Latest news with #AlexandriaOcasioCortez
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Should Democrats pursue progressivism or moderation? That's a false choice
'How the Democrats lost the working-class vote', ran the headline on the New York Times's front page on 6 January. According to the Times, the Democrats' estrangement from the working class was decades in the making. The party's enthusiastic embrace of trade and globalization led to the closure of factories across industrial America, eliminating jobs that had been a prime source of stability, identity and prestige. While many Democrats attributed Trump's success to the left's embrace of 'woke' language and causes like transgender rights, the Times observed, the economic seeds of his victories 'were sown long ago'. A longtime AFL-CIO official was quoted as saying that 'one of the things that has been frustrating about the narrative 'the Democrats are losing the working class' is that people are noticing it half a century after it happened'. Given the long incubation of this development, one might say the Times itself was late in recognizing it. But the question remains: how can Democrats win back those working-class voters? One key question has dominated: should the party move to the left or tack toward the center? Should it stress progressivism or moderation? In a way, though, it's a false choice. The Democrats could combine both approaches in a policy of pragmatic populism, fusing the insurgent ideas and galvanizing fire of an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with the plainspoken bread-and-butter appeal of a Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto-repair shop owner who represents a rural district in Washington state. Pragmatic populism would offer sweeping solutions to the economic anxiety facing so many American families but without the polarizing rhetoric. It would avoid labels like 'oligarch' and 'tycoon', drop references to socialism and redistribution and refrain from saying that billionaires should not exist (even though a strong case can be made for that proposition). Instead, pragmatic populists would adopt a message of 'let us join together to create a more perfect union'. They would promote the idea of a social contract, founded on the notion that those who have surged ahead economically have an obligation to help those who have been left behind. They would argue that the .01% have thrived thanks to an economic system built over decades of public investment in schools, roads, ports, communications, regulatory agencies, the police and the courts, and that the very wealthy need to 'give back' (as super-rich philanthropists are fond of saying) so that ordinary working people can share fully in the fruits. To consider how this would work, take the issue of childcare. A pragmatic populist would say: 'The skyrocketing cost of childcare is crushing families across the country. In New York City, the typical family is spending a quarter of its income on such care, and many parents, especially mothers, have to quit the workforce to look after their kids. And childcare providers earn so little that many are leaving the industry. We need to provide parents more in tax credits and providers more in wage subsidies. The cost will not be negligible, but such a policy would not only ease the struggles of parents but also make them more productive workers. So we're going to ask corporations and the very wealthy to contribute somewhat more in taxes to help make that happen.' Or take dental care. While food deserts have gotten a lot of attention, dentistry deserts have not. According to the CDC, nearly 60 million Americans live in areas in which dental services are in short supply. Even where such services are available, the cost of root canals, implants and crowns can be prohibitive, especially for the working class. Two-thirds of the shortages are in rural America, and a program to expand the Affordable Care Act to include dental insurance could help the Democrats make inroads in a part of the US they have all but lost. Small businesses offer another ripe constituency. Such enterprises (defined as having revenues of less than $40m and workforces of under 500) make up more than 99% of all firms in the country. Many of them are hampered by fines, fees and red tape. The Democrats have long been seen as indifferent or even hostile to this sector. In a promising sign of change, the New York mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, has proposed creating a 'mom-and-pop czar' to help ease the regulatory burden on the city's bodegas, pharmacies, barber shops and beauty salons. These businesses also have a hard time getting credit. Most are too small to interest the mega banks that dominate the US financial system. The thousands of small banks in the country that do cater to this community are themselves under tremendous strain. The Democrats could propose ways of easing the availability of credit for small-business owners, especially Black and Latino ones, who often lack the necessary credit records and collateral. The hemorrhaging of Black and Latino voters is among the most troubling developments for Democrats. Many complain that the party shows up every four years asking for their vote, then forgets about them. During the recent election, Trump's surge among Latinos in Texas's Rio Grande valley offered a stinging rebuke to a party that had long counted on their support. 'I think Democrats have historically taken the Rio Grande valley for granted,' Beto O'Rourke, the former senatorial candidate, told the Guardian last summer. 'Republicans saw an opportunity, they're hungry, and they've gone after it, investing money and running strong candidates with resources behind them.' The Democrats have by contrast spent heavily on Washington-based consultants and lobbyists, starving local operations of funds and hollowing out the party's infrastructure on the ground. Where the Democrats are present, they have a reputation for being bad listeners given to lecturing people about what's good for them. This has to change. Here are some recommendations for Democrats – politicians and otherwise: Don't ask what's the matter with Kansas. Don't ask how Trump voters can vote against their interests. Don't ask evangelical Christians how they can support someone like Trump. Don't claim that the facts and science are on your side. Don't claim that Trump voters are victims of disinformation. Don't blame the Democrats' unpopularity on Fox News and other rightwing outlets. Don't campaign with celebrities. Don't sermonize when discussing climate change. Don't call Trump supporters stupid. That last suggestion might pose the greatest challenge of all. Even after the accumulation of so much evidence about the resentment that blue-collar Americans feel at the hands of white-collar liberals, condescension remains rampant. This was clear from the more than 2,000 reader comments posted on the Times article about the Democrats' loss of the working class. Some samples: 'They're just dumb, bitter jerks who were looking for permission to be as resentful and judgmental in public as they were in private.' 'The working class has, by and large, left the 4th estate for the purveyors of disinformation.' 'I have to live with trump as president the next 4 years and possibly the rest of my life because of these 'working class' idiots who vote against their own interests.' 'Most working class people are not reading the NYT, or any conventional news sources—this goes double for the Trump supporters amongst them. They are ignorant.' In the end, such an outlook is neither pragmatic nor populist. Michael Massing is the author of Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind. He is writing a book about money and influence
