Posted on 12/24/2021 4:27:56 AM PST by Kaslin
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, echoing the complaint of the Democratic Party establishment, believes that Sen. Joe Manchin engaged in an "egregious breach" of President Joe Biden's trust by refusing to support his welfare expansion plans.
"The idea that Joe Manchin says that he can't explain this back home to his people is a farce," Ocasio-Cortez said. Elsewhere, Bernie Sanders similarly noted that Manchin would have to do a lot of explaining in West Virginia after abandoning Build Back Better.
The reality, as they know, is that the Democrats' legislation is probably more unpopular in Manchin's home state -- with 74% opposing -- than any other in the nation. So it's somewhat odd to hear people who claim to be guardians of "democracy" arguing that a senator owes his loyalty to his party over his state. That is, until you quickly remember that the selective and temporary championing of crude majoritarianism by Democrats is a cynical play for power.
"I mean, it's a farce in terms of plain democracy because I represent more or just as many or more people than Joe Manchin does -- perhaps more," Ocasio-Cortez went on. As a factual matter, this is incorrect -- West Virginia has a little under 1.8 million residents, and Ocasio-Cortez's district a little over 700,000 -- but, far more importantly, it is completely irrelevant.
There is no "plain democracy," as anyone with a rudimentary understanding of basic civics already knows. Indeed, one of the reasons the Senate exists is to stop people in dense places such as Queens from lording over people in places such as rural West Virginia. This is how we keep a diverse country intact.
Whenever you point out that we're not living in a democracy and that majoritarian rule is fundamentally un-American, illiberal and authoritarian, you get lectures about how "democracy" doesn't mean direct democracy. But what does it mean when historians, politicians and left-wing leaders make statements such as, "Last time I checked, I didn't vote for Joe Manchin for president"? Surely they understand that the president isn't a legislator. Surely they comprehend that every senator is imbued with exactly the same amount of power. Or do they take the view of Bernie Sanders, who already speaks as if he's living in a one-party state, that 51 senators are a minority if Democrats happen to make up the other 49?
After all, when Democrats lose a presidential election, progressives demand that we eliminate the Electoral College. When Democrats don't get their way in the Supreme Court, progressives demand that we pack the courts. When Democrats can't get the votes to pass their legislation, progressives demand that we end the Senate. "What we really need to do is crack down on the Senate," Ocasio-Cortez said, "which acts like an old boys' club." (Isn't a senator, supposedly acting alone against the wishes of his entire caucus, in a club of one?) Now, maybe progressives are just spinning their wheels in the short term, but they're also normalizing a kind of radicalism within their ranks that threatens American governance.
Of course, in this case, even after circumventing normal and open debate by leaning on reconciliation and a simple majority, Democrats were still unable to pass Build Back Better. And it's unlikely Manchin is alone in opposing the bill. There might well be another handful of Democrats in the Senate who would put themselves in a vulnerable position supporting a massive, debt-fueled, welfare-state expansion in the middle of a weak economic recovery and high inflation. These politicians may not hail from states where three-quarters of the population are antagonistic to the president's agenda, but how popular could Biden really be in Montana or New Hampshire or Arizona?
Build Back Better's failure -- should it fail in the long run (Manchin is a mercurial sort, after all) -- was predicated on Biden's ill-conceived decision to cast his lot with the hard left. The modern Democratic Party is increasingly led by what seems like cocooned social-media influencers, people who are good at ginning up progressive mobs, dunking on West Virginia senators and complaining about the alleged inadequacies of the republic but terrible at real-world governance.
And frankly, in the end, that's probably a blessing for the nation.
Reality is always 180 from what they claim or say. Just figure on it as a prerequisite.
I am so sick and tired of hearing people, especially our elected officials scream and rant about “democracy”.
We are not, never were, and hopefully will never be a democracy.
We employ some democratic policies and actions, such as directly electing our representatives and local leaders.
We embrace some socialist policies and actions, such as Social Security, Medicare/aid, TANF, and SNAP.
