AOC and Trump

Wow, that’s a funny combo, right?

And yet, the Democratic Party needs to learn the same thing from the success of both of them. And they need to hustle, because 2020 is closer than those of us outside politics like.

Both of these politicians, and the Tea Party before them, rose to power on the frustration of the American People. Voters — the people who actually decide who wins elections — are tired of being told to pipe down, be reasonable, grown ups are talking, and eat what your mother made I don’t care if you’re allergic to it.

We’re tired of being told the economy is doing great because after all look at the DJIA, when many people are barely scraping by. We’re tired of being told that employment is low, when wages are stagnant, benefits are shrinking, and our net worth is going down. Sure, unemployment is down, but so is the ability to pay the rent and buy groceries.

If you want to win elections, you need votes. And that means you have to actually address the issues that are important to normal Americans. Don’t tell us everything is fine and be reasonable. The people who voted for Trump and the people who voted for AOC are both tired of being told to be reasonable.

Uber and Lyft

I’ve gotten a couple emails urging me to sign a petition to make Uber and Lyft be “fair” to their “employees” regarding Social Security taxes. See, since the drivers are independent contractors, they are paid like independent contractors. They signed up with a company that literally advertised “drive your own schedule in your own car!” And the IRS definition of independent contractor pretty much says that they set their own hours and use their own equipment. Maybe these armchair activists could take on a company that is actually abusing the definition of independent contractor instead of making up problems.