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Why is AOC a big deal? She just speaks common sense and calls out absurdity. Have we really gone that far off the rails where we don't do it ourselves? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago by to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
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[–] 0 points 12 hours ago (1 child)

She’s fine.

Absolutely. She's a capable politician and party member. I just don't think she deserved to get the kind of attention she's getting. For example many people talk about presidency and I think she's not even close to this level. There's simply no one else out there.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 hours ago (1 child)

    I just don’t think she deserved to get the kind of attention she’s getting.

    A lot of it boils down to her fundraising numbers. Among all the members of The Squad, she outperforms to the point that the rest of the party needs to periodically come to her with hands out for a cup of money. That extends her influence within party leadership and allows her to effectively lobby for legislative amendments and rally support in her caucus to vote against certain other bills.

    For example many people talk about presidency and I think she’s not even close to this level.

    I think she's better positioned to work on her bid in 2026 than Obama was twenty years earlier.

    Of course, I also think she'd function better as a candidate for NY Governor. Building a hard base of DSA-aligned Democrats inside New York and advancing progressive policy at the state level sounds much more appealing than taking a stab at the White House, only to get the entire country's problems dumped in your lap.

    There’s simply no one else out there.

    There's Pritzker in Illinois and Andy Beshear in Kentucky. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Mark Kelly of Arizona are also strong contenders. But, again, anyone taking the Presidency in 2028 is going to inherit an absolute shitshow. I wouldn't want the job and I think you kinda have to be crazy if you do. I also don't think AOC would do well under the degree of pressure the office will apply. You really need someone coming in there with a crowbar and an eye for kneecaps. That's not her style of politics.

    I could almost stomach four years of Gavin Newsom if I believed he'd spend his time running down Trump Admin hacks and bankrupting them. Where's Elliot Spitzer when you need him? But I know Newsom would sell out twice as hard as Trump just to prove he's better at it, so that's a no-go.

    I don't think there are any good candidates for President in 2028, AOC included. But that's more thanks to the deep endemic corruption of the office and the spinelessness of the Dem Party as a whole. If the only thing you care about is winning a popularity contest, though? AOC's a top contender.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 hours ago (1 child)

    I also don’t think AOC would do well under the degree of pressure the office will apply.

    I don't even think she would do well under the pressure of the presidential campaign.

    Of course, I also think she’d function better as a candidate for NY Governor. Building a hard base of DSA-aligned Democrats inside New York and advancing progressive policy at the state level

    100% agree. Ideally they would the couple of strong contenders for presidency and bunch of AOCs advancing things at a local level. The fact that people propose AOC for presidents shows how bad the state of the party is.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 hours ago*

    It definitely shows how bad the state of the national news media is. We're watching The Trump Show 24/7/365. I doubt one American in twenty could even name a Dem contender for President who hasn't run already. One reason why Kamala Harris remains a front-runner on paper. Hell, you'll see people talk about Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Barack Obama running again, purely because these are the only people whose names register.

    But come primary season, that will change as contenders put more money and social pressure on boosting their own name recognition. This time next year, you'll have a dozen different Dem contenders doing their warm-up laps around the field. If AOC isn't running, I doubt she'll be seriously missed.

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