A Look Back at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Momentous First Year in Congress

Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla

Written by Angely Mercado | 2 weeks ago

The year 2019 has been a busy one for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). It began when she was sworn in as a new member of the 116th Congress, which boasted the most diverse cohort in U.S. history, on January 3. AOC, as she’s been widely called this year, wore a striking red lip, a set of killer gold hoops and a confidence that came unexpectedly from the youngest member of Congress.

Leading up to her new gig, the New York politician, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, gave her supporters a look into what it was like to get started in politics through her Instagram Stories and Instagram Live. Often cooking while answering users’ questions, Ocasio-Cortez has helped demystify congressional processes and brought a refreshing transparency to constituents. Her supporters appreciate how she made politics feel approachable and engaging for the average person. 

But a new job, especially such a public one, has come with unique challenges for the nascent representative. This July, Louisiana officer Charlie Rispoli made a disturbing comment about AOC on Facebook. While sharing a fictitious article about Ocasio-Cortez, he stated that “this vile idiot needs a round.” Althougj Rispoli was fired for his remark, it wasn’t the only death threat the Puerto Rican congresswoman has received since taking office. 

Still, despite the mounting attacks against Ocasio-Cortez, she has pushed forward to have an impressive first year in office — showing us what Bronx women are made of. Here, some of Ocasio-Cortez’s biggest accomplishments and celebrated moments in 2019.

Raising Money for Trans Youth

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) takes questions during a Green New Deal For Public Housing Town Hall on December 14, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images

This January, AOC helped raise money for trans youth. When YouTuber Harry Brewis hosted a Donkey Kong 64 livestream to garner funds for Mermaids, an organization that supports transgender children, Ocasio-Cortez called in to support and discuss trans rights amid the government shutdown at the time. With her help, the digital event raised more than $300,000 for the organization. 

Supporting Government Workers

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) listens during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on April 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

Also during the government shutdown, Ocasio-Cortez gave a speech on the floor of the Senate in support of the government workers who were not being paid during their forced time off. She described how the shutdown was affecting one of her constituents, an air traffic controller at John F. Kennedy International Airport. A video of her speech was widely shared, becoming C-SPAN’s most-watched Twitter video ever. It highlighted how AOC is capable of telling stories that connect with others as well as spotlighted her social media influence. 

Introducing The Green New Deal

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and other Congressional Democrats listen during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

In February, Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) unveiled plans for the Green New Deal, proposed legislation that aims to address both climate and economic inequality in the U.S. The initial proposal outlined policies that would help the country achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, invest in infrastructure that would help create jobs and promote social justice and equality. Since the unveiling, AOC has emphasized that the Green New Deal should be implemented in a way that doesn’t exclude marginalized communities and that addresses climate change in the long run. 

Offering a Glimpse at What Environmental Justice Looks Like

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) attends a rally for Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images

In April, AOC teamed up with The Intercept to create “A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.” In the video project, which was co-written by AOC and Canadian documentary filmmaker Avi Lewis, the congresswoman is seen taking a train from New York to Washington, DC, in an imagined future where the Green New Deal is a reality. In it, she outlines the path to tackling climate change, mentioning scientists that sounded the alarm in the ‘80s and the fossil fuel companies that strategically created a campaign to enrich themselves and spread doubt about climate science. She also talks about how climate scientists in 2018 gave the planet 12 years to cut carbon emissions in half in order to stop climate disaster. It shows an inspiring future where the U.S. economy doesn’t leave anyone behind. 

Starring in the Netflix Documentary "Knock Down The House"

Knock Down the House / Netflix

In late April, Netflix dropped a trailer for Knock Down The House, a documentary that featured Ocasio-Cortez along with progressive 2018 candidates Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin and Amy Vilela as they ran for various government offices around the country. The documentary made the festival rounds earlier this year, screening both at Sundance and SXSW. In February, the film made national headlines when news broke that Netflix spent more money to purchase the project than any other documentary in the platform’s history. It cost the company $10 million for worldwide rights and features intimate snapshots with AOC’s partner and her supporters. It also shows the lead-up to the viral online video of Ocasio-Cortez learning that she won the election. The documentary did an amazing job highlighting the intimate details that led to AOC’s more public moments that were caught on video and shared online. It also showed just how hard it is for working-class people to break into politics, despite how necessary they are, especially in communities like the one the Latina politician now represents. 

