Democratic (Party) Direction

They have 300k Twitter followers, so yes, they appear to still exist.

I assume they mostly create Facebook memes.

Nah they use that big email cannon of theirs to promote legit action from time to time--I worked with them on a few things last year. Their lawyers are terrified of civil disobedience but that e-mail cannon is worthwhile.

Pretty good article on Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez. The story about how he got his congress seat is galling. Smash the machines: https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/06/19/the-most-powerful-democrat-in-queens-must-finally-compete/

He sent a Latina spokesperson in his place to represent him at a local debate.

The nerve!

Jk, I'm not sure I get the problem here, there was one planned debate, and he was there, and is he not supposed to have Latina spokespersons?

there's an ilxor you should read on this - some danish political nut who posted a lot of trenchant commentary on political optics and race with regard to bernie sanders's poll numbers in the south.

Jk, I'm not sure I get the problem here, there was one planned debate, and he was there, and is he not supposed to have Latina spokespersons?

He was spotted in town throughout the day. It wouldn't have been hard for him to turn up if he'd wanted to.

Sure, but people don't just organize debates and demand that the candidates show up? He was at the debate both campaigns had agreed to be at. This is weak, Simon.

you are both absurd

Very possibly.

Hey, if Simon and I don't sort out Dem debate etiquette in New York, who will?

no one, go home

Fred, weren't you just complaining about the use of POCs as props?

Lol, you can't be serious?

He hasn't been primaried in like 20 years and he knew perfectly well that Ocasio would challenge him publicly and he ghosted and send a staffer to the slaughter. Elected officials do it all the time. A local Repub representative of my school's community sent a college intern to meet with our union delegation when we went to his offices in Albany.

It says "I have no intention of having this conversation."

They had a real debate that had long been scheduled for two days after that tho

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2018/06/15/crowley-ocasio-cortez-stay-civil-despite-differences-in-primary-debate-470236 'First and only primary debate'. Sooooo stupid.

algado said Crowley, 56, doomed any chances of getting an endorsement when he blew off a debate sponsored by his club at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center on Monday.

He said about 200 people showed up and many were disappointed that Crowley wasn’t there.

“Ocasio-Cortez showed up,” Salgado said. “A lot of people didn’t like that Crowley didn’t appear.”

And it hurt him.

https://nypost.com/2018/06/15/queens-democratic-club-snubs-longtime-rep-joe-crowley/

His campaign’s statement explaining his non-attendance in that article isn’t very good.

Like something simple like “my son flooded the bathroom and I had to deal w that all day” would have been better.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/new-york-19th-district-w521726

Pretty good series on outsider politics. So depressing how much time dems spend dialing for dollars.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/joseph-crowley-alexandria-ocasio-cortez.htm

Editorial Board of the NYTimes, not just an op-ed

Ded link

Add an l at the end

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/joseph-crowley-alexandria-ocasio-cortez.html

WEST VIRGINIA CD03 POLL: US House election
All potential voters: @Ojeda4congress (D) 43@CarolMillerWV (R) 41

Likely voters:
Standard model - Ojeda 47 / Miller 41
Dem-surge model - Ojeda 48 / Miller 39
#WV03 #Midterms2018https://t.co/545VPCd8dT

— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) June 20, 2018

GET IT

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/us/politics/mike-bloomberg-democrats-election.html

$80 million is great, but

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/27/koch-brothers-network-to-spend-400-million-in-midterm-election-cycle.html

Koch brothers and their cohort understand that you have to spend money to make money.

Aside, if you want to hear a really good deeper dive on the ideological roots of the Koch network: https://www.blubrry.com/jacobin/34546244/the-dig-democracy-in-chains-with-nancy-maclean/

Koch brothers have ~$82 billion. 400 million is about 0.5% of their wealth. Bloomberg has around $50 billion, so 80 million is about 0.16% of his wealth.

tbf I think that 400 million is them and their wealthy donor friends combined, that's how they operate

The surprise, as ever, is not that politicians can be bought, but that they can be bought so goddam cheaply.

An interesting thing about this moment is that both Bloomberg and the Koch Brothers are ideologically out of step with the bases of their respective parties. The Koch Bros outsized influence probably contributed to the backlash that led to Trump.

No, Trump support was not fueled by backlash against Koch Brothers influence.

although it seems like the Kochs are more than willing to abjure their ostensible "libertarianism" in favor of white ethnocentrism if it gets them the wins that really matter.

XPost Uselessly broad references to opposing “party establishment” doesn’t really count. It me a lot about all of the NYT profile style whitewashing pieces on Trump supporters.

*reminds me of

the Kochs are more than willing to abjure their ostensible "libertarianism" in favor of white ethnocentrism if it gets them the wins that really matter.

otm. the Krupps made similar calculations.

No, Trump support was not fueled by backlash against Koch Brothers influence.

― Nerdstrom Poindexter, Wednesday, June 20, 2018 12:47 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The Trump base differs distinctly from the Kochs on immigration. Kochs were a big backer of the Gang of 8 immigration reform bill that helped spark the anti-immigrant/white-supremacist rebellion within the party.

If placating white supremacists is the price to get those $1.7 trillion in tax cuts passed, the Kochs wouldn't hesitate over differences on immigration policy.

That's mostly just a Sanders-soundbite, no?

“Ezra Klein: You said being a democratic socialist means a more international view. I think if you take global poverty that seriously, it leads you to conclusions that in the US are considered out of political bounds. Things like sharply raising the level of immigration we permit, even up to a level of open borders. About sharply increasing ...”
“Bernie Sanders: Open borders? No, that's a Koch brothers proposal.”
“Ezra Klein: Really?”
“Bernie Sanders: Of course. That's a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States.”

If placating white supremacists is the price to get those $1.7 trillion in tax cuts passed, the Kochs wouldn't hesitate over differences on immigration policy.

― A is for (Aimless), Wednesday, June 20, 2018 1:11 PM (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not sure I agree with this. Immigration reform is a pretty central part of pro-business libertarianism, which wants more movement of workers to depress wages (combined with fewer worker protections).

lol Fred are you saying Bernie Sanders is unfairly smearing the Koch Bros, that's a position you actually want to take?

No, I'm saying you should try and get your news from different sources. Also, being pro open borders is not really a 'smear' in my book.

But I mean, there's no doubt that the Koch Brothers are out of step with Trump here: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/19/koch-libre-against-house-immigration-bills-654201

I'm "getting my news" from people who have written books on the Koch Bros, not from Sanders