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A few thoughts on the Ocasio-Cortez effect on policy discourse, which has been salutary in ways that have little to do with her specific ideas 1/
To be honest, I'm somewhat uneasy about all the attention @aoc is getting, because a lot of it is obviously for the wrong reasons. She's telegenic and her shocking rise makes a good story; but there are lots of impressive freshmen in this class, and she gets all the attention 2/
On the other hand, she's really talented at the modern media game, and is getting a hearing for ideas that more conventional politicians are afraid to touch -- and the reactions of conservatives are pure gold 3/
First off, the constant attempts to dismiss her as stupid are helping to highlight the casual racism and sexism of so much discourse -- she's surely smarter than the median member of Congress, especially in the GOP, who is basically as dumb as a rock 4/
And time after time the right-wing critics end up showing their own ignorance not just of policy but of politics. The 70% top rate thing is classic: not only don't these guys know that it's based on solid economics, but ... 5/
... they don't know that higher taxes on the rich are *highly popular*. They're under the delusion that the public buys into the right-wing economic frame, when the reality is that working-class whites vote GOP for the racism, not the supply-side economics 6/
So @aoc is both a real political talent and very useful as someone who flushes the ignorant prejudice of the right into the open. So in the end it's all good. A party that only had people like her to present its case might have problems, but 7/
there are plenty of experienced veterans and deep thinkers too. Not to slight the many other good people, but just compare the lineup of Pelosi, Warren, and Ocasio-Cortez with anything on the other side 8/
And The Onion, as always, has the truth 9/ theonion.com/fox-news-debut…
