Discussing AOC and purity testing

 Mmmm, leftist infighting controversy....

 So it seems like AOC is kinda reluctant to do a 2028 run because of leftist infighting and purity testing and feeling like the left doesn't really have her back. And I kinda get that. She gets A LOT of open hostility from leftists, and even I ain't afraid to throw down with her on ideology at times (although I do that with everyone). 

But unlike with me, she gets a lot of confrontation DIRECTLY. like people showing up to her town hall calling her a sell out. Her getting in an online spat with Ana Kasperian recently, which is what I think triggered this, and Ana today reacting to this by being overtly hostile. 

As far as Ana goes, I'm just gonna tell her to chill TF out. It's fine to have policy and ideological disagreements with her. But honestly, I'm over the far left's Israel-Palestine purity testing. THey're just not gonna let go that she voted for the Iron Dome funding that one time. And for me, who cares. Again, my own take is that I generally dont care about israel, I'm only caring more now because they're costing us elections and inserting themselves into our foreign policy to an uncomfortable degree and I'd kinda like them to F off. But yeah. I dont really side with israel, I dont really side with palestine. I recognize both factions are genocidal religious maniacs, and while I did see Israel as a lesser evil in a "Tenpenny in Tenpenny Tower" kind of way (with the palestinians being Roy Phillips, yeah I'm on a roll with fallout comparisons today), honestly, their recent actions have cost them reputation/karma with me to put it in a fallout kind of way and they're now "shunned" by me if that makes sense. But a lot of leftists are far more fanatical than me over it, and while Ana and TYT are often more moderate and reasonable these days, chastising the "max left" for purity tests on other issues, man, they turn into the Max Left on palestine. Really, they do. 

Honestly, i think it's easier for me to accept AOC's voting on the topic. I mean, i dont have strong opinions on the topic, and Im only dragged kicking and screaming to develop stronger opinions because Israel is interfering with our politics in ways I view negative and dragging us into unproductive forever wars I want nothing to do with. I dont care if she funded the iron dome, and prior to the last 2-3 years, I'd be more sympathetic toward them.  It's like whatever. 

Now, that's not to say I don't have disagreements. I was VERY critical of her in 2024 when she did the whole "work had dignity" crap in promoting a harris presidency. I still stand by that and think it is a black mark against her, but to be fair my own politics are niche enough I have trouble finding anyone I'm NOT gonna chastise on THAT one, so...whatever.

And that's...at the end of the day, how I view 2028. Sure, I'd like someone better than AOC, but who? Who is in a position to run? Who is gonna have the right ideals? The right ideology? The only one who comes to mind is Andrew yang, and he's horribly flawed in other ways. 

I mean, if the democrats are NCR, then AOC is at least the version of the NCR I would probably be more sympathetic to than house. Because she aint perfect, but she wants to do SOME good, and at least she's not entirely fricking useless. I understand that politicians in office kind of have to make decisions and sometimes these decisions are sub optimal or dont make everyone happy. But at the end of the day, the real question is, do they do a good enough job to keep supporting? 

When I look at a 2028 AOC run, I have to ask, okay, if not her, then who? And that's the thing about AOC. She's one of the best positioned people to run. She has the best progressive credentials just about of anyone running, and we can criticize her for the next 2.5 years, but at the end of the day, do you have someone better? And for me, I dont care about israel/palestine, so that doesnt motivate me. Again, my big thing is UBI and moving away from this dumb work fetishization thing we got going. And AOC aint gonna deliver THAT, but she's gonna do a lot of good. Sometimes you gotta support what's available, and if you dont like your options, maybe run yourself. I probably wont do that because hey, I cant see myself having the mental fortitude to put up with the rigors of campaigning and governing, so I just pick fights from the sidelines, but hey, at least Im honest about it, and at least I'm willing to say "okay, this is the next best thing" when I dont get what I want.

AOC is the "next best thing" right now. Again, anyone have a problem with her, name someone better. If they're someone I find agreeable, I'll support them. I mean, we could argue Ro Khanna. We can argue Andrew yang. I know I saw some dude on reddit asking policy advice recently who was thinking of running on FDR's economic bill of rights (they were for UBI but seemed to drop it which disappointed me). I mean....again. At the end of the day, we gotta find someone and push for them. They might not be everything we want. We're ALL making sacrifices here. And if I can put aside whatever grievances I have over work fetishization to support AOC...well....the way I see it, leftists should suck it up about palestine. 

I know, I know, democracy belongs to the voters, we can't force people to support AOC, but then on a personal level, I'll say this. if you get TOO obnoxiously purity testy, you're never gonna find anyone, youre never gonna be happy, and no one is ever gonna try to appeal to you or listen to you ever. You're kinda giving more ammo to the centrist wing of the party that suggests ignoring leftists because they're never satisfied and instead tries to appeal to suburban moderates. 

So...your choice. As I see it, given the alternatives to AOC right now are the likes of harris, buttigieg, or newsom....come on, can we all admit that AOC is worlds better here? She's probably the best shot progressives have, even if she's not all things to all people all at once.