Working as a Bartender Once Again

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) serves a drink at the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant on May 31, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Ocasio-Cortez went back to her bartending roots this May to show solidarity for tipped workers in the service industry. She stood behind the bar again to help spread awareness for the Raise the Wage Act, which would put an end to below-minimum wages for tipped workers in bars and restaurants. The event was put together by an organization called Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. The group urged New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to institute the wage act in the past and believed AOC could help get their cause more attention. They were right. 

Starring in Multiple Books

“The ABCs of AOC” by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Krystal Quiles

In August, Workman Publishing announced that it would be releasing a biography on Ocasio-Cortez by independent journalist Prachi Gupta. At around that time, another book about her was announced: The ABCs of AOC. This children’s book, written by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Krystal Quiles, highlights different words, like “feminist” and “grassroots,” and features the congresswoman on its cover dressed in her iconic white swearing-in outfit, a bold red lip and, of course, her hoops. 

Landing a Feature on "The Simpsons"

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks as Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) listen during a press conference at the US Capitol on July 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

Apart from being the focus of several books, AOC was also featured in a short clip from The Simpsons. In West Wing Story, a parody of West Side Story, President Donald Trump, receiving the classic Simpsons animated treatment, is seen holding a photo of The Squad — Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) — and singing to the tune of the classic song, “America.” In the scene, AOC and the rest of the politicians show off their dance moves and talk about how to undo Trump’s policies. 

Gaining Her Very Own AOC Action Figure

FCTRY / Kickstarter

This October, a Seattle-based artist and a Brooklyn-based design studio launched a Kickstarter announcing that they were creating an AOC action figure. The Ocasio-Cortez doll will be part of their Real Life Action Figures collection that features other notable people, like Pope Francis and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The figurine also shows AOC in her stunning all-white suit, a red lip and a set of gold hoops. The fundraising campaign got a lot of attention and the creators even had to increase the goal several times. At the time of writing, they have raised $72,000. 

Becoming Halloween Costume Inspo

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) talks to fellow members of Congress during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capito. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

This Halloween, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren tried to diss Ocasio-Cortez by dressing up as the “terrifying” politician for Halloween; however, to AOC’s fans, she ended up making a great case for why the congresswoman is so awesome. The representative’s online supporters came out in full force and pointed out that trying to insult AOC by calling her a “former bartender” outlined how classist some political commentators are. It began an interesting conversation about how people from working-class communities are stigmatized and misunderstood. Even more, Ocasio-Cortez was genuine Halloween costume inspiration for countless other girls and women who share her progressive vision for the country. 

Centering Marginalized Communities

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) hold a news conference to introduce legislation to transform public housing as part of their Green New Deal proposal outside the U.S. Capitol November 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo by Somodevilla/Getty Images

This November, AOC released the first Green New Deal bill alongside presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The proposed legislation aims to make public housing environmentally friendly by transforming the 1.2 million public housing units in the U.S. by upgrading their health and safety features, including eliminating carbon emissions. During the projected 10-year process to complete the proposed legislation, public housing would receive grants for installing solar panels, all-electric modern appliances and low-flow toilets to reduce water waste. The proposal would create more than 200,000 jobs per year. It shows how dedicated Ocasio-Cortez is to her mission of creating a Green New Deal that centers those who are most impacted by climate change, particularly lower-income communities. 

Reigning Queen of the Social Media Clapback

House Financial Services Committee member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) puts on her glasses as the committee takes a break in the testimony of Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. Bu Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

This year, AOC solidified that she’s the queen of the clapback. It started with hints in 2018 when she tweeted the lyrics to Aventura’s classic “Obsesion” after Fox News held a panel to discuss her fashion sense. Despite having to deal with disparaging comments and threats against her, the newly minted politician continued to use her social media following to clapback against anyone who came at her. A crowd favorite, with more than 700,000 likes and more than 150,000 retweets, is one of her dancing up to her office in Washington, DC. It was a response to haters who framed a leaked college video of her dancing with friends as a “scandal.” AOC showed the world that she didn’t care and tweeted, “I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous. Wait till they find out congresswomen dance, too …” She has spent the rest of the year making her now-celebrated social media clapbacks, and she’ll likely bring them along in the new year as well. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Friday, December 20, 2019 

AOC POSTED A BRUTAL TAKEDOWN OF FACEBOOK AFTER IT CHANGED ITS NAME TO META


She did not hold back at all.

BY ELISA GARCIA
OCT. 30, 2021
WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES NEWS/GETTY IMAGES

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is no stranger to standing up for what she believes in and calling out misinformation. So, of course, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday, Oct. 28 that the Facebook Company would be changing its name to Meta, in true AOC fashion, she took to Twitter to share a pretty brutal analysis of the company’s name change. Of course, AOC’s tweet about Facebook’s “Meta” name change gets straight to the point, and it’s a scalding response to the social media rebrand.

