It’s the haters propelling her to the forefront and her ability to cut through and muck it up with them. She is certainly a lot sharper than her critics and turning her popularity into political power. I will say this, she did a nice job getting her point across on the 70% tax rate she thinks is a good idea. There was a concerted frenzy from the right when she made the statement and she made established politicians look stupid on Twitter. Also, her intelligentsia that supported her campaign and staff her office are some serious heavies out of the Bernie Sanders movement. She is formidable. I underestimated her too but she is making some serious moves. A ditz wouldn’t be able to control social media and strongly respond to criticism the way she does. It’s calculated. She will be sitting on two very powerful House Committee and I expect she will continue to surprise both the left and the right.
This is not something you will agree with, but I believe Ocasio-Cortez's views., if put into action, would actually improve our overall economy and be best for competition and business. There are many large distortions in our present economy that would be lessened if her proposals were acted on. Far too much corporate socialism is at the root of the distortions. If you want a strong robust economy than there must be high productivity. Ocasio-Cortez's views, if implemented, would improve productivity.
How has shutting down the government; how has starting trade wars and implementing tariffs; how has putting all the unearned income at the top end of income distribution, improved productivity. These are policies championed by a radical wing of the Republican party that benefit a small fraction of the population and harm the larger part.
I don't understand. Your implying that the effect of shutting down the government was different under Obama. Why would it have been, other than the effect should be greater in the current case for obvious reasons. Your question makes no sense. Explain please. So far as I can tell shutting down the government to try and circumvent the legislative process has always failed. I don't know why politicians persist with this. The one thing all of us should want is for this ridiculous tactic to ever succeed. We need our Congress to make sure it does not succeed this time either. The more direct and miserable its failure the better.
I am implying the impact now and in 2013 is exactly the same. Except Obama had a far greater number of federal employees not being paid. If Trump is responsible over the current shutdown because he wants to push his policies then Obama is responsible for the 2013 shutdown because he wanted to push his administration's policies. I will agree that the shutting down of government over continuing budget resolutions serves to demonstrate just how dysfunctional Washington is. This should never happen. if a reasonable yearly budget process was followed where if a budget was not passed then federal employees would continue to work but would be on "austerity" with no new spending or pay increases or new hiring.
Senator Mark Warner's Stop STUPIDITY Act would protect federal employees' pay during shutdowns https://boingboing.net/2019/01/22/civil-servants-not-bargaining.html
If you believe either of those shut downs are the democrats fault then you are naive and a poor student. The government was shutdown in 2013 due to Ted Cruz and the freedom caucus demanding healthcare law be stripped, then delayed. They got neither. It was a very similar situation to the one today. One group was trying to force another group to do something they did not want to do rather than just moving on and conducting the everyday business of government.