Only the left could take one of the leading progressive candidates reasserting progressive priorities and make it a huge problem.
Purity destroys all.
I support AOC specifically and the DSA in a broad sense - but what made me cancel my membership is the DSA’s pants-on-head stupid and geopolitically naïve stance on the Ukraine war. The DSA leadership appears to not be capable of understanding that it was an expansionist war of conquest started and maintained by the Russian Federation, opposes US + other international military aid to Ukraine, opposes sanctions on the Russian federation in response to their grey-zone tactics and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine, decries “NATO expansionism” (ignoring the fact that “NATO expansionism” is not only a very direct quote from the Kremlin, but also that the nations in question joined - and continue to join - as a direct and pointed response to Russian expansionism), and seems to think the problem can be solved by gathering around a campfire and singing kumbaya.
I hope that we eventually actually live in a consensus-oriented world where grievances are solved exclusively through diplomatic means… but that’s not today’s world. To pretend that it is is not only geopolitically naive to the point of self delusion, but strategically dangerous as well.
I've seen members of the DSA speak against Russia's invasion, so this is hardly a universal thing. There's never going to be a party that does everything exactly as you want, so you just have to accept the next best option. The DSA has done a fairly good job aligning with my values. Obviously I disagree with this totally, and many other things, but they're doing a lot of good things too, and significantly more compared to the DNC.
One thing you show as a positive, the disunity of the DSA, is also why they are less effective per member than democratic centralist organizations. It's very difficult to steer a ship that wants to go in many different directions at the same time, it's much more effective to democratically come to a consensus on where to go and agree to publicly uphold that consensus externally, than it is to have endless factionalism and outward instability.
I'd much rather her go after Schumer's Senate seat than run for President. Same situation with Ossoff, would love for him to be President, but he's needed in the Senate more at this time.
Not to say that AOC wouldn't be a good president, it's more of a "right candidate, wrong country" circumstance. Plus I feel like the decade long stint as conservative-media's punching bag poisoned the well for uninformed voters (which is an unfortunate majority, by design)
Ossoff for President? The pro-israel, anti-Medicare-for-all guy?
Guys. No one is going to agree on all ideals, but can we agree that making perfect the enemy of good isn't a productive way forward. I understand no one wants a compromise, but those are as many as there are ideals, one set for every person on the planet, there's no way around it.
Though yeah, voice your complaints, nothing changes without that anyhow
I don’t love her but other people do and she’s got a high profile. Doesn’t mean we can’t hold her to higher standards.
NO MORE BULLSHIT
Is this AOC signaling a run or is it the DSA subtly pushing AOC to run?
It seems more like jumping on the bandwagon now that the DSA is making all the headlines.
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