aoc-archive

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the squad talks about new legislation!

Keep people on payrolls

Provide direct financial relief

Protect public health

Defend elections

[aoc-archive]

AOC opens organizing spaces in Bronx, Queens

in case you haven't heard, THIRTEEN people are running against AOC for the 2020 NY-14 primary. most of them are right-wing and all of them lie about her. the main critique - she cares more about being on TV than being in her district and she’s “never there”. 

as the official AOC archivist, i document that she is there AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK, doing outreach, town halls, or meeting directly with constituents.

this past weekend, she opened her new organizing spaces for both her 2020 campaign and will be open for other grassroots orgs in corona, queens. why? because space is so heavily commodified in NYC, that it can be prohibitive to even find a place to meet, plan, and commune in service of a larger goal.

thus, she proclaims both spaces will be of use for:

-political education

-educational space

-grassroots ted talks

this is a woman for the people, folks. 

donate to her re-election bid: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/adopt-aoc

while she hustles, builds, and organizes, they talk. 

her remarks from the queens event are below!

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!!!!!! how prescient

why did AOC endorse bernie?

if you don’t get why AOC endorsed bernie, here’s why.

after the last debate, news broke that AOC was going to be bernie’s special guest at his queensbridge rally this saturday, and not only that, she was going to endorse him! i was beyond myself with glee - i was nervous abut which choice she’d make. i had been wondering whether she would continue to be the woman (queen) i knew her to be, or if that dumbass NYT write-up was right; she’s learning to go along to get along in the corrupt House of representatives.

despite the naysayers, within and outside of the party, our girl was still repping US. that meant backing bernie in this fight –  the man who has repped us since before most of us were born. he has vision, integrity, and a bulletproof value system that cannot be swayed by corporate interests and deep-pocketed donors, unlike the majority of the democrats (see: mayor pete’s medicare-for-all stance in april versus now). despite its political inconvenience and a legion of #neverbernie haters, she aligned her values with her actions (that’s integrity, folks).

but then it quickly dawned on me that so many of the folks that i admire on twitter were not going to be happy.

for reasons that are unclear to me, there’s a huge movement to get behind AOC’s message while simultaneously rejecting bernie. a bizarre position, given that she’s been unabashed in her admiration of his message, campaigned for him in 2016, & feeling moved by his movement. he is her ideological forebearer.

still, i knew that the blue dog dems, liberals, and ‘you go girl!’ twitter would be pissed. EW has replaced HRC as the coronated candidate. let me be clear. warren is brilliant, down to earth, and more than fit for this job. she has an authenticity about her and ability to connect that makes you want to root for her. she and bernie are usually aligned on issues and are good friends irl. warren is a progressive. still.

warren has been wishy-washy on medicare for all, is pro-israel-no-matter-what, & unabashedly pro-capitalism. none of that shit is cool, ok? ultimately, it makes me trust my gut that bernie is the candidate who will remain the most dedicated to the world that i envision; an anti-war, progressive society that takes care of its residents despite nationality, race, gender identity, income, and all intersections between. this is a fight for the future of our country and i’m riding with the dude who’s been in the cut for decades.

for those reasons, i’m bernie 2020. given that i’ve seen almost every single AOC interview, i had an inkling that she would be the same. & then she was! but here’s the thing - for some folks, there’s a huge disconnect. they don’t get it. they see bernie and think:

❌ white man (who just had a heart attack)

❌grumpy old man (with a bad attitude)

❌ baggage from 2016 (and a heap of haters)

❌ unrealistic vision that isn’t possible in the confines of the presidency

❌ a missed opportunity to elect the first woman president (of native ancestry lolz).

especially the last one. feminism! girl power! in fact, check out this tweet.

ah yes, “identity politics.” that thing where um, uh…you kind of support the person whose identity is closest to yours..? or like, whoever is more oppressed is who you should align with because they deserve it more?

but here’s the thing. that popular, nebulous, nonsensical definition is wrong. black feminist radicals created that term. identity politics is about organizing around the collective interest of an intersection of identities. black women were politically organizing, animated by specific interests & needs of black women. the combahee river collective who popularized this term knew that sharing an identity does not automate shared interest. all kinfolk ain’t skinfolk. when it comes down to it, your vision matters more than your social identity. in this way, endorsing bernie is aligning with AOC’s identity politics. bernie’s political investments are more concerned with the needs of the most vulnerable. think of it that way.

by comparison…

✅warren consistently centers ‘middle class working families’ in her messaging while bernie focuses on ‘working people’ and the ‘impoverished’.