Shortly after Zuckerberg’s announcement on Oct. 28, Ocasio-Cortez reshared a video of the Facebook CEO unveiling his company’s new name and called out the tech giant’s increasingly questionable decisions regarding misinformation, particularly in relation to surveillance, political propaganda, and healthcare. “Meta as in ‘we are a cancer to democracy metastasizing into a global surveillance and propaganda machine for boosting authoritarian regimes and destroying civil society… for profit!,’” AOC said in the tweet.

This is not AOC’s first time calling out the social media giant. Let’s not forget AOC’s March 11, 2019 tweet in which she said that the U.S. “has a Facebook problem.” The critique was aimed at Facebook’s actions when they took down several Elizabeth Warren ads and called for tech giants, including Facebook, to be broken up.

AOC got the chance to take the conversation off Twitter on Oct. 23, 2019 during a hearing in which AOC and other lawmakers questioned Zuckerberg on the launch of Facebook’s cryptocurrency project, Libra, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the company’s procedure —or lack thereof— to oversee proper political advertisements. And all in all, Zuckerberg stumbled on some questions.

The announcement of Facebook’s name change comes a few weeks after the company and its associated companies shut down for several hours on Oct. 4. According to Facebook, the outage was caused by “a network issue” that rippled onto other platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp. And yes, AOC had something to say about that too. Still, people couldn’t help but notice the blackout occurred just one day after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen exposed the tech company for putting profit before safety. All factors that help us dissect AOC’s knock-out tweet.

While it remains unclear how Meta will change its internal processes from that of Facebook’s, one thing is certain, AOC will continue to deliver brutal tweets in the case the tech company doesn’t contribute to a “free society and democracy.”

THE #GOP AND #ALTRIGHT HAS MADE #AOC THEIR #PELOSI FOR 2020
WITH FAKE NEWS ABOUT HER TAKING OVER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

GOP Claims AOC Working Harder To Seize Control Of Democratic Party

The GOP trains its sights on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The Squad, accusing them of pushing ahead with a socialist takeover of the Democratic Party.

THEY BEGAN THE DARK MONEY FAKE STORY IN THE SPRING AND RECYCLED IT THIS WEEK

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Ocasio-Cortez Has Ties To A Dark Money Group | The Daily ...

https://dailycaller.com › 2019/03/14 › ocasio-cortez-dark-money-pac

Mar 14, 2019 - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ties with a dark money group that ... Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 17, 2018 ... in “massive reporting violations,” former FEC commissioner Brad Smith ... For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Dark Money Group Linked To Ocasio-Cortez To Spend ...

https://dailycaller.com › organize-justice-facebook-ads-ocasio-cortez

5 days ago - Daily Caller News Foundation logo ... Ocasio-Cortez has in the past called dark money the “enemy to ... Organize for Justice calls itself the “sister organization” of Justice Democrats ... Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 17, 2018 ... on a month-old page called “Watercooler Politics,” Quartz reported.

AOC-linked dark money group to spend $500G attacking ...

https://www.foxnews.com › politics › aoc-biden-buttigieg-2020-dark-money

3 days ago - Ocasio-Cortez has been an outspoken critic of dark money, which ... her 2018 congressional primary campaign, The Daily Caller reported.

Ocasio-Cortez, chief of staff illegally moved $885G in ...

https://www.foxnews.com › politics

Mar 4, 2019 - ... has been quite vocal in condemning so-called dark money, but her own campaign went to ... PAYMENTS TO AOC BOYFRIEND SPUR FEC COMPLAINT ... "The law requires the PAC to report who it disburses money to. ... Brad Smith told the Daily Caller News Foundation's investigative unit that, because ...

A Shadow Looms: Dark Money Tied to AOC is About to Shred ...

https://www.redstate.com › alexparker › 2020/01/15

5 days ago - According to the Daily Caller, AOC has ties to her own dark money group ... In fact, Quartz reports the group's already forked over $20,000 on ...

• WHAT SHE REALLY SAID
• Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out ICE Detentee Centers As Concentration Camps
•  
• AOC Challenges FBI On Handling Of White Supremacist Violence

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=AOC

USA

AOC for President? Will She Run? Could She Win?

