Obama compares his younger self to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and says she should've been given more time to speak at the Democratic convention
Eliza Relman
  

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Monday, August 24, 2020. 

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Pool

Former President Barack Obama said in a Monday night interview that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should have gotten more time to speak at the Democratic Convention in August. 

Obama said the freshman congresswoman "speaks to a broad section of young people" and argued that "new blood is always good," pointing out that he was once the "young, shiny cool guy." 

Ocasio-Cortez was given just 60 seconds to speak at the convention, where she delivered a symbolic endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential bid.



Former President Barack Obama said in a Monday night interview that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the high-profile progressive freshman, should have gotten more time to speak at the Democratic Convention in August.

"The Democratic National Convention I thought was really successful considering the pandemic," Obama told Peter Hamby, host of Snap's "Good Luck America." "But the fact that an AOC only got, what? Three minutes or five minutes? When she speaks to a broad section of young people who are interested in what she has to say, even if they don't agree with everything she says."

He added, "New blood is always good. And I say that as somebody who used to be the young, shiny cool guy. But now is the gray-haired old grizzled vet."

Ocasio-Cortez was given just 60 seconds to speak at the convention, where she delivered a symbolic endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential bid.

Over the summer, the Bronx native worked with Biden's campaign and Sanders on a coalition task force to beef up President-elect Joe Biden's policies proposals to address climate change. But Ocasio-Cortez hasn't shied away from criticizing the president-elect when she diverges from him on policy and personnel decisions, and she has repeatedly called on progressive activists to hold the Biden administration "accountable."

Obama cautioned Democrats against what he considers to be divisive "labels," like the activist calls to defund the police and Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders' democratic socialism.

"Socialism is still a loaded term for a lot of folks," he said. "Once again, instead of talking labels and ideology, we should focus on talking about getting certain things done."