Nesrie
1607
ICE itself is a problem, like a universal dislike of it, plus… well they don’t spend enough time actually making sure someone is here illegally before acting. I hate ICE. We need to do something but if that’s the provision they’re talking about… might as well just stand up on Fox and yell to the world the Democrats want illegals to have guns.
I’m questioning my source though, WP, because
“She said that when activists ask her why she had to vote for a gun safety bill that also further empowers an agency that forcibly injects kids with psychotropic drugs, they’re going to want a list of names and she’s going to give it to them,” Trent said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
AOC is kind of saying this is not what she said.
Grain of salt and all that but data from one political scientist suggests once the primary is over where you land on the spectrum probably doesn’t matter as much we think since elections are now national.
If you were a moderate Democrat elected to Congress in 2018, you might worry about how the sweeping proposals from your more liberal colleagues will reflect on you. Are the voters in my swing district going to think I’m some kind of far leftist, too? Should I make efforts to signal my centrism so they don’t turn against me? Will that work?
The answer, according to some fascinating new data, appears to be no. In fact, there is a strong case to be made that in congressional elections — especially for the House — the general election barely matters anymore. All the action is in the primary. Once that’s over, you can be a liberal Democrat or a moderate Democrat, and you’ll do just as well.
That goes against what political professionals have believed pretty much forever. Members of Congress spend a good deal of time worrying about how this or that vote will be received back in their districts, and about whether they’ve constructed an ideological profile that matches their constituents
Alstein
1609
Those moderates also yapped about primarying AOC earlier, so she was well within her rights to fire back.
Wondering who’s the most famous Democrat in the House right now - AOC or Pelosi?
I’m think the most famous Republican might be Steve King…
Enidigm
1611
That’s been clear for decades with the Republicans. Essentially all Republican candidates are fungible with any Republican candidate in all but the most extreme case, and whoever wins the primary has essentially won the election.
It’s also why everyone is freaked out by how radical the Republicans have become, but it’s because they’re literally playing to their primary base. When a Republican is serving “his constituency” he means (other than the donors that reflect 90% of his policy voting) his primary base.
Nesrie
1612
Since 2008, or at least that’s the last time they saw ideology as making a difference. They say fascinating…I find it disturbing.
Danica Roem is probably famous for being the delegate from Virginia’s 13th district who in 2017 became the first transgendered woman to be elected and seated in a US statehouse. And it’s a shame that that’s what she’s known for, because she’s one hell of a legislator. On a typical day when she’s not in Richmond, she’s dashing about her district going to high school assemblies, doing town halls and addressing constituent issues.
At any rate, this morning the fine folks at the Westboro Baptist Church announced that she was one of a group of LGBTQ politicians on their hit list. So Roem–who has an election coming up this year–tweeted it out and asked for clapback in the form of an assist to her fundraising. Earlier today she set a goal of $1,000, a fine single-day take for a state assembly delegate. Then it went up to $3,000. Then $4,000. Then more. And more.
Right now she’s at $14,500. I think she’s got a real shot at winning re-election in 2019, and as attitudes change in some more rural areas of this state…who knows. She’s already become very accepted in her district, which already has a lot of rural areas.
Hey if she can make it in “Manassty” (as we called Manassas growing up in our ivory tower in Vienna, VA) she can make it anywhere. She’s so very damn impressive.
That’s a fascinating and brutal read (just the part about their first meeting with Trump as POTUS is worth reading). Also (once again) validates just how important it is to have someone both experienced and competent in charge in the current situation.
Particularly love this part discussing the November sit-in in her office:
I understand that to be an advocate you are persistent, dissatisfied and relentless. I was chair of [the Democratic Party for] Northern California for a long time. We were like, “We worked so hard to elect these people, and then they go back and they compromise. We are the purists.” I’ve been there. I understand it. You have that responsibility as an advocate — I have a different responsibility as a leader, but enjoy. You know, enjoy. That’s a new generation. People kept asking me, “Are you sick of that?” I’m like, “I’d probably be doing that myself.”
Sadly climate change isn’t operating on the usual political/generational time scale.
Or, as Dr. King put it, “the moral arc of the universe is long, but CO2 doesn’t care.”
Nesrie
1619
I love that cover too, very well done.
It’s hard to say which is worse: That Hickenlooper believes this shit, or that he thinks Dem voters will believe this shit.
KevinC
1621
Hickenlooper: Seriously, I’ve paid zero attention whatsoever to the national stage since 2008. How hard can it really be? All we gotta is talk and compromise! Wait! Where’s everyone going? Did I fart?
There are a fair number of Americans who actually want the government to function, and want to elect people who can make that happen rather than electing people who will stymie the other side.
Hickenlooper is hoping that those folks will be a large enough constituency to put him over the top. It’s not a terrible general election strategy… but I don’t see it playing too well in the primaries.
Menzo
1623
And 99% of these people are Democrats. Republicans run on the platform specifically of totally stymie-ing the Democratic agenda due to it inevitably leading to the destruction of Freedom.
A Democratic President can not succeed by hoping to compromise with Republicans. That just can’t be the opening offer anymore.
Oghier
1624
Over the long term, compromise is not just desirable – it is required to get anything done in our system. The veto, the filibuster and other checks are set up to ensure that one party cannot do big things without at least some support from the other.
However, none of that matters as long as McConnell is the GOP leader in the Senate. He’s not interested in governance, the welfare of the republic or anything else but retaining the GOP stranglehold on the Senate. Until he is out of office, it’s salt-the-earth total war for everyone. So we might as well recognize that.
You’re in the wrong timeline, Hickenlooper.
McConnell is just a symptom of the disease. The GOP gave up on the idea of good governance decades ago. Until there’s a massive change, the GOP isn’t going to compromise.
Over the past few months, one of the most interesting follows on social media for me has been Astead Herndon of the NYT. He’s a political reporter who is sharp, analytical, and isn’t afraid to stir the pot.
And so one of the things he’s talked a lot about in his postings since candidates began declaring for the Democrats involves their various stances on a subject we don’t talk very much about here: reparations. Unsurprisingly, few, if any of the Democrats declared so far are excited to talk about reparations, and nailing down positions from them – even with two candidates with African-American heritage – is difficult.
But Herndon gets to a really interesting place with that line of thinking. A lot of the Progressive/Left wing of the Democratic party is educated and white…though obviously that’s an over-generalization. But so far African Americans have been a bit lukewarm on embracing that leftward movement. They’re thrilled about criminal justice reform, medicare for all, free college/college debt relief, universal childcare. But the question you increasingly see very thoughtful African American political observers on the left ask is this: if we’re widening the Overton Window on taxes, college, universal healthcare, and the environment, where’s reparations in there?
If we’re talking about “lanes” in the 2020 primary race, that would seem to be one that is wide open right now.
