September 14, 2018

"If this doesn’t prove that political currency is people over money, I do not know what does. We have now cut the head of the I.D.C. snake."

Said Alessandra Biaggi, who defeated state senator Jeffrey D. Klein in yesterday's New York primary. The I.D.C. is the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of Democrats who collaborate with Republicans in the state senate. The quote appears in "Democratic Insurgents Topple 6 New York Senate Incumbents" (NYT).
The losses were not only a resounding upset for the members of the Independent Democratic Conference, who outspent their challengers several times over, but also a sign that the progressive fervor sweeping national politics had hobbled New York’s once-mighty Democratic machine, at least on a local level....

The I.D.C.’s challengers had offered themselves as “true blue” alternatives to a cast of so-called fake Democrats....

Several of the I.D.C. challengers... had aligned themselves with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez....

“I think young women are a very visual, but also functional, embodiment of a rebuke of basically New York’s old-boy network,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview at Ms. Biaggi’s party. “And voters get that.”...

Activists began calling the I.D.C. members “Trump Democrats”....
ADDED: Young women are a very visual, but also functional, embodiment... what a line! Everyone understands "young women are very visual" to mean we look at them. And yet, we also often hear the line "men are very visual" to mean men are, by nature, programmed to look at women.

ALSO: "Andrew Cuomo has won himself another term, but his presidential aspirations are deadt his presidential aspirations are dead/He zigged right when the party was zagging left" says Matthew Yglesias, in Vox. I don't know, by 2020, Americans may be fed up with the zagnuts.

45 comments:

Henry said...

very visual, but also functional

Lucky, that was said by the very visual but also functional Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, and not some guy.

brylun said...

It is truly amazing that in a state like New York where Democrats have an overwhelming enrollment advantage, and where no statewide Republican has been elected since 2006 (George Pataki), that the Republicans still control the State Senate. But that may not be the case after the November elections.

Bill Peschel said...

Good to see both parties getting shafted, although that risks giving the Control-Left access to power to ruin the economy even more.

Browndog said...

Rid of men and republicans, New York will finally be able to enact liberal policies.

Utopia.

The Crack Emcee said...

"If this doesn’t prove that political currency is people over money, I do not know what does."

I was positive Trump's election did that already. My bad.

Henry said...

The Crack Emcee said...I was positive Trump's election did that already. My bad.

It's the Democratic Party in Trumpland.

daskol said...

The people get what we want: virtue signalling pretty young women. God bless them for breaking NY's Dem Machine. God help us should these newly nominated officials actually number enough to legislate. Interesting times.

Trumpit said...

[If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas, or in Latin, qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent. "He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas" has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack. The Latin has been unreliably attributed to Seneca, but not linked to any specific work.

The quote has a large almost universally agreed meaning of "You should be cautious of the company you keep. Associating with those of low reputation may not only lower your own but also lead you astray by the faulty assumptions, premises and data of the unscrupulous."] - Wikipedia

AllenS said...

Sounds like NYC is fucked.

richlb said...


very visual, but also functional

Lucky, that was said by the very visual but also functional Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, and not some guy.


I thought the same thing. I started to read that quote and thought "someone is getting in big trouble for saying this." Then I saw it was Crazy Eyes herself who uttered it, so all good.

daskol said...

"Crazy Eyes" just proved she has major political clout.

Henry said...

I made fun of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's awkward phrase "very visual, but functional".

But her contrast of "young women" with "old-boy club" is the basis for a good speech.

zipity said...

I have my doubts that this Left Wing lurch is going to play very well on the national political stage.

But go for it Democrats. I'll hold your beer...

Ignorance is Bliss said...

AllenS said...

Sounds like NYC is fucked.

NYC gets what it deserves. The real issue is that the Democrats taking over the state assembly will allow them to fuck upstate residents as well.

tim maguire said...

brylun said...It is truly amazing that...the Republicans still control the State Senate. But that may not be the case after the November elections.

There has been a long-standing incumbent protection agreement between Democrats and Republicans such that seats rarely change parties. But when a Republican retires, he is usually replaced by a Democrat, so it's been a long slow erosion of Republican influence.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Of course, it is important to note that this was the primary, taking on Democrat incumbents. So what happens in the general? How many of these are upstate, moderate districts, who are happy with a moderate Democrat ( or Republican ), but who will run from a left-wing nutjob?

daskol said...

Ignorance, these are pretty much all NYC districts, and some are even running unopposed in the general.

My name goes here. said...

I think both republican politicians and democrat politicians are hacks and not to be trusted.

