This is exactly what destroyed the GOP. Extremists threaten to support primary challenges.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

This is exactly what destroyed the GOP. Ideological extremists threaten to support primary challenges to anyone who doesn't agree with them.
And this is why many Americans are fed up with the two party system.

Link to tweet

[SFnomad]

1. And then someone talks about Primarying AOC and the "real progressives" get the vapors n/t

[True Blue American]

66. Thanks.

[Tiggeroshii]

76. This is almost consistent with Pelosi

Pelosi has said the DCCC could drop their support of members who vote with republicans. AOC has threatened to help prImary members who would rather vote with Republicans to undermine our party.

[SFnomad]

78. Dropping support and primarying are nowhere near the same thing

Dropping support is not spending money on someone who is only going to support us maybe 60-70% of the time.

Versus primarying them, getting a "real progressive" in their place on the ballot and then losing the general election to a Republican that won't vote with us at all.

"Almost consistent" is a steaming pile.

[Tiggeroshii]

79. True

And it appearrs she didnt do either

[redstatebluegirl]

2. There are things about her I like but not this.

I realize the party is going through some growing pains, the transfer of power from the old guard to the new, but you had better respect the old guard on the way out or we go the way of the GOP when the tea party took over. We need a bigger tent than the one AOC wants. We can't win a national with this stuff going on.

[empedocles]

6. The first, and essential transfer of power, is transferring power away from traitortrump!

We need to hold those 18 red House seats that we won. They were not blue wave seats. Some things, rhetoric aside, should be painfully obvious. We need to learn not to keep repeating past mistakes.

[Hortensis]

15. Agree she can do things that seem as if she's

both smart and not wired for sabotage, then this kind.

Men from those radical groups she's associated with accompanied her to DC and are running her operation. Things like this make me wonder if she could be trying to keep them happy or if she agrees with their sort that while the Republicans and Russians are trying to destroy the Democratic Party makes it the perfect time to attack and try to take power themselves.

One thing I'm sure of, with their IT and social media manipulations, they didn't exactly run a masterful campaign helping her get elected (5% of her district's electorate voted, 11% of all registered Democrats), but they are ruthless and could probably destroy her political career fast if she rejected their hostile ideology and closed them out of power.

[redstatebluegirl]

24. I guess I missed something who is handling her?

[Hortensis]

31. Look up Brand New (as in purge) Congress and

Justice Democrats. They're basically small, Siamese-twin PACs run by the same people, and she's now on one or both boards.

The men who're running her DC operation have been mostly soft-peddling their anti-Democratic Party views since then, but their many prior statements and aspirations (All New) show they're proudly hostile to the vast Democratic coalition. Democratic voters are idiots who've been filling congress with representatives who appeal to them, but these guys are going to fix that by doing what they need to replace them with their own choices. Initially enough that they're able to take over our party and oust the leadership, at which time they'll start purging the remaining reps, which makes this rather ambitious little far-left clique anti-democracy extremists by almost any definition.

[redstatebluegirl]

36. Thanks I will look them up.

It does explain alot about her behavior.

[Me.]

55. I'm With You On Their It & Social Media Maipulations Prowess

and I always wonder if those are her tweets or theirs as a Congresswoman might be too busy to come up with those fast and to the point replies

[mcar]

25. This!

She did a great job at the Cohen hearing the other day, then follows up with this.

[True Blue American]

27. I thougt she actually did a great job at the Hearing

Direct and right to the point on Trump taxes.

Keep in mind the media feeds on dividing. Give her time.

[mcar]

32. Yes the media does

We Don't need to help them.

[True Blue American]

34. AOC is

Young, brilliant so the media tried to beat her to death.

Her performance at the Hearing was one of the best of the day. We had to look at those 2 fools in the Republican Party make complete fools out of themselves. We had Matt Gaetz parking himself in the audience. I felt that was another act of intimidation.

Jordan still has that sex scandal suit hanging over his head. Mark Meadows is a blatant liar.

Leave AOC alone to prover her worth.

