If Republicans believe so much in states rights, then why are they supporting a candidate who -in exchange for?
Republicans only support "states' rights" if the states do what they want them to do. As soon as a state does something radical like *gasp* legalizing gay marriage, it suddenly becomes a federal issue that we need to ban federally. F*ck 'em.
What can AOC do to change the Democratic Party for the better?
Well if anyone actually bothered to read her proposals, it doesn't in anyway outlaw cars, cows, or whatever hysterical bullshit the right wing keeps screeching about her Green New Deal. Is the goal to eventually phase out combustion vehicles? Yes, but in no way shape is it intended to outlaw them, nor could it ever.Does it sat outlaw cows? Again, a resounding NO. It does say help farmers create sustainable farming that works for them. In fact, one pillar of her plan is to help stop the depopulation of rural areas by creating those Green jobs in rural areas. Jobs that pay well, jobs that could help revitalize areas of the country that desperately need it.Are her ideas ambitious? Yes. Are they potentially too expensive? Debatable, probably yes in the time frame she has in mind. But is it worth trying. Absolutely.There used to be a time in this country when we weren't afraid of ambitious plans. The original New Deal met with equally nasty derision from its critics, and it still does today, despite it's obvious success. I don't know how Eisenhower's National Highway plan was met, but I'm betting there were equally short sighted people criticizing it as too expensive.I'm certain Kennedy met equal criticism when he declared we would get to the Moon in 10 years.The simple truth is that highly ambitious, radical plans to change society are ALWAYS met with fierce resistance, especially by those who stand to possibly lose, in this case, fossil fuel giants. So they stoke your fears, telling you your car, farms, whatever, will be taken. They hope you won't look into the truth of what is being offered.What she's offering is a truly better future for EVERYONE, not just a select few individuals. We must not allow the fear mongering of the far right to destroy the futures of everyone but the elite they fight so fiercely to defend.
What is the biggest problem facing America today?
The biggest problem facing America in my view is a creeping insecurity that causes people to be unreasonably fearful and, as a result, more selfish and less open to knowledge and understanding. This fear might arise from a lot of different events - the war in Iraq, 9/11, layoffs, crystal meth in smalltown America - but it has turned into a chronic condition all its own. We're all marshalling our metaphorical soldiers around us, trying to keep out the unfamiliar, pile up some money against the uncertain future. We're not taking care of each other because we're so afraid. In a way, we're much like the people rioting against the West in the Muslim world. From the Western European/U.S. perspective, people are getting all bent out of shape about something that we take for granted. But imagine that we could remove ourselves from our own perspective and watch our responses from some TV screen in another world. Would our fear-based reactions look any more rational? I'm not sure they would. They seem reasonable because they're familiar. But think about the way gang violence destroys poor communities. Think about the way that sports fans torch cars. Of insurance fraud. Of deep-seeded, insidious hypocrisy in so many aspects of our lives. I'm not sure we should be afraid; politicians of all descriptions have been exploiting the fear, though. We don't have a sensible, sensitive, and rational voice that doesn't belie self-interest. I don't know what we can do now. Maybe each and every one of us can give up something unnecessary and wasteful - driving an SUV, smoking cigarettes, watching reality TV - and take time to learn as much as possible about the people we share the planet with.