1y ago

Ocasio-Cortez endorses Biden's reelection campaign, sending a strong signal of Democratic unity

www.independent.co.uk Ocasio-Cortez endorses Biden's reelection campaign, sending a strong signal of Democratic unity

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, a sign of the president’s strength in uniting his party to have the backing of one of its most liberal members

Politics @beehaw.org

www.independent.co.uk /news/world/americas/us-politics/alexandria-ocasiocortez-ap-joe-biden-democratic-new-york-b2371437.html

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Old man who vaguely agrees with my politics and is just mildly disappointing or a literal shit filled dumpster fire? Hmmm tough choice.
- How is Biden disappointing? Before he became President he gave every indication of being yet another appeasement-oriented centrist, but he's actually gotten a surprising amount done. Biden has ended up being far better than I expected him to be.
  
  He literally called Cuba "terrorist" just a few days ago, and did the same for Xi a little while before that. He also kept in place all of trump's international sanctions, and even added new ones on top.
  He seems to try really hard to be agitative, I don't understand how someone could see him as "appeasement-oriented".
  
  Cuba and China are authoritarian hell states.
  
  unlike, the US, of course
  
  Bro I am a near-total prison abolitionist, and even I know the difference between a place with poor policies driven by an increasingly dangerous internal threat of authoritarians and countries that regularly disappear dissidents.
  
  My point wasn't to say that they're one and the same. I just think that any American politician who isn't actively trying to abolish the Department of Homeland Security and permanently repeal the PATRIOT Act has no business condemning authoritarianism. I think that defending Biden or a Democrat for this reinforces the idea that it is somehow different or indicative of something else when we do it vs when China does it.
  It reflects a worldview that the US is neutral/good at its core, one that I don't share given what I know about US history. It's barely qualified as a liberal democracy for most of its history/
  When book bans happen in the US, western media doesn't frame it as an inevitable outcome in a country with a long history of right-wing nationalism, unlike when book bans happen in China, where it's framed as a product of communism/socialism.
  Likewise, the US prison population is framed as a mistake, an error, something that "shouldn't happen" in a "free country", when it's literally a legacy of Jim Crow laws (which themselves get framed in US history/media as a regrettable period, and not something that is inherently a product of the United States' ruling social and political class).
  Lastly, the US state of Florida is already practically a single-party regime under Desantis. He's actively trying to purge the Universities down there, which is something straight out of 1930s Germany.
  
  I mean I share your general take, but we also have to live in reality. The American people support this shit, and they get a say. That's what democracy IS.
  
  What has he gotten done that you support?
  I'm pretty disappointed in the Inflation Reduction Act that actually prints a trillion more dollars.
  We need inherent change in the government, we need congress to get off their asses and create good bills. We need to get away from the 4th branch of government.
  Not print a trillion more $ that goes to government subcontractors and the top 1%
  
  Well, there is an exhaustive list of everything he's accomplished in his term so far; which is a lot.
  Year: One
  Year: Two
  Year: Three
  
  I can post a lot of links to different people talking about different things.
  What has he gotten done that you support?
  Or do you support every single thing in that exhaustive list? If you do support every single thing, that might be more telling of you than Biden's 'accomplishments'
  
  There is far fewer things there that I don't support than those I do. Considering majority of that list were wildly popular, and in many cases supportive of basic human decency, I suspect it is less about my personal views than you're trying to make it.
  
  What has he done that you support?
  It's a very simple question, I don't know why you have such a difficult time answering it since you just spoke so highly of everything he's done!
  
  Not OP, but anything good for the planet I support. Anything that helps equality for all I support. All the steps he took to help us during Covid, including securing enough vaccines for everyone and helping people out of jobs due to covid with stimulus checks and small business protections (though I agree it probably could've been handled better, to curtail fraud), I support.
  So, three large key points that in truth pertain to a LOT of small initiatives he's done, I support. Much better than Trump would've done.
  That being said, I wish we had better democratic alternatives for president. Biden (and honestly, a good chunk of our representatives on both sides) is just too old. We need to have term limits and age limits for all seats in government and SCOTUS.
  
  You listed a lot of legislative issues there. What should the executive branch do for those issues? Veto the Inflation Reduction Act? Not enact bills passed by congress?
  
  Do what it does whenever a Republican is in office: bully the holdouts of their own party standing in the way of their agendas. When Trump's legislative agenda was imperilled, he used Twitter to the point where a whole generation of GOP legislators decided not to run for re-election.
  Every time Manchin and Sinema held up his agenda in 2021, he should have been hitting the airwaves and social media every day to single them out BY NAME for holding up what he was elected to do.
  
