Ocasio-Cortez discusses 'Democratic Socialist' label

[DonViejo]

By IAN KULLGREN 07/01/2018 11:59 AM EDT

Democratic congressional nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Sunday she embraces the “Democratic Socialist” label but doesn’t want to force other Democrats to do the same.

“It’s part of what I am; it’s not all of what I am,” Ocasio-Cortez said on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “And I think that’s a very important distinction.”

Last week, Ocasio-Cortez defeated 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary for New York’s 14th Congressional District, stunning the political establishment. She aligned herself with the same Democratic Socialist movement that propelled Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the 2016 election, but said she’s not trying to spread the label to all Democrats.

“I'm not trying to impose an ideology on all several hundred members of Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “But I do think that, once again, it's not about selling an ‘-ism‘ or an ideology or a label or a color. This is about selling our values.”

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) was asked whether she thinks Ocasio-Cortez’s views are the future of the party.

“I think it's the future of the party in the Bronx, where she is,” Duckworth said. “I think that we, as legislators, need to listen to our constituency and get out there. I think what she did was, she did the hard work. She pounded the pavement, and she was out there talking to every one of her constituents.”

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/01/democratic-socialists-ocasio-cortez-689647

[pangaia]

1. I've seen this a few times...

It doesn't seem like she discusses just what Democratic Socialism is.... especially compared to 'socialism,' which republicans equate with communism.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. I think she did really well

She made reference to policy goals consistent with values, that all our people should be able to afford education, health care, food and shelter. She only had a minute or two for that question before she was going to get cut off by Todd and moved to another topic. She had to defuse some land mines built into the question, namely an assumption that she was calling out other Democrats who don't embrace that label. The media is trying to make her story a divisive one for Democrats, and she wasn't buying.

[pangaia]

7. Thanks, that seems clear....

[vi5]

2. Why don't any of these very sensible, reasonable Democrats...

...also point out that she won across demographic lines, including predominantly white sections of the Bronx?

Why don't any of these people bother to point out that we are o.k. with socialized police, socialized fire fighters, socialized military, socialized help for old people, and on and on and on. We are already a society with a lot of socialized aspects to it.

That's what people need to be saying, not wringing their hands in a way that they never do for conservative Democrats who support any number of shitty, unpopular policies.

[pangaia]

8. Yes---Always my points as well....

socialized roads, schools(oopps, better be careful there LOL), water, to a great degree - at least for now..,

[Me.]

9. She Did Win And I Hope She Continues To Do So

but she needs to focus on the job at hand, there is still a hill to climb. Turnout for the primary was only 11% and of that percent, she rec'd 6% of the vote which translates to 16,000 (approx.) votes of the 235,000 registered Dems in her district.

[vi5]

11. I would say she is doing the job at hand...

..She is not resting on her laurels and she's not just staying in the safe confines of preaching to the converted. She's not running from the labels and she's explaining things I think pretty thoroughly and clearly and she's not allowing the right wing media to define her. She's out there doing exactly what she needs to be doing.

[Me.]

12. She Has To Be Careful

For one thing, they're describing her district as the Bronx, which sounds good and fits the narrative but her district is mostly across the river in Queens.

[still_one]

3. F**K the media. They are working over time to push division and disent among Democrats. Both

Cortez and Duckworth seem very aware of the game getting played.


I hope "we the people" are just as smart, and not get played


2018 is just too imporltant

[AlexSFCA]

6. Alexandria is brilliant and media savvy; I see great political future for her

[Tatiana]

10. Oh did you see what she did there? She didn't run from the label...

Like LIBERALS did years ago.

She embraced it and explained (in the full interview) why you might want to be a Democratic Socialist, too -- but communicated her respect for those who were not that far to the left.

Like David Hogg and some of the other young activists, she is beyond smart -- she's quite brilliant and politically savvy.