"US debt ceiling: Hakeem Jeffries urges Democrats to vote for bill as AOC says she won’t" – UK Guardian.
And the above headline from the Guardian is an example of what I mean. Hakeem Jeffries is a serious legislator who cares about his constituents and though he is not happy with the bill he knows the devastation a default would cause.
AOC is willing to risk default because it's better to look pure than put your constituents first. We need to remember who voted no risking default
@KathyV I would ask you to consider the tactic behind this: if you have detractors on both sides, but the majority of Democrats and republicans sign anyway, it’s a win. But that win allows the progressive caucus to continue to push for more social justice without seeming to compromise, and the maga caucus to continue to stain themselves in full view of tue public. If all the Dems, knowing full well that the various “cuts” wash out in reality, were publicly happy, the tactic would fail.
@C_H_Antony But let's say the debt ceiling bill was hanging by a thread in Congress and that AOC's vote would make the difference between default or passing the bill. Would she vote yes at that point? If the answer is yes than she knows what the correct vote is - a yes to avoid a catastrophic default.
@KathyV and I believe they do and would if it were down to that. But, it’s all for show, is what I’m saying. additional development: the R from Utah is resigning, several magas are likely to get tangled up in the Georgia & J/6 investigations; the house may look very different in 24. All I’m saying is that theatrics is important in politics, whether we like it or not. The Progressives need to stay visually pure for when they start drafting bills to codify rights that are presently under attack.
@C_H_Antony I just think it would be better for members of the progressive caucus to say "I don't like the cuts in this bill and I will fight to restore those cuts and fight for a Democratic House in 2024. But right now I have to think of my constituents 20 percent of whom rely on social security which will stop in June if we default". Because the right could care less if we default and social security medicare, medicaid etc goes away.