Let's talk about AOC.

[BainsBane]

70. I think some people have issues

Last edited Tue Dec 22, 2020, 05:11 PM - Edit history (1)

with what they see as her attacks on the Democratic party and its leadership. Some share those views about the party, others don't. But to pretend those disagreements are irrational is wrong. That isn't to say that some won't jump on her regardless, but there are also legitimate points of disagreement.

I myself appreciate much of what AOC does in congress in terms of questioning Republicans government officials. I do not, however, care for her use of Twitter. I'm not drawn to the firebrand type. In general, I prefer politicians who are workhorses over those who are show horses. I see the value in politics as about getting work done that benefits the citizenry, not spectacle.

I'm also troubled by the obsession with individual politicians, something we see across the political spectrum. AOC is only one among a handful who attract such a following. This is a function of the electorate's values. It points to a inegalitarian sentiment that, in my view, is inconsistent with leftist values. But that inegalitarianism and the proclamation of a few as superior to the majority seems to be at the core of those who most ardently claim to be on the left. A recent example is the comfort with which so many had in defending AOC's and the rest of the congress' receiving vaccines before front line health care workers and the elderly in long-term residential settings. The excuse was 1) their favorite politician deserved special treatment and 2) continuity of government, which makes no sense except for those in line for the presidency. What it shows is the determination to champion the interests of an elite few over the many--again, the polar opposite of leftist values of equality. It troubles me that so few object to such blatant privilege for the political elite (unless they are Republican, which points to a whole other set of issues). I see extreme reverence for the individual politician as a sign of creeping authoritarian values in America society, and that troubles me. It's been happening for at least a decade but is becoming more intense by the day. AOC is not to blame for that, though she is a recent beneficiary.