✅ bernie wants to cancel all student debt, warren only wants to cancel it for some

✅ bernie is anti-war and anti-imperalism, warren wants…a green military?

✅bernie is a committed socialist, warren is a committed capitalist

✅bernie ran against clinton (a hardcore neoliberal), warren endorsed clinton

there’s more, but you get the point. there is one candidate in the 2020 field whose vision is clear, equitable, & staunchly committed to justice for all americans: bernie sanders. asking why AOC would endorse bernie instead of EW fails to recognize that their overall interests are divergent. warren is a woman yes, but bernie would also be the first jewish president. AOC has already acknowledged that she has jewish ancestors in puerto rico - by this logic, should she be as committed to that identity? or should she endorse julian castro, a fellow latinx?

tbqh, some of the blowback smacks of co-opting the intellect & labor of WOC & then discarding them…if you f*cked with AOC last week, today should be no different. she is still fighting for US and even if he isn’t *your* candidate, do not embarrass yourself by dragging her. check the legions of idiots on twitter now, saying she has no clout in the party anyway (HA!) & claiming she would be bad for the warren campaign. nah. you may not agree with this decision but it would behoove you to respect it.

if you still don’t get it, imagine what AOC’s platform will look like when she runs for president– more like bernie or e. warren?

we can all agree on this, i hope: tr*mp is an abomination and should be impeached. warren or sanders, this country will be much better off.

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No one in this country should be too poor to live - what is so controversial about that?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 1/24/2020

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AOC’s puppy, a frenchie named ‘deco’

& more IG q&a

january 17, 2020

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AOC & ta-nehisi coates

ta-nehisi coates in conversation with AOC on MLK day sponsored by blackout for human rights.

“MLK Day is not a day to center the convenient King. It is a day to engage with and reflect on the dangerous King - the one who directly challenged white supremacy, spoke out against militarism, and denounced the gross concentrations of wealth alongside unconscionable levels of poverty. Let it be known that Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for universal healthcare, housing rights, the end of war. MLK championed unionization of the most vulnerable workers, cautioned against the excesses of runaway capitalism, and advanced an argument for basic income while denouncing the racial wealth gap. In MLK’s time, he was unpopular and disliked. He was denounced as radical, divisive, and unrealistic. Ever wonder why that’s not the King we learned about in school? . Far too many politicians take the opportunity to celebrate MLK Day while resisting his agenda and undoing his legacy. Not us, not now. . Grateful to have engaged this day meaningfully with Queens and Bronx faith leaders, @unitedblackout, @tanehisipcoates, & many many others. . Here’s to the Dangerous King.” 📸: @kidnoble

view full video here: https://youtu.be/AJtr8HXwsEs?t=5676

they discussed:

-trump tweeting about destroying iranian cultural sites & forever wars

-the challenges of having so many “moderate” dems in the party and considerations of swing districts

-the lack of left party in the U.S. and how the democrats are center-right: “there are a lot of true believers that believe we can capitalism our way out of poverty. that’s an area where i agree with dr. king; that that assessment is flawed.”

-the inherent flaws of a two-party system

- the effects of hurricane maria on puerto ricans: “the fact that society does not care for you have a profound effect on the psyche”

-the u.s. colonial empire over puerto rico

-critiques of capitalism and gov’t appropriating public funds to corporations

-”no one makes a million dollars. you take a billion dollars.”

-how to be an ethical billionaire: “i don’t want your money, i want your power. not me - we.”

-the toll that the stress of her work takes on her and the sisterhood she’s formed with the “squad” that means more than any political differences.

-her future desires to be of service or maybe just go live in the woods…

january 20, 2020

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AOC rallies for Bernie in marshalltown iowa days ahead of the primary.

January 25, 2020