But, it seems to me that the republicans have a view of government that exists with society. Are they corrupt, self protecting, over spending, non-responsive, office holders? You bet. But the republican idea to influence society are things like abstinence education. Nobody, including the bible thumpers, truly believes that 55 minute health class is going to overcome teenage hormones. But if you are going to have a society based official position, they advocate for "saving sex until you are serious" and society continues to work, and people mock the abstinence crowd.

On the other hand, democrats seem fond (especially lately) to find candidates that view government as the tool to crush society. Either outright, or through a series of malevolent acts. Business and people leave California, a land with excellent weather because of the political climate. Universities are stripped of any value based upon fairness or affirmative stances. K12 education is devoid of critical thought processes in favor of man made disaster porn du jour and favoritism of new sub group X. Our cities are hollow cores of too rich to care limousine liberals and too poor to move workers. Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, San Francisco have been sacrificed to the good liberal order.

In a way it is good when democrats like these win their primaries. It sets up a starker contrast for voters.

Michael K said...

The real issue is that the Democrats taking over the state assembly will allow them to fuck upstate residents as well.

Cuomo has pretty well fucked upstate by banning fracking. These nuts will probably ban gasoline.

California is working on banning automobiles.

traditionalguy said...

Voters want change because Trump proved it can be done with a brash and aggressive approach. Politicians are straight ahead dull thinkers that only want their share of the bribes.

tim maguire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tim maguire said...

Everyone understands "young women are very visual" to mean we look at them.

That's not at all what I thought. I thought she meant that women like things that look nice. By which she means women are shallow, flighty, they make serious decisions for unserious reasons. Which I don't completely disagree with (after all, they are more likely to vote Democrat), but, still, quite a statement.

Henry said...

That's not at all what I thought. I thought she meant that women like things that look nice.

That doesn't seem to make sense with the whole quote.

Visual and functional describe the rebuke to the old-boys club.

The young women are visually not old and visually not boys.

The "but also functional" is where her point turns funny.

Henry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Henry said...

Doesn't "very visual but also functional" sound like something Trump would say? Also as a compliment?

Andrew said...

Someone should ask Crazy Eyes the famous question from Borat: "Is it not a problem that the women have a smaller brain than a man?"

Bob Boyd said...

Just turn the sound off.

wwww said...



Looks like Ds are interested in state legislative races.

that's a change from 2010.

Remember the blog post concern from a few weeks ago that politicians are too old? I said, major generational shift ahead with the Z Generation coming of age & Millennials getting older. Oldest Millennials are 37 & middle aged.

Generational shift could happen now, or could happen in 10 years. But they're all gonna get so young you're gonna get sick of the youth.

Henry said...

Andrew Cuomo is hated by everyone in New York. Like his father he is vindictive and ruthless. Unlike his father he has no personal charm or aspirational eloquence. In New York he has strings to pull. Outside of New York he has nothing.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Henry said...
Doesn't "very visual but also functional" sound like something Trump would say? Also as a compliment?"

That was my first thought, while laughing out loud. All the behaviors that Democrats decried in Trump, they will quickly emulate. It's something the high-functioning insane are very good at.

Seeing Red said...

Goodbye NY CA and Illinois.

Seeing Red said...

#nobailouts
#nottoobigtofail

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Form follows function?

Michael K said...

The reason why Democrats are "interested in state races" is that there are no D incumbents.

Obama cleaned house with his policies.

Carol said...

“I think young women are a very visual, but also functional, embodiment

I think she meant visible.

Visibility is important, no?

Birkel said...

Given the old adage that nobody should stick it into crazy, what functionality are you folks imagining?

Yancey Ward said...

Cuomo never really had any high national chances, but the ones he did have died with the "never great" video.

tcrosse said...

These spokesmodels offer the new make-up of the Democratic Party.

tim in vermont said...

Now that the Democrats have stopped co-opting the Republicans upstate, maybe more Republicans will run.

Howard said...

Natural part of Trumpruption

MayBee said...

The "young" is a dig at Cynthia Nixon.

Richard Dolan said...

The more amazing fact is that the NY Senate is still nominally in Republican control, as it has been for almost the entire time since Nelson Rockefeller was governor. Looks like that string is about to run out, as the lefties take charge of the entire governmental apparatus here. Even more amazing is that the Dems were all campaigning on the urgency of taking on 'Wall Street,' neglecting to notice that financial services is the only sector keeping NY afloat. So let's doing everything we can to drive them all to leave NY and head for FL or TX or elsewhere.

Michael K said...

Howard, you're being obscure again.

Jim at said...

At this rate, the left is going to dig up McGovern and run him again in 2020. And the results will be similar.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Did she mean to say 'visible?'