With the implosion of the Bernie Sanders campaign for president and the ascension of Joe Biden as the likely Democratic nominee, one person is filling the void on the hard Left made apparent by Sanders’ loss. That person is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Her PAC just scalped its first moderate Democrat in an Illinois primary, her fundraising is picking up as Sanders supporters give her the cash they would have given to the Sanders campaign, and the coronavirus has made her the spokeswoman for drastic socialist measures to combat the economic effects of COVID-19.
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This is a two edged sword for Democrats and the president. On one hand, her increased clout shoves the party hard Left when Biden will try to send out a moderate message. She has the support and the temperament to raise holy hell at the convention if she and her socialist pals don’t get exactly what they want. Their latest demand, floating around DC this weekend? Stacey Abrams as the veep pick. They also are mentioning a possible candidacy of New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo if the Biden campaign chokes along the way.
But she does bring very dumb young people to the volunteer tables, she knows how to get press, she is the telegenic darling of the latenight talk shows, and she has let it be known she will support Biden when the time is right and when she gets what she wants.
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And two years ago, she was a bartender in the Bronx. America, land of opportunity! Even for socialists.
As for the president, he must like that she is pushing the Democrats to the Left and that AOC will make their convention adopt hard Left stances. But if people lose their jobs and businesses because of the coronavirus, some may cotton to AOC’s “everything is free” message of a massive socialist bailout and continual government intervention in the economy.
So, everybody but AOC has something to lose by her fame and new pull. The main party injured? The United States of America.
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