AOC is NOT the future of the Democratic Party

Yes, she is young, attractive and telegenic; but she is also a far-left “democratic-socialist” squad member

After the failed candidacy by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, many social media “influencers” and “pundits” said that the Democratic Party was squandering a “super-star” like her, and appointing instead a “dying” Representative Gerry Connolly, who “looked like death”. Rep. Connolly has cancer and is 74 years old (I should note that I have known him since he was Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors about 20 years ago).

Joy Reid, the MSNBC anchor who is NOT a leader or spokesperson for the Democratic Party, and who spent the election platforming the “uncommitted” voters who cost Kamala Harris the Presidency, said “At this point almost nothing the Democratic Party does makes any damned sense. They are hanging onto their gerontocracy and consultant class at the expense of their most loyal voters”.

No matter that there was a secret ballot of the House Democratic caucus, with 131-84 in favor of Connolly.

Even President-elect Trump chimed in, posting “Really too bad that AOC lost the Battle for the Leadership Seat in the Democrat Party. She should keep trying. Someday, she will be successful!".

Yes, the Republicans (and Russia) salivate at having Ocasio-Cortez elevated to a leadership position in the Democratic Party, and if possible be nominated for President. She would make Walter Mondale’s landslide loss look like a victory in comparison.

The majority of voters have said they would not vote for a socialist for President of the United States, 55 % according to a Gallup poll. This is the lowest characteristic, lower than even atheist or Muslim. In comparison, 96 % say they would vote for a well-qualified Black candidate (and, in fact, voted twice for Barack Obama); and 93 % for a female candidate (Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, and Kamala Harris came within 1.48 %).

AOC has been endorsed by the “Democratic Socialists of America”, a far-left Marxist group. She was a founding member of the “squad” (which just lost two of its members to primaries, Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush). She voted AGAINST President Biden’s infrastructure bill; she also voted against the Tik-Tok ban and seizing Russian assets; a bill to aid Israel and Gaza; and expanding sanctions on Iran.

“During the 2023 DSA National Convention, Marxist and revolutionary socialist factions won a majority of seats on the DSA's 2023–2025 National Political Committee, marking a further shift to the left”, and they also criticized the U.S. support to Ukraine (to resist the Russian invasion), and even suggested supporting Cornel West, Jill Stein or Claudia de la Cruz in the 2024 election.

AOC has advocated for a far-left platform that includes support for worker cooperatives, Medicare for All, a federal jobs guarantee, a “Green New Deal”, and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She organized a protest AGAINST Nancy Pelosi back in 2018: “More than 200 youth activists, flanked by Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, flooded House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office this morning urging Democrats to act more decisively on climate change.”

The ”Green New Deal” bill, aside from actual climate change proposals (such as incentives for renewable energy and electric vehicles) and a carbon tax, included provisions for increasing state-sponsored jobs, universal health care, increased minimum wages, preventing monopolies. It had zero chance of passing any House of Congress.

It should be noted that Biden and Pelosi DID manage to pass the first significant climate change legislation in the “Inflation Reduction Act” (AOC and other squad members were absent during voting on this historic and consequential bill, and voted by proxy).

Yes, AOC has won election and re-election in New York’s 14^th Congressional District (Bronx-Queens), which is New York City's sixth-most Democratic district, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans almost six to one.

It is true that she has matured a bit since the 2018 rabble-rousing period and gave a fairly good speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention; but it is clear that AOC is far to the left of mainstream, moderate, centrist Democrats, not to mention independents or moderate Republicans.

Does anyone really think AOC could win in Florida, Texas or Arizona? She might, possibly, win the Democratic Party primaries (although her mentor, Bernie Sanders, has failed to do so twice).

She could maybe attempt to run for Senate in New York State, although I also believe she would fail (either in the primaries or in the general election).

In any case, if they want to actually win, the Democrats need to steer towards the center, and nominate moderate, centrist, sensible candidates (like the Clintons, Obama and Biden).

If it is just “generational change” that is sought for, there are plenty of moderate and young Democratic representatives (although one of them, Elissa Slotkin, just won the Michigan Senate race; and another one, Abigail Spanberger, will hopefully be elected Virginia’s Governor next year).