31 votes

Young, progressive, DSA-backed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ousted ten-term incumbent in NY primary

Posted by Diet_Coke
Tags: politics, usa.ny, 2018 midterm elections, democratic party, democratic socialists of america, alexandria ocasio cortez, joe crowley, politicians, author.ben jacobs, author.lauren gambino
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/26/democrats-primaries-upset-joe-crowley-alexandria-osacio-cortez

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Title
Democrats see major upset as socialist beats top-ranking US congressman
Authors
Ben Jacobs, Lauren Gambino
Published
Jun 27 2018
Word count
967 words

8 comments

  1. PlatoLake
    Link
    This is fantastic news for the young progressives out there! We still have a chance. Let's get rid of the baby boomers and take our country back from the right wing authoritarians!

    This is fantastic news for the young progressives out there! We still have a chance. Let's get rid of the baby boomers and take our country back from the right wing authoritarians!

    13 votes
  2. CALICO
    Link
    The majority of her campaign funds were donations under $200, and she spent nearly nothing on TV ads. You can check out her platform, here. I think she's awesome. Spits fire and has a positive...

    The majority of her campaign funds were donations under $200, and she spent nearly nothing on TV ads. You can check out her platform, here.

    I think she's awesome. Spits fire and has a positive vision for the future. She has the same kind of energy in her that I saw in a lot of my peers during the 2016 Presidential Primary.

    12 votes
  3. Diet_Coke
    Link
    There is also a breakdown of some other primaries that happened yesterday.

    Ocasio-Cortez, a Puerto-Rican American and former Bernie Sanders volunteer, defeated Crowley in his re-election bid Tuesday night, after hitting the incumbent on his ties to Wall Street and accusing him of being out of touch with his increasingly diverse district.

    Crowley, head of the Queens county Democratic party and the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, was considered to be Nancy Pelosi’s likely successor as House speaker if she stepped down.

    Crowley had expressed confidence about the race in private conversations and as one national Democratic strategist told the Guardian: “The Crowley team did not raise red flags or ask allies for help with his primary.” Prior to 2018, Crowley had not even faced a primary since 2004, years before his 2018 opponent was even eligible to vote. He had raised over $3m for his campaign, 10 times the amount his opponent had.

    There is also a breakdown of some other primaries that happened yesterday.

    3 votes
  4. [4]
    Mumberthrax
    Link
    I definitely don't like the idea of socialism growing in influence, but holy crap do I approve of removing someone whose been there 20 years. We need term limits, badly.

    I definitely don't like the idea of socialism growing in influence, but holy crap do I approve of removing someone whose been there 20 years. We need term limits, badly.

    2 votes
    1. rodya
      Link Parent
      The DSA really isn't that radical of an organization, I mean it's in the name (democratic socialist).

      The DSA really isn't that radical of an organization, I mean it's in the name (democratic socialist).

      8 votes
    2. frozenplums
      Link Parent
      Socialism is the only way we can face all of the coming challenges: ecological catastrophe leading to unforeseen immigration, massive unemployment due to automation, right-wing authoritarianism,...

      Socialism is the only way we can face all of the coming challenges: ecological catastrophe leading to unforeseen immigration, massive unemployment due to automation, right-wing authoritarianism, etc.

      What is your idea of socialism?

      7 votes
    3. Diet_Coke
      Link Parent
      I'm mixed on term limits. On one hand it would be good to remove a lot of these calcified incumbents who never run in a real competitive election. On the other hand it removes a lot of expertise...

      I'm mixed on term limits.

      On one hand it would be good to remove a lot of these calcified incumbents who never run in a real competitive election. On the other hand it removes a lot of expertise from government, and if voters in a district want to keep electing the same person, why shouldn't they? Plus what is the incentive to actually govern well, when you're going to be out of your seat no matter what? That seems like it would create an incentive to buddy up to lobbyist firms and special interests, which I think is why there's a push for it from the right.

      I think a better solution might be to end political gerrymandering. Let an independent body draw districts so that incumbents can't create safe seats for themselves every ten years.

      6 votes
  5. BuckeyeSundae
    Link
    This is one blip in a much larger trend of incumbents getting re-elected. In 2016, the incumbency advantage was 3.2% (that is, being an incumbent got you 3.2% more of the vote than not being an...

    This is one blip in a much larger trend of incumbents getting re-elected. In 2016, the incumbency advantage was 3.2% (that is, being an incumbent got you 3.2% more of the vote than not being an incumbent). That was up from 2014's advantage of 2.55%.

    Celebrating one of the few defeats for incumbents, while more than 98% of incumbents in the house are getting re-elected, is a lot like saying "Yes! Pablo was never separated from his family" while talking about immigration policy at the US-Mexico border. Sure, celebrate the one, but really guys.

    1 vote