obvious response to this piece is that a left wing lawmaker interested in actually making laws is going to maintain close & friendly ties with the only coalition partners she has, but i’m not shocked this eludes a guy who has been writing the same “i’m the only virtuous person” screed for 15 years
a lot of people who got into the US left when it was primarily a subculture are finding odd places for themselves in a world where it's becoming an influential political project
There’s a segment of the left who hates nothing more than a politician who will work to get laws passed that will improve people’s lives. They want their heroes to tilt at windmills or not at all.
This is hipsterism disguised as politics. That indie band is only cool because a few (cool) people know about it. Once it goes big and mainstream, no longer cool.
AOC going the Wellstone comity route is understandable, especially given how she's getting wins while still being perceived as a lefty by the general population, that's a win for the left in general
Because I have a long history in center-left blogs (mostly "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" and "Balloon Juice", both of which remain active) I am somewhat familiar with the author's past, and it is utterly rancid.
Why would I read anything by fdb at this late date? Why is NY Mag even publishing him? Its just impossible not to fail upward if you're willing to bash the left, even ostensibly from the left.
Another response to this piece is that AOC helped drag the party (a bit) left so that she can actually be a Normal Legislator whereas before she was not
there are definitely critiques to be made of the limits of that politics but he is a legend at predictably and systematically missing such opportunities
just bc leftoid children with no understanding of the legislative process make unfair criticisms of her doesn’t mean she should be let off the hook for consistently towing the Democratic Party line even when it contradicts the positions of the organization who endorsed, and arguably got her elected
lots of DSA members, both rank and file and leadership are understandably frustrated with her, but ultimately the organization’s inability to discipline its elected officials lies at the root of the issue. whining about her being a lib or whatever isn’t going to fix anything
I remember when this guy got mad at Malcolm Harris for a bad review and made false and baseless accusations of sexual misconduct out of pure spite, then used his poor mental health as a shield. I believe him when he says he’s sick but boy is he ever. I don’t see how the guy can publish after that
it’s really amazing who steps up to Save The Left From Itself. let us hear from literally any rank and file member of any union instead. or from people with crazy ideas and integrity. or from people who are close to power and want to understand it. anything but this guy
Am I naive to believe there was a time when admitting to making up a false sexual assault accusation about someone because their politics were different than yours would mean national magazines wouldn’t publish you?