CBS News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Keller: Democrats are already road testing presidential hopefuls for 2028
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global. When Joe Biden walked away from his campaign one year ago, it opened the door for Kamala Harris, who's still out there raising money. But her loss to Donald Trump has, in turn, opened the gates to a stampede of potential 2028 hopefuls from across the spectrum. Could a young, charismatic leftist - like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have a chance? After all, she might help generate more turnout among Latinos and young voters. "It's a total jump ball which ideological faction of the party has the upper hand," says Bill Scher, politics editor for the Washington Monthly. "You certainly can't discount the possibility that somebody coming from the Democratic Socialst left could do what Bernie Sanders could not do." What about a moderate who's won in a red state, like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who told an audience in South Carolina (potentially the first Democratic primary state in 2028) recently, "You can be pro-jobs, pro-business and pro-worker all at the same time." "He would come out with a pretty strong calling card: 'I've done it, I've won in a red state with this model,'" Scher said And California Governor Gavin Newsom is already campaigning as a liberal Democrat who's willing to court conservatives. Three different potential answers to the core question facing the Democrats, as Congressman Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) put it on "Face the Nation" last weekend, "What can we do better to appeal to more people, including those people that we have lost time and time again in elections?" Is it too early to talk about the 2028 election? Absolutely, for normal people with lives that don't revolve around politics. After all, the outcome of next year's midterm elections could shakeup the balance of power in Washington and change the way voters view the choice in three years. But presidential candidacies give the party a chance to road-test different messages while the Democrats in Washington, D.C., keep hammering away at the Republicans. That's why it matters who's coming forward, what they're saying, and how it's being received.
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
AOC's office vandalized after recent House vote involving US aid to Israel
A Bronx office of the US House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized early on Monday, according to New York City police, who say they are investigating. The vandalism occurred as the progressive Democratic congresswoman grapples with 'threats on [her] life', as her campaign manager put it, after a recent US House of Representatives vote involving American aid to Israel. Officers called out to Ocasio-Cortez's campaign office in Westchester Square at about 12.45am found its front covered in red paint, police said. Images circulating online and on local news media outlets showed someone had left a sign which alleged that Ocasio-Cortez 'funds genocide in Gaza', though she has repeatedly criticized the Israeli military's strikes there. The vandalism occurred after Ocasio-Cortez on Friday voted against a defense spending bill amendment authored by the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia that would have eliminated funding for the system protecting Israel from missiles. Ocasio-Cortez voted 'no' on the defense spending bill itself, which passed the House and included more than $600m in aid for Israel, as she alluded to on an X post hours after the office's vandalism. Her vote on Greene's amendment prompted the Democratic Socialists of America to issue a statement accusing Ocasio-Cortez of backing Israel's 'eliminationist campaign against the Palestinian people'. Ocasio-Cortez, who has maintained that Israel's military actions in Gaza amount to a 'genocide' and often draws political criticism from US conservatives, wrote on Monday on X: 'Google is free. If you're saying I voted for military funding, you are lying.' A separate X post from Ocasio-Cortez's campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, said Monday's office vandalism coincided with her staff having recently received 'multiple threats on the congresswoman's life'. 'We are treating this seriously with our security partners to make sure she, our staff, and volunteers are safe,' Hidalgo Wohlleben's post said. A post on Monday on the social media platform Bluesky from Ocasio-Cortez added: 'The threat environment this morning is scary. 'Drag me for the position if you disagree but don't lie. It's out of control. Saying I voted for this funding is false.' Hidalgo-Wohlleben's X post said that the Bronx congresswoman's staff was in the process of cleaning up the vandalized office. 'Our office is a hub in the community, and we want it to be a safe space for all our neighbors,' Hidalgo-Wohlleben also wrote. Ocasio-Cortez has represented New York's 14th congressional district since early 2019. Her endorsement of the democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race in June captured national headlines.
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Ocasio-Cortez's Office Is Vandalized After Vote on Funds for Israel
The Bronx campaign office of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was defaced shortly after midnight on Monday by masked vandals, who blotted out her image with red paint and left a sign saying 'AOC funds genocide in Gaza.' The episode was among the most high profile in a spate of recent acts of vandalism targeting elected officials in New York with pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel messages. It took place just days after a contentious vote on defense funding for Israel roiled the left. A group calling itself the Boogie Down Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the vandalism and accused Ms. Ocasio-Cortez of supporting Israel's war in Gaza, according to Ashoka Jegroo, an independent journalist. The New York Times could not verify the group's involvement or the identity of masked vandals captured in surveillance video. A spokesman for the Police Department said on Tuesday that no arrests had been made and that an investigation into the vandalism was ongoing. Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's campaign manager, said the congresswoman had also seen an uptick in credible death threats in recent days. He said no one had been inside the office when it was vandalized. 'We take it very seriously,' he said. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, is not the most obvious target for pro-Palestinian protesters. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
AOC office vandalized with red paint after vote on defense spending bill
The campaign office of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was vandalized Sunday night, and the congresswoman has received several death threats in the days since a Friday defense spending bill vote, her staff said. 'Last night, our campaign office in the Bronx was vandalized and we are in the processing of cleaning it up,' Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, Ocasio-Cortez's campaign manager, wrote on X on Monday night. '... In the past few days, we also have received multiple threats on the Congresswoman's life and we are treating this seriously with our security partners to make sure she, our staff, and volunteers are safe.'