We use some totalitarian/authoritarian policies in the military.
This is what a republic is and does. These idiots that think that we are a democracy would have no job if we were… Has AOC ever even considered that?
AOC, the radical terrorist communist who yet sees her global reset policies taken up by so called moderate Democrats and so called independents
“The modern Democratic Party is increasingly led by what seems like cocooned social-media influencers, people who are good at ginning up progressive mobs, dunking on West Virginia senators and complaining about the alleged inadequacies of the republic but terrible at real-world governance.”
These young left wing revolutionaries are just getting started at destroying our nation. They operate in all 50 states of the American Union and are young, dumb, full of cum, & stupid.
If you live in a red state, don’t get complacent, these nut jobs are everywhere, with their “new ideas.
“We must stop them.”
Excellent post, Chief. Shout it from the rooftops.
Merry Christmas.
To demonstrate the farce that a college education has become: AOC, an illiterate, graduated cum laude in Economics from Boston University.
Well said, the psyops propaganda effort to falsely relabel is my pet peeve.
Yes, it’s wearing on my patience too.
AOC, with a degree in Economics, is too Sophomoric and idealistic in her ability to change the world into what she wants.
Youth is wasted on the young in their naiveté !
Bernie is (in my best German accent) "too soon olde,.. and too late schmart", and only thrives on the government dole, where he can talk.
Has he ever worked ? Oh yes, he was once on a kibbutz in Israel, but they told him to leave because he wanted to talk politics rather than work.
Nanzi got on the Socialist bandwagon out of fear that she was losing control over leadership of the party.
All of them have been pushing a concept that the American people are unwilling to accept, or fund.
Only the older population realize that the promises of Socialism have never in history, ever been successful, and furthermore never lives up to their promises.
Socialism is all theater !
Do any of these morons ever reflect on the “success” of the “War on Poverty” or “The Great Society”?
“To demonstrate the farce that a college education has become: AOC, an illiterate, graduated cum laude in Economics from Boston University.”
In modern American politics, if you don’t have a degree from a college, you can’t get elected.
Both the Republican & Democrat Parties only want leadership that comes from a fraternity or sorority.
One of my ancestors(Ner Middleswarth) spent 6 days in a class room. Yet he served his constituents very well in Pennsylvania.
AOC’s educational credentials aren’t an issue for me, its her stupid economic & political positions, that I don’t like.
And from a fancy East Coast school (Boston College). And her writing style is like a sophomore in high school. She really should demand her money back for her degree.
They have been around my whole life. It seems like they really got energized in the early ‘70’s with the protest marches, sit-ins and nonsensical events like Earth Day!
I went to the first Earth Day event at the small university in my hometown of Evansville, Indiana. Not to protest or celebrate but to look for hippie chicks, you know what they said about them…
The latest crop of “revolutionaries”, except the antifa losers and their armed division The John Brown Gun Club, are a pretty ineffectual group. Hard to be a genuine revolutionary when you’re a basement dwelling social media addicted, HotPocket in one hand a phone in the other wannabe revolutionary with no skills. Seems like they get weaker with each generation.
Seems like easy pickin’s when the push becomes a shove. I think my 11 year old great-granddaughter could handle most soi-boy revolutionaries.
AOC is merely mouthing the more or less covert agenda of the democrat party. This is what they want, to demolish constitutional government and replace it with some form of one party rump parliament.
Do not take this lightly just because it is a sleazy barkeep doing the talking. Remember how people laughed when she first promulgated the Green New Deal. Laughable, but one senate vote away from becoming law.
“AOC’s Grasp on American Governance Is a ‘Farce’”
AOC’s Grasp of intelligent thinking Is a ‘Farce’
There, fixed it
Of course it is beyond AOC to understand how Congress - The House, and The Senate - functions and what is each chamber's purpose.
And every time she speaks, she shames BU.
Aoc is a farce in every aspect of her delusional life….IQ of a turnip…
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