Ocasio-Cortez defends decision not to pay dues to House Democratic campaign arm

[brooklynite]

The Hill

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday defended her decision not to pay dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), saying she would instead seek to funnel money directly to Democrats in tough races.

Asked by The Hill if she intended to pay dues to the House Democratic campaign arm this cycle, Ocasio-Cortez replied, "I don't think so."

Ocasio-Cortez, whose unexpected win in a 2018 primary against longtime incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) propelled her to political stardom in progressive circles, has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prolific fundraisers in the House.

In the third quarter of 2019, she raised more money than any other House Democrat, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Her most recent federal filing shows that she raked in more than $1.4 million between July 1 and Sept. 30.

Perhaps, like her mentor, she'll become an (I) who organizes with the Democrats whenever it's convenient?

[still_one]

1. There should be no doubt about the disdain both AOC and Sanders feel toward the Democratic Party

We will see how that works out for them

I wonder if she will have problems giving to cenk unger’s justice Democrats?

[George II]

23. She has already given Justice Democrats almost $50,000.

[womanofthehills]

39. Cenk has not been with Justice Democrats for 2 yrs

I Personally love Bernie and A0C - and A0C has big name recognation

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is better-known by Americans than the highest-ranking House Republican and some of Trump's most important cabinet members.

Among top lawmakers in Washington polled by INSIDER, just three — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — are more well-known than Ocasio-Cortez.

https://www.businessinsider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-more-famous-than-top-republicans-trump-cabinet-2019-3

[still_one]

45. Good ole cenk started that PAC, and they still

continue his anti-Democratic party rubbish

How they distorted and lied about Hillary was a disgrace

Of course it is no surprise that Sanders would hire.Jill Stein supporter Briana Joy Gray and Hillary hating David Sirota

[RandySF]

2. She's going to use her money

to primary incumbents, support nonviable candidates in purple districts and donate to certain colleagues in deep blue districts.

[still_one]

3. +++

[comradebillyboy]

4. Too true.

[Nature Man]

7. Dan Lipinski?

[JustAnotherGen]

11. She's being primaried herself

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/465319-democrat-launches-primary-challenge-to-ocasio-cortez

Fernanda Cabrera -NYC Council Man

[George II]

18. She has three challengers:

Badrun Khan (1st to announce), Jose Velazquez, Fernando Cabrera.

Badrun Khan was born in on the lower east side of Manhattan, and has lived in Queens for years. She has a huge ethnic following in Queens being the President of the Jalalabad Association (a Bangladesh Community with 14,000 members), and has been getting around up in the Bronx, too.

Jose Velazquez has lived in the Bronx his entire life. He was educated in the NYC Public School system.

Fernando Cabrera was also born in the Bronx and has lived there all his life. He's been a member of the New York City Council for 10 years, and is senior pastor of New Life Outreach International in Kingsbridge, Bronx.

[arthritisR_US]

25. If I was in her district I would be voting for

Fernado.

[womanofthehills]

36. Most of my women friends love her and she has raised big bucks for her reelection campaign

From end of Nov -

US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raked in more money for her reelection campaign in the last fundraising quarter than any other House Democrat — including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, records show.

AOC, a Democratic socialist who reps parts of the Bronx and Queens, raised $1.42 million between July 1 through Sept. 30, followed by House impeachment czar and US Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who netted $1.26 million, and House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.), who received $1.145 million.

The lion’s share of AOC’s donations, $1.1 million, were under $200.

Political observers told The Post it is unprecedented for a rookie representative in office for less than a year to out-raise powerful veteran leaders such as Pelosi and Schiff.

https://nypost.com/2019/11/26/aoc-raised-most-money-among-house-dems-during-reelection-campaign/

[David__77]

40. She will definitely win again.

There will be some factionalist talk just like there was about Sanders in advance of his re-election in 2018.

I’d like there to be more in Congress like her - 10, 20, 50...

[Hortensis]

47. Yes. Money. Lots of it is coming from across the nation.

Whether she's reelected as one of over 200 isn't a concern of mine, but I'm curious about how much of her money comes from people in her own district? Must be a fraction of the whole at best.

[JustAnotherGen]

54. This

Fernando reached out to me directly (I'm in NJ and a heavy donor) - I gave. I would also help his campaign set up meet and greets - I'm good at organizing those events, getting food and beverage donations, venue discount, etc etc.

We already picked out borough candidate (only one seat), Malinowski won't be primaried, I have time and money to help.