[mcar]

41. Excuse me?

Leave AOC alone to prove her worth? So she should be exempt from constructive criticism completely?

Why? Seems like many other Democrats get smeared here on a daily basis but we're supposed to leave some alone. No, thanks.

I give her credit where it's due and criticism where it's due.

[True Blue American]

65. As you well know

The media has been focused on AOC ever since she was elected. Her clothes they claimed were too expensive, her dancing, her every move.

They have been critical of very move she makes. At first I, too was annoyed but began to realize how they were hounding her.

The Hearing Wed. Proved to me she was very well prepared. Short, to the point. A thousand times better than those posturing buffoons on the other side. So, yes, I think she needs a chance to prove how well prepared she is to serve.

Notice, the horror about the Green Deal, farting cows,etc. but then listen to the Farmers that are producing energy enough to fuel an entire town. Now, smart people are getting on board to save the Planet.

My point here,is we need to concentrate on facts, instead of the latest made up small thing given to us by the Corporate media.. Keep in mind they gave us an 18 year lie of a war brought by that lovely Bush Son. They also gave us Trump, Reagan, the whole corrupt Party.

[shanny]

3. Richard Painter and the National Review.

I am CERTAIN they both have Democrats' and democrats' best interests at heart.

[melman]

10. Seriously

Unbelievable that this garbage gets posted here.

[forklift]

60. The messengers may not be liked

but is any part of the message inaccurate?

[shanny]

61. Sure. Start with "far left."

[forklift]

62. I don't see it as a mischaracterization nt

[shanny]

63. And you a Sanders supporter?

That's hilarious. Or something.

[LonePirate]

4. Should the National Review be used as a source for any discussion about Dems?

They do not have our best interests in mind, not by a mile.

[brooklynite]

7. No reason not to use them if the story is true...which it is.

[shanny]

11. Is the analysis also "true"?

I'm amazed that anyone here would dream of taking the advice of that crowd.

[brooklynite]

13. What analysis did you object to?

Assuming you read the entire 7-paragraph article?

[melman]

17. Do you agree with Painter's characterization of AOC as an "ideological extremist"?

[brooklynite]

20. I recall that we have a debate about the NATIONAL REVIEW which makes no such comment

[melman]

21. Nice dodge

The OP has a tweet from noted Republican Richard Painter as you can clearly see.


But by all means keep on defending NATIONAL REVIEW because that's a really good look.

[shanny]

29. IKR?

[watoos]

5. So what about Speaker Pelosi?

She told the moderate Dems to toe the line.
When do we start getting negative Pelosi posts here?
Seems to me that AOC and Pelosi are on the same page, what’s the matter with the rest of you?

[SFnomad]

8. When did Speaker Pelosi threaten to Primary these moderate Dems?

Until she does ... Speaker Pelosi and AOC are NOT on the same page.

[True Blue American]

28. She didn't.

And Richard does not like Trump but he ran and lost.

[OilemFirchen]

14. "When do we start getting negative Pelosi posts here?"

[mcar]

42. ...

[forklift]

58. IKR? nt

[True Blue American]

67. With the superb Job

That,” Older Woman,” is doing I doubt there will be many. At least not from me..

Nancy knows what she is doing and the younger ones should listen very carefully and learn.Then they will be prepared to take her place.

The Republicans have little Leadership. And the pompous buffoons pretending to lead look just like what they are. After the disasterous Tenure of Ryan, ”(55 votes to kill Health care, really ? How many useless investigations?) all of them slunk out of town before voters ran them out.

We now have a chance to show what Leaders really do. It is time to let them do that.
2 gun bills passed, even joined by 13 Republicans. Real investigations,open to the public. Working on climate change, Big Pharma.

[apnu]

9. That might be true, if AOC was an "extremist"

She's not. People think she's far left because the Right moved the goal posts so far to the Right she appears "extreme"

"Moderates" today are actually Republicans I knew in the 70s and 80s... that's how far the perception of the "middle" has moved.

AOC is not "extreme" in any way. She's a solid liberal and a bit left of that. she's also pissed off, ready to fight for what she believes in and her district put her there to duke it out in Congress.

