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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    -156 hours 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.

    • Optional
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      52 hours 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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        2 hours 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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          359 minutes 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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            19 minutes ago

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

        • @aesthelete
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          21 hour 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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            08 minutes 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.

    • Great Blue Heron
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      65 hours ago

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

    • @Kaput
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      13 hours 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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        93 hours 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.