[lapucelle]

56. The contribution source data from Open Secrets.

[Hortensis]

67. Ouch! Less than 1% from her own constituents?

Worse even than I guessed. The people who elected her to represent them are being enormously outspent by outside interests.

On-line fundraising can be just as corrupting as big checks when misused. This is not how democracy is supposed to work!

Our house Democrats overwhelmingly passed a giant democracy package that, among many other things, would provide public funding for elections.

That way, honorable local candidates who accept and adhere to public funding requirements will stand out against those rolling in moolah from special interests they're not supposed to represent instead!

[UniteFightBack]

58. She needs to find another district. nt

[lapucelle]

64. The lion's share of her donations have come from out-of-state and from men.

********************************************************************************************************

********************************************************************************************************


https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00041162&cycle=2020

[David__77]

38. His church is anti-gay. And so is he apparently.

https://www.newlifebronx.com/statement-of-faith

https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/city-councilman-fernando-cabrera-challenging-aoc.html

[arthritisR_US]

70. I didn't know that about him. Given this

background information, I couldn’t support him. To me anyone who is anti gay is not a Democrat, they are the antithesis of a Democratic candidate.

[womanofthehills]

41. S0 you prefer a man who personally opposes gay marriage & abortion over AOC

Just what we don't need is a Pentecostal minister who is running in a district he doesn't even live in

A City Councilman from the Bronx and Christian pastor, who’s no stranger to controversy for his anti-gay views, is running for Congress in a district where he doesn’t even live. No, not Ruben Diaz Sr. – well, not only Diaz Sr., who is running to replace retiring Rep. Jose Serrano: As of Thursday, Fernando Cabrera is launching a longshot bid against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the 2020 Democratic primary.

You might be in the wrong party.

Whatever Cabrera says about Ocasio-Cortez, he may have some of his own liabilities in a Democratic primary. Though he’s been less outspoken than his notoriously controversial colleague Diaz Sr., the socially conservative Cabrera has been criticized for aligning himself with an anti-gay group and for publicly praising the anti-gay government of Uganda. The New York Post reports that Cabrera personally opposes same sex marriage and abortion, but accepts the laws of the land. And while Ocasio-Cortez thinks billionaires shouldn’t exist, Cabrera has preached the so-called “Prosperity Gospel” that is prevalent among conservate Evangelical Christians, saying that “it’s harder being rich than being poor.”

https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/city-councilman-fernando-cabrera-challenging-aoc.html

[George II]

59. There are THREE Democrats in the primary. Right, he doesn't live in the district...

....but at least he lives in the state, which is the Constitutional requirement. The other two primary candidates do live in the district.

On the other hand we have this:

https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/H8NY15148/1161740/

[lapucelle]

63. As a sitting NY congresswoman, AOC publicly endorsed Jumaane Williams

in the primary for NYS lieutenant governor. Jumaane Williams also personally opposed both abortion and gay marriage.

******************************************************************************************************

You told the poster supporting Cabrera

"You might be in the wrong party."

based on her support of that candidate.

Wouldn't that also mean that you think AOC "might be in the wrong party" based on her support of Jumaane Williams?



https:// twitter.com/AOC/status/1033030363914940416

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2017/09/24/in-crowded-speakers-race-one-councilmans-conservative-views-may-be-a-deal-breaker-114678

https://www.gaycitynews.nyc/stories/2019/4/padebate-politics-2019-02-14-gcn.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-metro-williams-abortion-marriage-public-advocate-20190206-story.html

[Me.]

34. Has She Used Any Of The Money Allpcated To Her

To open a district office yet? She feels pretty confident right now but may come to regret her decision.

[UniteFightBack]

57. And these people are actually from the boroughs of New York unlike Ms. AOC. nt

[Cuthbert Allgood]

66. Nonviable like she was nonviable?

[RandySF]

69. She would not have won is a district like NY-01

[Bettie]

5. And the hatred for AOC

is still alive and well.

[Nature Man]

6. If the dinosaurs had foreknowledge of what would make them extinct

and could post to the Internet, they'd have probably reacted the same way.

[Dem4Life1102]

8. How is this hatred?

[arthritisR_US]

28. It isn't, stating a preference isn't hatred

it’s simply stating the candidate you identify with the most.

[womanofthehills]

42. It might be hatred when you are identifying with an anti-gay candidate..

Can you explain why you like Cabrera?

[UniteFightBack]

60. It seems like Ms. AOC has some hatred and disdain her own damn self. Can she build coalitions or

alienate people...what is she better at doing here...??? And I'm talking among Democrats!

[tritsofme]

10. She's already said she feels Biden and herself should be in different parties.

So that doesn’t seem too far fetched.

