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Alexandria Ociasio-Cortez is an enigma in many ways. There hasn’t been a freshman member of the House of Representatives to make as much of a splash in America in decades… and she hasn’t even done anything yet on Capitol Hill. Her impact has been felt in public sentiment, a paradigm shift in “coolness” in her position, and an unhealthy obsession many on the right have with her.
Establishment Democrats are quietly trying to reel her in while avoiding public scrutiny that her growing base of supporters will throw at them. Far-left Democrats are taking cues from her, and I’m not just talking about having her teach them how to do social media better.
What sets @AOC apart is that she uses social media like someone who sees it as an extension of her personality, not another chute to blast press releases out of. https://t.co/sbLIFQ14cu
— VICE (@VICE) January 17, 2019
The dangerous cues they’re taking from her are the radical progressive ideas that drive primary voters. Millennials make up the Democrats’ biggest voting block and there’s nothing that gets radical progressive millennials more excited than the crazy ideas Ocasio-Cortez espouses. From her Green New Deal to Medicare-for-All to 70% taxes to pretty much everything else that comes out of her mouth, the far-left loves it. As the clown car (bus?) of Democratic presidential nominees keeps filling up, most are trying to match AOC’s sprint to the farthest reaches of leftism.
Republicans may confidently pretend like there’s nothing to be concerned about with President Trump’s reelection bid, but deep down they realize there are multiple threats that could taint him just as multiple challenges doomed the House of Representatives in the midterms. It’s very possible that a progressive taking cues from Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders (unless he’s the nominee himself) could be President in 2021.
But that’s not even the biggest threat she poses. Where she can do real damage is in the hearts and minds of impressionable young leftists who refuse to understand that $32 trillion is a lot of money to fund Medicare-for-All. These are the people who hear her say the world is going to be gone in 12 years from climate change and start getting even more radicalized in their militant environmentalism. They’re the same people who are being told that being wealthy is tantamount with being evil.
Somehow, she’s been able to ascend to the highest levels of influence over young radical progressives. It’s her age, her straight talk, her stylish appearance, and her infectious cynicism that drives them to adore her. That should terrify all conservatives because at this point, there is no way to counter her. She’s eliminated logic or common sense as an option because the impenetrable shields of denial are up around her and most of her followers. We can’t hit her on inexperience, naivete, or inaccuracy because she’s been able to turn these things into strengths in the eyes of her base.
In short, she makes no sense from a political perspective. Standard arguments deflect right off of her.
There’s a difference between being mindful of her and being obsessed. Unfortunately, many on the right have turned towards a near-obsessive need to attack her at every turn. They’re using logic, which we know won’t work against her or her base. She gets ridiculed regularly for her intellectual failings, yet each attack seems to endear her to her supporters even more.
At this point, there’s only one way to fight her influence. We need to stop giving her a platform. Attacks must be rock solid. Glancing blows with silly objections to some of the things she says and does are counterproductive. Instead, we must focus on the ideology she espouses instead of anything personal about her. Only then is there a chance to reverse her growing influence at all levels of the Democratic party and the far-left base.
The threat to rational thought and responsible governance that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents should not be underestimated. Her ideas may be idiotic, but that won’t stop millions of Americans from buying into them.
Update: Shortly after posting this, a few progressive acquaintances told me her shine is starting to wear off. It’s anecdotal but worth noting.
Anecdotally, I've heard some progressives say they're concerned about @AOC's ideas after initially supporting her. It's not much of a data set – 5 progressives I've talked to so far – but the initial love seems to be wearing off. Hoping more people come to their senses soon.
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) January 22, 2019
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