a crappy, crappy article from The Root, by author
Natalie Degraffinried.

Article is terrible.
It’s crwating controversy and divisiveness out of whole cloth. McCaskill gave some anodyne comments.

Listen, if someone asked me about The Ferret I’d say “I don’t know him.” That doesn’t mean I don’t love the guy.

Stupid and divisive article.

Democrats get more done when we stick together.

[tavernier]

125. It's always a double edged sword for dems running in red states.

I spent the last six months visiting in Indiana, and would have loved to see Donnelly win, but when he ran ads talking about how often he sided with Rump, I knew that he had lost any affection and sanity with the Dems. Had I been able to vote in Indiana, I honestly don’t think I could have chosen him. I will always vote Dem, but that kind of political strategy just went against my grain. I wondered at the time if he didn’t just sell himself out and lose in the end.

[redstateblues]

126. Some of our lucky blue staters have no idea what it takes to for a Dem to win in a deep red state.

I would take Manchin or McCaskill in my state any day.

[kstewart33]

157. I'd like to see AOC campaigning for a Senate seat in Missouri.

It's an entirely different world.

[kstewart33]

127. Before trashing McCaskill, you might see the entire interview.

She made a lot of sense. Free college for all? Takes 60 votes in the Senate. Not going to happen.

Why not work on things that can become law such as lowering health care costs and drug prices.
And preserving pre-existing conditions protections?

About O-C, she asked, "What has she done?" A fair question. Like Bernie, she's made a lot of speeches and loves the limelight. Time will tell.

[nini]

141. No one reads anything in full anymore

They just react to an inflammatory subject line.

[womanofthehills]

148. Free college in state universities can happen in two yrs if we take back the Senate

So you think it should not be addressed.

[kstewart33]

154. How do we take back the Senate?

We have to win in red states. We do that by appealing to white working class and lower middle class people. That is McCaskill's point. Which the article's author views with disgust.

[DFW]

129. Does anyone really take part in this mass nonsense?

Obviously no one who has spent any time talking to Claire McCaskill. Hate isn't in her repertoire. She is from the "show me" state. I'm not, but I get the general idea. AOC takes office soon. THEN she can show her legislative mettle. There are high expectations in some quarters, although anyone who read AOC's comments when she saw her name plaque put in place will probably understand that she is experiencing reality setting in. Lots of 20 hour days, little time for proper meals. Oh really? Welcome to my world. That's been my schedule for the last 40 years. Welcome to the real world! You can make a difference, but it doesn't come just by snapping your fingers.

[kstewart33]

155. Bingo, DFW.

It's easy to makes speeches and gratifying to be sought by MSNBC and CNN. Let's see if AOC can actually accomplish something.

Wishing her the best but she is in for a rude awakening.

[DFW]

158. I think reality is dawning on her already.

She has already said, “I went from doing yoga and making wild rice and salmon dinners to eating fast food for dinner and falling asleep in my jeans and makeup,”

Welcome to the real world. The only people in Congress who live leisure lives have been there 30 years or more, and that is only because they put in their hours and paid their dues when they got there, and even then, some of them still put in 20 hour days.

[Quemado]

133. Bye Felicia!

NT

[Algernon Moncrieff]

136. I'm not sure anyone is hating on anyone here

Except maybe the Root is hating on McCaskill. I see a few words from McCaskill surrounded by a lot of editorializing by the writer.

There's MissourEEE (Kansas City and St Louis) and MissourUH (pretty much everywhere else in the state). The big cities lean Dem, everything else is deep red. The events in Ferguson and the emergence of BLM both enrages and terrifies white voters in suburban and rural parts of the state.

[samplegirl]

143. To bad she didn't speak up more

for her party by her voting record.

[juxtaposed]

151. I met Sen. McCaskill at a party once, she seemed personable. I think it may have been just before

she was elected to the senate. A heavy smoker or coffee drinker that stuck out to me.

[womanofthehills]

152. AOC tweets about disappointment in McCaskill - plus - McCaskill backing Trump on caravan

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

@AOC
· 5h

Not sure why fmr Sen. McCaskill keeps going on TV to call me a “thing” and “shiny object,” but it’s pretty disappointing.

McCaskill promised she’d “100% back Trump up” on his anti-immigrant rhetoric & lost. In MO, almost all progressive ballot issues won. https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/24/politics/mccaskill-exit-interview/index.html …

[kstewart33]

156. Wow.

AOC has twitchy tweet fingers.

McC also said in the same interview that she hopes AOC shoots the moon.

If she keeps this up, she will get very little accomplished in Congress.