[arthritisR_US]

31. Biden would never see himself as anything

but a Democrat. Sounds to me that she doubts her party affiliation.

[womanofthehills]

43. So - you think there is no room for progressives in the Dem party

Must we all line up and think the same...

[padah513]

50. That's not what ArthritisR US said

[UniteFightBack]

62. Some of these "progressives" feel there is no room for the dreaded centrists. She doesn't even

think she should be in the same party as Biden and then you say you think there is no room for progressives here.

It's the other way around!

[EllieBC]

74. No I think you have that reversed.

Plenty of progressives don’t think those who aren’t as left as they are have no place in the party.

[PatrickforO]

35. I liked AOC from the beginning and I like her now.

She may well have said that, but some talking head on CNN said she should leave the Democratic party.

But here's the problem for we progressives...

WHERE do we go?

Voting green is a waste and the Greens have more than their share of batshit crazy people.

Libertarians? No way. If I see you in the road needing help, I will help, even if your care costs me some money. A libertarian would not - not today's radical right libertarians. I mean, think Rand Paul.

So WHERE DO WE GO?

My ancestors are Irish, from the County Roscommon. They were peasants on a 14 acre potato farm and silly them, immigrated to the US because they didn't want to starve during the potato famine. But here's a story -

In 1649, Cromwell and his roundheads invaded Ireland. The Rump Parliament passed a law called the Irish resettlement act. Basically it confiscated land all along the east coast of Ireland and gave it to Cromwell's cronies. When my ancestors asked Cromwell where they should go, he replied, "To hell, or Connaught." Connaught is the state where County Roscommon in located.

During the potato famine, at least a million Irish died, and about 200,000 died during the great diaspora. They starved or died of disease on coffin ships to Canada, Australia, the US and other ports. My ancestors survived here. They fought on the Union side in the Civil War, and on my mother's side the Revolution and the War of 1812. The first world war. The second. Vietnam. The big suck.

My granddad was a union organizer, and faced off against the Pinkerton thugs in the mining strikes in Colorado. He was a pastor before that, and a teacher. He was a mayor of a small town in Missouri. His aunt was one of the original suffragettes who bled in the streets for the women's vote.

Now, let me share some words penned by an Irish survivor, an immigrant to America named Honora Horace Kelly.

We wouldn't die, and that annoyed them. They'd spent centuries trying to kill us off, one way or another, and here were were, raising seven, eight, nine of a family on nothing but potatoes and buttermilk. But then the blight destroyed the potato. Three times in four years our only food rotted in the ground. Nothing to eat, the healthy crops sent away to feed England. We starved. More than a million died - But we all didn't die. Two million of us escaped, one reaching back for the next. Surely one of the great rescues in modern history. Now look at us. Doing well all over the world. We didn't die.

And my story is only one of millions. AOC's ancestors immigrated. Tlaib's did. Katie Porter's did. Biden's did. We are a nation of immigrants. Our ancestors all came here for better lives, but like in the song, they ended up saying hello to the new boss, same as the old boss. It's these billionaires. They take and take and take, arrange giant tax cuts for themselves and then tell us we can't have healthcare because 'Americans don't want it.' and we can't have debt-free college because that wouldn't be fair to people who've already paid back their loans, and we can't have expanded Social Security because we have to rein in 'entitlements'.

But we spend nearly 3/4 of a trillion on war, and give blood and treasure so a few billionaires can keep getting wealthier and wealthier.

Yeah, I'm a progressive. I'm not a socialist because I believe in entrepreneurship and in working hard, and I don't think a centrally planned economy works worth a darn. I'm not a green. I'm not a libertarian. I'm not a communist.

I'm a progressive. A genuine New Deal Democrat who believes in a robust role for government in mitigating the abuses of the profit motive. I believe in organizing ourselves around human need, and putting people over profit.

Well, enough of that. I'm a Democrat because I'd die before supporting any of these party-over-country Republicans. But I want change. I want real change. Not just people who pay lip service to change. I want healthcare, expanded Social Security, debt free college - basically to spend our tax money that we pay into this government, that is supposed to be our government - a government of, by and for us, the people, on programs that materially benefit us.

So, if I can't be a Democrat then WHERE SHOULD I GO? WHERE SHOULD AOC GO? Why is the tent not big enough for us?

[Tarheel_Dem]

49. "Why is the tent not big enough for us?" Perhaps you should pose that question to AOC.

AOC: "In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party, but in America, we are."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287409217

[PatrickforO]

68. The statement AOC made is accurate, though.

In any other country she would NOT be in the same party as Joe Biden. Nor would I.

