Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday singled out AIPAC as a ‘special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda,’ starting a new debate about the pro-Israel organization’s involvement in the party

The debate has been simmering since AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC spent unprecedented sums to unseat two progressive Democrats in their respective primaries over the summer – largely, but not exclusively, bankrolled by donations from Republican megadonors in an election year that was far and away the most expensive in history.

As internal Democratic debate over the party’s ills and its future reached fever pitch in recent days, AIPAC was once again catapulted to the center of the matter.

“Weird to have a whole discourse about ‘special interest groups’ that completely leaves out corporate and industry lobbies – by far the most influential ‘groups’ in the Democratic Party,” Jeremy Slevin, a senior adviser to AIPAC foe Sen. Bernie Sanders, wrote on Sunday.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the most nationally prominent AIPAC critic despite, ironically, being attacked from the left as an apologist for the group earlier this summer, singled out the pro-Israel organization while echoing Slevin’s point. “If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats then they should be discussing AIPAC,” she tweeted in response.

  • @IndustryStandardOP
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    -201 month ago

    Well the elections are over. Now the politicians who fell in line for the 2024 neocons can get out of line. So they can ensnare a new base to fall in line for the neocons in 2028.

    Wouldn’t want those people to organize around an alternative party which is not the Democrats.

    • Great Blue Heron
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      71 month ago

      I understand the downvotes you’re getting, but this take isn’t far off the level of cynicism I’m feeling now.

    • Optional
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      31 month ago

      That’s the weirdest support for a third party I’ve ever seen. None.

      WHO are you talking about? Jill Stein? One of the Pokemon or something? What fully-considered third party is your gravely serious suggestion?

      I know. You don’t have one. And you won’t for 3.5 years.

      • @IndustryStandardOP
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        1 month ago

        Having an active imagination is great. But all the third parties did not pack up their bags and go to a hotel in Moscow.

        They are all still in America. Still working on the ground. Including the Greens.

        • @[email protected]
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          41 month ago

          Keep a close eye on that Green party, my guess is that you will see and hear nothing for 3.5 years and then they magically start bleating again in the next presidential election.

          In fact, I would put money on it but the betting offices are no fools and do not take that particular bet.

          • @IndustryStandardOP
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            01 month ago

            Just because Democrats stop talking about them does not mean they stop existing

            • RedSeries
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              -11 month ago

              Existing and being relevant are two very different things. They don’t try to win local elections or midterms. As far as a party goes… they’re like a surprise party with one person, no decorations, no cake, and no presents. And then they get pissy when you call that out and leave.

                • RedSeries
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                  -21 month ago

                  Oh, she had a lead, okay. When did Jill have the lead? I’ll wait.

        • @aesthelete
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          11 month ago

          The greens aren’t still working on the ground; they’ve already accomplished their goal of getting Trump elected.

          • @IndustryStandardOP
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            21 month ago

            Nobody has put in more work to get Trump elected than Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

            I am still amazed they managed to pull off this massive of a loss against the easiest possible opponent.

            • @aesthelete
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              -11 month ago

              How exactly is Trump the “easiest possible opponent”?

              • @IndustryStandardOP
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                31 month ago

                Harris had 5 point lead before opening her mouth.

                Harris dropped out in the 2020 primary because she polled less than 1%. She only got to run because the the DNC convinced themselves they could run an even worse candidate against Trump until three months before the election.

                • @aesthelete
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                  01 month ago

                  How does your response answer my question?

                  • @IndustryStandardOP
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                    01 month ago

                    Harris’ popularity in 2020 was certainly accurate.

                    They invented this thing called a primary so that does not happen. Democrats did not have one.

                    I do believe if the elections were two weeks after Harris became candidate she would have had a better chance of winning.

            • @pivot_root
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              1 month ago

              against the easiest possible opponent

              If policies or respect actually mattered in politics, I would agree with you. But, Trump has a few things going for him:

              • A cult of personality.
              • Endless media coverage.
              • Alternative facts.
              • Emotionally-driven campaign goals.
              • His “tell it how it is” attitude and lack of self-censorship.*

              *Not that much of it is based in reality, but freedom of speech diehards appreciate that.

        • @[email protected]
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          -31 month ago

          They are all still in America. Still working on the ground. Including the Greens.

          Hahahaha… Assuming any of this is good faith, you must be very young.

          The Green Party is not a real party, and if you think they’re going to do shit until the next presidential election (assuming we have one), then you’re in for a massive disappointment.

          They’ve been doing this for at least 30 years now. If they were a real party, they wouldn’t vanish for 4 years.

    • @Kaput
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      21 month ago

      Now is not the time to talk about third party, there is barely 4 years until the next election.

      • @TexasDrunk
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        91 month ago

        Let me start by saying I do get the sarcasm. I’m one of the people who likes to solidify behind the leftmost feasible candidate which is always the Dems.

        Now it’s exactly the time to go full bore third party and try to get ranked choice voting on ballots. Make the joke all you want about it being too late, I stand behind my decision and believe that anything after primary season, no matter what fuckery occurred during the primaries, is too late. No one thinks it’s too late today except people who are paid to think that.

    • JaggedRobotPubes
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      01 month ago

      Thanks to the disaster that is first past the post, that battle will either

      A) be fought and won as a battle for control of the Democratic party, or

      B) be a fight between democrats and new party, with Republicans emerging the victors.

      The only option under first past the the post is a united left and center, including the corporatist fascist-chasers. We need to unite (which is easier under better, progressive ideas) as one giant anti-extremist blockade.

      Any plan that does not factor in the facts in this video has a 100% chance of failing: https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo

      Dissatisfaction must be channeled in ways that do not feed further failure.

    • @[email protected]
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      -21 month ago

      What the fuck are you even talking about and how does drivel like this get upvoted? This election seems to have fried some people’s brains.

      Who are the “neocons” you’re referring to? Seems like you don’t know what that word means.