General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ocasio Cortez is a uniter, not a divider [View all]Hortensis
(58,785 posts)race nationally proves. After Tip O'Neill came the information revolution, and here we are, discussing candidates in a district most of us once wouldn't have heard of. That old quote is back now because politicians got carried away by electorates thinking on national scales also, and too much focus shifted out. The fact is that, no matter how much a district's people are focused on national issues, politics will always still somewhat local, varying in how much from district and time, and they forget that at their peril.
As for knowing her district, I wish that had to mean more than it does. Anyone can read the same political-writer stuff the voters are reading that tells them what they care about, whether it's true or not. Talking heads are paid to spout, not to say get back to me in a few weeks when I've had a chance to gather data on this. And populist leaders can bring down whole nations with a list of catchphrases that can be counted on one hand.
The kind of politicians we need are pros who learn and know far more than the typical citizen about what their districts need and who can inform and excite the voters into demanding them. Perhaps she will one day be one of those.