None of that is "extreme" unless you are so far right you think the KKK are "very fine people".

[Lazy Daisy]

19. here here

[shanny]

30. + a brazillion

[NurseJackie]

39. I distrust Cenk Uygur's "Justice Democrats" ... they are the extreme ones.

"Moderates" today are actually Republicans I knew in the 70s and 80s... that's how far the perception of the "middle" has moved.

Is that so? I'm moderate... so you're comparing me to being a Republican? You're accusing me of admiring the KKK? How charming! I'm nothing at all like Republicans or KKK admirers... THEN or NOW!

Those comparisons are extreme and offensive. Little wonder that people are suspicious and distrustful.

[True Blue American]

68. Same here!

I am moderate as they come.

[mcar]

43. I disagree

I'm as liberal as they come, but some on this board would consider me moderate.

[Voltaire2]

12. The Republican Party that currently owns

The courts, the Senate, the presidency, the majority of states and until recently the house? That destroyed Republican Party?

[TheRealNorth]

35. It is a funny definition of destroyed

Considering the Republicans have been on a roll since they started primarying their so-called RHINOs in 2010, I'm not sure destroyed is the right word. Radicalized is the term I might use.

Maybe if we had candidates who were not afraid of primaries (regardless if they are moderate or liberal) we would have candidates that would perform better in general elections.

[WeekiWater]

16. On occasion I have been critical of AOC.

But she was following Pelosi's lead on this one. Pelosi started by going after some democrats who didn't fall in-line on gun legislation. Pelosi gave them a piece of her mind. AOC followed like Pelosi's Pitt Bull. This wasn't AOC going rogue and from what I'm reading.

[mopinko]

18. you mean jumping on the rw slant on one of our stars?

she has clarified this statement.

Link to tweet

[bigtree]

22. Painter's a republican

...fug him.

[Gothmog]

23. K&R

[dem4decades]

26. Imagine if those moderate Democrats weren't there. No hearings . No oversight.

AOC has been in Congress for 2 months and in the majority. Let's do everything we can do to stay in the majority.

[NurseJackie]

33. It's that "Justice Democrats" and Sarandonesque philosophy of "destroy to rebuild".

There's a VALID REASON for me to have the greatest level of contempt for Cenk Uygur's "Justice Democrats" group... a level which is matched by their contempt for the Democratic party.

They're dangerous. I do not trust ANY of the "Justice Democrats" nor their motives of that extremist group.

[ehrnst]

46. +1000.

[George II]

48. Not much to worry about now or in the near future - their endorsed candidates in 2018....

.....won only 9% of their elections and half of them were shoo ins (some incumbents and one unopposed)

[Hortensis]

71. +1000. That said,

I am hopeful, a bit, that Ocasio’s harsh words for the GOP aren’t only thin-skinned responses to their way of promoting her as a leftist leader, but an indication that she now has less in common with these extremist groups. Since their purpose is of course to take down Democrats, they mostly avoid distracting criticism to the right. Bad tactic, and anyway that’s just not where their hostilities focus.

[demosincebirth]

37. I'm only fed up with one party.

I’m only fed up with one party.

[Florida Bull]

38. The GOP

Last edited Fri Mar 1, 2019, 09:11 PM - Edit history (1)

The GOP is not Conservative any more, or even necessarily reactionary. It has become radical on the Far-Right.

I would not worry about Medicare-for-All being “socialist.” The UK has a National Health Service even farther to the Left than Medicare-for-All, and it is supported by British Conservatives.

We need problem-solving solutions where we can build a consensus. We are struggling with messaging on Healthcare and Climate Change, and we should be building support, even in culturally conservative parts of the country.

[shanny]

52. Posting right wing BS is not helpful.

"I do disagree with the Far-Left that would ban plastic, airplanes, football even for consenting adults, meat, and dairy products though. "

[Florida Bull]

53. Sorry

I thought the thread was arguing for moderation on the Left, and was trying to find some possible common ground with the original post, while defending a couple things Conservatives call “socialist.”