When she makes this observation, it seems to upset some people, yourself included. However, in this country there are two major political parties, and because of the way our elections are structured and funded, it is virtually impossible for anyone in a third party to have the access Democratic and Republican candidates have - to state party and funding systems, to national donors and certainly to the ballot. That is the reality.

The Republicans have gone so far right as to be fascist. The last actual sanity in that party seems to have died out with Ike, and it is definitely not the party of Lincoln.

The other party, the ONLY other party that provides such access, in effect the ONLY game in town for any sane candidate, is the Democrats.

That, Tarheel, is the reality.

So, to state that fact, and then have people say, "Well, why don't you leave?" is what we would otherwise call 'blaming the victim.'

To wit, this fact - that in a country that had a number of parties, a parliamentary system, AOC would NOT be in the same party as Joe Biden, isn't AOC's fault, nor is it mine. Nor is it Bernie's. It has to do with our own funding and electoral structure.

Consider: if you are basically sane, meaning you fall somewhere in the middle two-thirds of the Bell curve, then the Democratic party is your party, whereas if you are an insane, homophobic, xenophobic, white nationalist bible thumping evangelical who wants to rip this country apart to hasten the apocalypse, then the Republicans are your party. That's just the way it is.

It follows, then, that it isn't fair to tell AOC to leave, just as it wouldn't be fair for me to tell you to leave simply because you may be a bit more toward the center or even center-right of the Bell curve. The Democratic party is all our home. AOC is simply working to get more progressives engaged and in there. Bernie, when he speaks of a 'political revolution,' is talking about our general voting-age population actually digging into issues that affect them and becoming engaged with local, state and national politics.

What is being talked about is real democracy - Think about the National Popular Vote Compact initiative that has already been passed in states that have a total of 189 electoral votes. If enough states pass it to get to 270, then we have in effect circumvented the electoral college, pulled all its teeth. And, we will then have achieved a true one-person-one-vote state in presidential politics.

I believe that to recapture this republic and to kill the 'American Empire' of the neocons, we need a much more universal engagement by the American public in the political process. That scares people, though, and rightly so. All we have to do is look at the right-wing crazy base of the Republican party to be horrified. So this political 'revolution' will necessarily have to do a lot with educating people about policies and how they are affected by those policies.

What happens, for instance, when we get rid of regulations on water safety? What happens when we stop worrying about automobile emission standards? What happens when we have a giant tax cut for billionaire parasites and corporate executives and at the same time significantly increase the 'defense' budget? How much will we actually expend over a ten-year period on healthcare within our current system? How much would we spend if we had single payer?

Is this possible? This boosting of intelligent civic participation?

Sure. I know people who are absolute morons when it comes to fiscal and monetary policy, foreign policy and social policy - who cannot even tell you who their US Senators are, or how many people sit on the Supreme Court - but can utterly dissect and analyze the Mizzou football team using some pretty high level critical skills. Or tell you all about each contestant on Survivor - strengths and weaknesses and likelihood of getting thrown off the island or whatever.

We have to switch that: get people engaged with the civic process, with governance.

Sorry for the giant word-wall. I do tend to do that. But like it or not, the Democratic party really IS a big tent in that it is the home for people like AOC and also the home for people like Klobuchar. And, in such a big tent, we will have constant debate. That's just the way it is.

[Tarheel_Dem]

72. TLDR

[ArcticFox]

12. It's almost unbearable seeing all the hate

Directed at Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders on this site. It's sickening.

How some people can think they get to claim the "Democrat" badge and deny it to someone else is beyond me.

[Wawannabe]

17. Bernie is not a registered Democrat

He is the one claiming the badge for his 2020 and 2016 presidential runs and ONLY for that. AOC appears to be bashing the party from all sides. Why wouldn’t people be upset?

I am. I fervently hope that Bernie will not be the nominee, I’ll not be voting for him in the primary and “I offer no apologies”.

[arthritisR_US]

32. Nor should you.

[still_one]

46. His hiring of Briana Joy Gray who voted for Jill Stein, and Hillary hating David Sirota

Tells you exactly what a divisive person he is

[Hekate]

21. What's unbearable is watching those two bash the Dem Party even as they want to use its resources...

...to their own advantage. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Just how is it "hatred" to take note of what they say and do and quote it back in their own words? I have never understood that line of reasoning, so perhaps you can help out by explaining it.

