Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Is it too soon to be talking 2020?

Nobody gets on Intelligence or similar powerful committee first time at bat. I think everybody gets a committee assignment or two. Newcomers may get on some crap committee that doesn't meet much or introduce many bills. There are plenty of things a new Rep can do that doesn't require a committee assignment, like network and help build a caucus. Talent will out. If she is House material, people will notice what she's doing.

They can also do things in their own district and get in the press for good stuff.

Checking out Castors voting record and she's pretty good on the environment. Has voted the right way on most all bills presented to her. Most don't effect her district though so you have to go to her donor base.
Her biggest appears to be real estate developers. I can't think of any reason why I should be alarmed about a real estate developer from Florida having negative environmental consequences, can you? It's not like theirs a history of environment being sacrificed at the altar of development and jobs.
But the pattern is clear and appears to be repeating. Neoliberals triangulating progressive energy into donor money by dissapating that energy. This is shaping up to be an all to famil iar repeat of that grift with the attendant defensive rationale of seniority, experience to lead, institutional norms being maintained, etc...
None of which has shown the competency nor velocity to deal with the pace of this unfolding environmental crises.
No mention of the amazingly fast rise rise of public awareness made of this issue and a 'New Green Deal' made popular by Cortez, Sanderd and the progressive left. No, time to give it to the mid management class of politicians. The ones who gave us that exciting 'Better Deal' that no ones talked about since it was recieved by the public like a still born pig.
I'm hoping to be surprised, but history provides no foundation for that hope with these corporate schills. I'm very much hoping the progressive caucus makes this choice cost Pelosi and Hoyer.

I would hope that the Progressive caucus will try to lead more moderate colleagues into sensible legislation rather than to weaken the party with impossible demands the way the Freedom caucus has done for Republicans.

Ah yes. Impossible demands.
One would have thought an overwhelming public approval for a 'Green New Deal' would be impossible, given the current climate and what gets packaged as 'conventional wisdom' by corporate Dems and Corporate media. And then it's proved otherwise by the 'inexperienced'.
Nothing from past decades of political history shows the New Democratic Party can be persuaded to do anything sensible. Their record speaks for itself.
I hope the progressive caucus does push the party to the left again in the same way the Tea Party was able to move Republicans to the right. O.K. New Democrats helped but you get the point.

In any case, I am whipping up support in the New Mexico congressional delegation for our own version of a New Green Deal works program that has our forest restoration, biochar+energy, and agricultural regeneration at its core as actual models - not just some ideological wish.

Maybe showcasing success will have some influence.

And I think we're poised to see exactly that. I don't think it can even be avoided.The Green New Deal is brand new, give it some time to mature, Monsieur Firebrand, before calling for a pound of flesh from the wiley old politicians who know how to get things done.
Exciting times are coming after the dark Trump years are done.

History Gregor....
History.

Allow me just a moment of optimism during this happiest season of the year.

I've felt for a long time that if we just give Republicans everything they want for a little while they will screw the pooch so thoroughly that they will never be trusted again.

They've gotten everything they want, they've screwed the pooch thoroughly.

Democrats will soon come back into power in a pretty big way and they've got a progressive mandate pushing the party left. It won't go as far left as you want it to, because money.
They won't even go as far left as I want them too, which is a ways off from the precipice which will tip power back to Republicans. That's the precipice where you hang out pointing down the cliff and saying "look how great things are down there..."

Nuts!
You yourself, as plenty of others on this board, grew up in a time that was politically much different than it is today. U.S. politics has shifted to the right. Both political parties.
I've advocated nothing further than what has already been proposed and in some cases, accomplished, by previous political consensus.
But neoliberalism has been the flavor of the last 4 decades and is the one the centrist have staked their claim to and will chose to die for (as many have already). It's a pathology more than a sustainable political consensus.

You are, I think, absolutely right. I fully expect that, by 2020 our economy will be in the dumper big time. Then, of course, the Dems will get re-elected and also, yet again, charged with the task of saving the nation. They have a LOT of experience at this so they will get that job done. If history tells us anything it also tells us that the Dems will 'fix' the economy whilst being completely silent as to why the economy is in the dumper (Republicans, basically) and so, whilst they are 'fixing' the Republicans will have their demonization resources will be pinning the entire economic mess on the Dems and the Dems will just take it.

This is another one I am praying I am wrong about and that they will actually toot their horn as loudly as the other side toot their lies. I know, another exercise in wishful thinking......