I corrected my reply to the original post.

[Garrett78]

40. False equivalency. Enough said.

[KayF]

44. the National Review WISHES she has any resemblance to them

It would be foolish for us to take the National Review's fantasies at all seriously.

[George II]

45. That's interesting, anyone know which Democratic member of the House has voted against....

....the Democratic position and with the republicans the most since this session began?

Here's a list of all 103 votes so far and how each member voted:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/index.asp

Here's how Progressive Punch ranks the Progressive score for the 2019-2020 session:

https://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?x=43&y=10&house=house&party=D&sort=overall-current&order=down

[melman]

47. Why don't you tell us

[sacto95834]

49. No Matter who enters the race...

It's ultimately up to the people of the district to choose who their Representative/Senator is. If a more progressive wins in the district it means that's where the district is politically. If the district rejects the "more" progressive candidate then it wasn't ready to move there. What is the problem? Shouldn't it be this way? I always welcome candidates to throw their hat into the rink and make their case to move me to vote for them.

[totodeinhere]

50. Then why have primaries at all?

I thought that the idea of a primary is to give voters a choice on which candidate they want to represent their party in the general election. If I do not support an incumbent's stand on issues that are important to me then I have the right to support another candidate in the primaries, or even run in the primary myself.

[Me.]

56. The Difference Is Between Primarying A Candidate By Running Against Them

and targeting other candidates in districts that are not yours to fulfill your ideology

[sacto95834]

70. Illogical

No matter who runs, it's the district or state that chooses the Democrat they want to run in the general. By winning the district, the people have spoken.

I fail to see how a progressive, moderate or conservative was forced on you by some party or group. You may disagree with the voters in your district, but nobody has taken away your vote. If anything you have more choice and I'm all for that; just like all the cereal I can choose at the store. Most times I'll go with corn flakes, but raisin bran sometimes makes it into my cart.

[Me.]

74. Running Down Or Bad Mouthing A Candidate Can Be Very Effective

and in some cases it's a matter of 'well they're a Dem too so they must know'. Also, by dirtying up a candidate you may actually help the Con win. My question is, why don't they target Cons?

[Funtatlaguy]

51. The double standard is off the charts

All of our Dems must be perfect all of the time while the most corrupt administration and his enablers just keep on destroying the country.

[forklift]

54. For Democrats in moderate and conservative district

being primaried by AOC and JD would actually make it easier for them to win the primaries.

People who live in Nebraska or Kansas don't live in the Queens or the Bronx.

[George II]

57. Tammy Duckworth got called out by some Democrats back in the summer for saying that....

Tammy Duckworth - a decorated war hero who lost two limbs fighting for our country!

[forklift]

59. Well .... ideological purity is like a religion

One has to "believe" while wearing invisible blinders that don't let common sense intrude on the faith.

[True Blue American]

69. Praise the Lord!

And pass the ammunition!

[Cha]

64. Exactly, George.. and then BS and AOC

went to Kansas District 3 to campaign for a BS supporter and they all lost to Sharice Davids.

Who went on to Flip a Red Seat BLUEWAVE!

[dogman]

72. Yes, the GOP is so destroyed we will have RW judges for decades.

The GOP has done so much damage that we would have to go extreme left just to survive their assault.

[totodeinhere]

80. Yes it's going to take many years to recover from the damage that Trump has inflicted

on this country in two years. Even if he left office tomorrow substantial damage has been done. And most of those extremist judges will be on the bench for years if not decades.

[RobertDevereaux]

73. Her response...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211880605

“Mind you, the same small splinter group of Dems that tried to deny Pelosi the speakership, fund the wall during the shutdown when the public didn’t want it, & are now voting in surprise ICE amendments to gun safety legislation are being called the “moderate wing” of the party.

“We can have ideological differences and that’s fine. But these tactics allow a small group to force the other 200+ members into actions that the majority disagree with. I don’t think that’s right, and said as much in a closed door meeting.”

[PDittie]

75. AOC is not an extremist.

[Eric J in MN]

77. The GOP wasn't destroyed.

Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.