  Executive branch should enforce laws passed by the legislative branch and do what they can to keep us out of more international military conflicts.
  The IRA was Biden's baby, it's not that he was silent on the bill then it just happened to cross his desk. The executive should NOT be pushing legislation, the executive branch should NOT be trying to unilaterally pass $1T in debt relief with an executive order and should NOT promote divisiveness.
  
  should NOT promote divisiveness.
  Both sides, guys. Am I right?
  
  do what they can to keep us out of more international military conflicts
  Hard disagree. The Pax Americana is the best thing to happen to the geopolitical landscape in all of human history.
  
  Between the dogwhistle about wanting to end our support for Ukraine, and complaining about the IRA-- the largest climate change bill passed by any nation in human history-- because it "cost too much", I'm starting to wonder if the guy you're replying to is on the left at all.
  EDIT: Just checked their post history, and yep, they're openly a conservative.
  
  Now imagine what he could accomplish if the people in this thread who complain so much actually went out and grassroots volunteered and got some progressives elected in their districts.
  
  Sorry. Too busy making petitions asking others to remove Alito from the Supreme Court to do any actual, useful volunteer work.
  
  If you'd told me we could virtually eliminate Russia's army and remove them as a competitor on the world stage for a couple billion bucks with no american troops in 2020 I would have taken that deal any day.
  
  He compromises with the Fascists a little too much for my taste.
  
  I mean he's the only president I'm aware of who just came out and straight called the fascists fascists, and didn't backpedal when the fascists got mad.
  
  But when the alternative is literally putting those fascists in office...
  
  Oh for sure. I'll vote for him. Just mildly disappointed I can't vote for someone I really want.
  
  Yeah...
  That's what everyone is complaining about.
  And why everyone is more upset at the people running the national party who refuse to let Americans have a primary.
  The ones who are willing to say "if you dont vote for this 80 year old who lied to you four years, have fun with trump!".
  Do t worry tho, progressives will do what we always do and vote for the lesser evil.
  Doesn't mean we have to pretend we like it
  
  Progressive candidates lose elections, which is rather the problem here. There aren't as many of you as your online circles would have you believe
  
  By that logic since world peace hasnt been achieved, we need to give up.
  That climate change is still happening, so fuck doing anything about.
  That a wealthy ruling class has always existed so it always will.
  That children dying of hunger is part of life and we just need to move on.
  Is that really the outlook of "moderates"?
  If something is bad, just accept it. Nothing will ever improve so stop trying
  It really explains a lot
  
  This is a nonsensical interpretation of what I've said. If you lose elections, you don't get a say in how the country runs. Progressives aren't popular, and suggesting the system is rigged rather than piss-poor communication and outreach among progressives (combined with a total unwillingness to compromise and the fiery rhetoric that entails) is the reason why.
  
  Before I start, let me say that Biden absolutely has my vote, because the alternative is the end of our democracy.
  I'll also say he's away better than I thought he'd be.
  But here's how he's a disappointment:
  He failed to appoint an attorney general that would give us a special prosecutor to go after Trump for the most egregious case of Obstruction of Justice in the history of the country, as laid out in the Mueller report. This was a matter of national security, should have been the first set of indictments against Trump, and should have happened a couple years ago.
  Student loans. Our economic engine requires a strong consumer class... Right now two generations of Americans are drowning in debt, and can't buy goods and services from other Americans. It's hurting EVERYBODY. Biden should be aiming to erase ALL student debt. Instead he's taking half-measures that leave the United States still in crisis. And that's BEFORE we talk about how weak his attempt to do this was, from a legal standpoint.
  Healthcare. We are still in crisis. The ACA was supposed to be a first step. Instead, it has been the only step, and Republicans continue to attempt to chip away at it. Why hasn't Biden put out a universal healthcare plan? Or at least a public option? How can we ever make progress when he won't even be the standard-bearer for these ideas?
  The Supreme Court was captured by fascist theocrats. Any future moderate (to say nothing of liberal) laws will be struck down by these assholes. Why is Biden not talking about packing the court until it once again reflects the values of the overwhelming majority of Americans?
  I could go on, but the jist here is that the United States is in absolute crisis, and like Hillary before him, Biden is the "nothing will essentially change" or "incremental change" candidate. Not acceptable during an emergency.
  
  Hasn't legalized cannabis on a federal level and considering his career long stance on the war on drugs, I don't really expect that he ever would support legalization.
- Status quo keeps on truckin' along.
  Rich keep getting richer. Poor people? Well, who cares about them anyway.
  
  Use the poors as a cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel.
  
  Hey now, the indentured servant class is very important in maintaining quality of life. Of course they care.
  
  Yes but don't you see? The blue team wins (the presidency).

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