[still_one]

30. Well stated Hekate. I would suggest this so-called hatred is coming from them in the form of their

comments about their disdain for the Democratic party

[George II]

24. You're not concerned about her refusing to support the Democratic Party?

[sheshe2]

33. You have been here for a very long time.

ArcticFox

12. It's almost unbearable seeing all the hate

Directed at Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders on this site. It's sickening.

How some people can think they get to claim the "Democrat" badge and deny it to someone else is beyond me.

Did you object when Obama was called a POSUCS? The brick post about Hillary? It was sickening. One is gone the other remains.

[RandiFan1290]

52. A lot of the trolls have learned

They know they can attack us from the 'left' and get away with it.

[liskddksil]

13. The DCCC has made it their policy to blacklist consultants who are working for folks

like Marie Newman who is running a primary challenge against Congressman Dan Lipinski. Lipinski recently signed a letter asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe V. Wade which is personally disqualifying for a Democrat in a safe seat. As such I refuse to give money to DCCC.

[BuffaloJackalope]

26. AOC won't support the DCCC if they fund DINOs.

[Dem4Life1102]

44. DINOs by who's definition?

[still_one]

48. If They are referring to Lipinski, he does have issues, and his Democratic challeger

would have beat him if it wasn't an open primary, which the justice Democrats are big advocates of, which allow non-Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary. Newman lost because of republican cross over votes

However, Lipinski was the exception, and the 2018 midterms demonstrated that by the dismal showing of the justice democrats endorsements against the Democratic incumbents in 2018 midterms

Those incumbents were NOT dinos. This was the same bullshit some self-identified progressives tried to pull in the 2016 general election by not only refusing to vote for the Democratic nominee, but encouraging others to do likewise

In those critical swing states, Hillary lost by less than 1% while Stein received 1% of the vote. Every Democrat running for Senate in those critical swing states lost to the establishment, incunbent republican, and those Democrats were progressive by any standard, not the justice democrats purist standard that there was noo diifference between republicans and Democrats

Your point is excellent., the justice democrats of who is and is not a DINO is rubbish, as that was their view tooward both Hillary and President Obama

By whose dffinition is right on target

[Johonny]

14. These are the kind of decisions that might come back to bite her if she runs for higher office

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. Many people resent having to pay dues to a labor union, ...

... while reaping the benefits of shared sacrifice.

[Hekate]

22. Bingo!

[delisen]

29. A good analogy

[empedocles]

51. Yes, with the added note that rw media made AOC a 'star' with national recognition,

because of her annoyance factor. [A major difference separating her from other freshman. Especially, those who won non-automatic Dem seats - those who elected Speaker Pelosi].

[TheBlackAdder]

16. In my Political Science Honors course that researched Liberal and Conservative origins...

.

Mandatory readings for Democrats are:


Daniel Rodgers, "Atlantic Crossings."

Eldon Eisenach, "The Social and Political Thought of American Progressivism"

Theodore Roosevelt, "Confession of Faith," Acceptance Speech at the 1912 Progressive Party Convention

Jurgen Habermas, "Knowledge and Human Interest" & "The Tasks of Critical Theory"


and the


"Port Huron Statement"


That should be good for a primer before I add more.

.

[George II]

19. Has she decided yet to return the $2700 she received in 2018 from a billionaire?

[Gothmog]

20. I give to CBC members in safe seats because these Democrats are funding other campaigns

I have donated each cycle to Congressman Al Green who is in a very safe district because he has to donate an amount each cycle to the party to help out other candidates. That is part of being a member of the party

[delisen]

27. and does not build the party but seeks to take over

what others build.

[David__77]

37. Cool with me. DCCC intervenes in primaries with no incumbent.

That’s its right, certainly.

[melman]

53. AOC

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Renew Deal]

55. People drawing district maps should be made aware of this

She just might end up as the losing candidate for Staten Island

[KG]

61. !

[Cuthbert Allgood]

65. So DCCC makes it clear it would not support people like her.

And we are somehow shocked that AOC doesn't want to support DCCC? And we blame AOC for that? How about we blame the DCCC?

And she is still going to give the same amount of money that she would give to the DCCC to Democratic candidates.

But, yeah, screw her for actually having the gall to challenge incumbents. A challenge that the voters of her district clearly wanted since she won.

[fescuerescue]

73. Is she legally required to do so?

How does this work? Did she join a club with expectations of regular dues? Or are the dues more of the nature of voluntary because she benefits from their efforts in a passive way, but "it sure would be nice you helped" sort of thing.

Is it possible that this could into a bad situation with the campaign arm suing her?

Anyway, the article paints her as though she is a deadbeat avoid her responsibilities, which is ridiculous of course.