Tuesday 28 July 2026, by Dan La Botz

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the former waitress, member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and a New York City congresswoman, now in her fourth two-year term, won a recent poll on Democratic Party candidates for president in the 2028 election. In the New Hampshire poll, she won 22%, while former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg got 21%, astronaut and senator Mark Kelly received 9% and California governor Gavin Newsom had 8%. An ally of Senator Bernie Sanders, whom she accompanied on his “Fighting Oligarchy” national tour, and of Zohran Mamdani, the DSA member who is now mayor of New York City, she has become the standard-bearer of progressives. So now everyone left of center asks: Will she run? Could she win? [1]

The national mood makes such considerations possible. President Donald Trump is losing the war on Iran and doesn’t seem able to win or get out. He is once again imposing tariffs that act as a tax on American consumers. Gas prices are up again. Food is costly. Homes remain expensive. Trump’s popularity is at an all-time low. Even his base is turning against him. The Republican Party could lose the midterm elections this November and there is fear Trump might attempt to steal them, even launch a coup.

Yet the Democratic Party’s popularity is about the same as Trump’s. Democrats and independents are uninspired by Democratic Party leaders like House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who seem to have no new ideas and no fighting spirit. Most Americans seem to be increasingly alienated from the parties, from the establishment, and from the whole political system. Yet, DSA candidates have been winning elections and gaining some power in the Democratic Party. It is this that makes an AOC campaign seem both attractive and plausible.

Yet an AOC presidential campaign would be difficult. Even many of her supporters think that she should run first for the Senate seat now held by Schumer. DSA itself is divided on AOC. While New York City DSA supports her, national DSA withdrew its endorsement of her in July 2024, believing she was insufficiently pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist, but if that was true in the past, it is not now. She is strongly pro-Palestinian, calls the Israeli war on Gaza genocide, and opposes military aid to Israel. Still the division in DSA itself is less important than other factors.

The Democratic Party leadership, which acted forcefully to quash Sanders’ presidential bid, loathes the party’s progressives and socialists and would surely use its power to try to crush AOC. Whether or not they could is an open question.

AOC is a woman and the United States has never elected a woman to the presidency, despite several strong candidates in the past. And she would have to overcome a strong anti-Latino prejudice whipped up by Trump and his followers. While AOC was born in the United States, and while all people from Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony, have been U.S. citizens since 1917, given the long history of U.S. racism and xenophobia and the recent growth of white Christian nationalism, she would still face a barrier of racial animus. AOC has experienced harassment, vandalism, and death threats from both right and left.

Things in America are changing. A poll last year found 37% of Americans are favorable to socialism, while among young people the figure is about 60%. Still, a socialist for president would be a big leap.

AOC has not yet said whether she will run for senator or president. She says this, “They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country." She added, "Presidents come and go... but single-payer healthcare is forever, a living wage is forever, workers’ rights are forever.”

26 July 2026

Attached documents

• aoc-for-president-will-she-run-could-she-win_a9663-2.pdf (PDF - 3.8 MiB)
  Extraction PDF [->article9663]

Footnotes

[1] Photo: By Franmarie Metzler; U.S. House Office of Photography - https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/aboutarchive copy at the Wayback Machine, Public Domain, 

• Dan La Botz

  Dan La Botz was a founding member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). He is the author of Rank-and-File Rebellion: Teamsters for a Democratic Union (1991). He is also a co-editor of New Politics and editor of Mexican Labor News and Analysis.

AOC triples down on Pelosi — and calls for pro-abortion party purity test in wake of Roe

Matt Laslo
July 05, 2022

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a House Oversight Committee hearing (screen grab)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Now that Roe v. Wade is nullified – along with the reproductive rights it enshrined for women – progressives are increasing pressure on Democratic Party leaders to rip up their old playbook. They say two things are clear: 1. Roe was ripped away on their watch, and 2. they have no concrete plan to reinstate it.

A case in point, to increasingly restive progressives, is that even after the Roe decision was leaked back in May, Democratic Party leaders continued to support anti-abortion Texas incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar over his progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. That runoff divided establishment Democrats from the party’s growing ranks of progressives, many of whom are inspired and supported by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“This is why we do this,” AOC told reporters – as she clapped and stomped her foot for emphasis – just minutes after the Supreme Court formally abolished Roe, “and this is why sometimes the isolation from the caucus and the targeting from leadership and all this stuff, that's why it's worth it, because this isn't about the Democratic Party of today. This is about the Democratic Party of tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, and we really need to start reassessing how big this tent really is.”

READ: Florida judge strikes down 15-week abortion ban by placing 'burden' of proof on Ron DeSantis

Before even arriving in Washington, AOC ruffled Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s feathers when she shocked the establishment by defeating Joe Crowley in a primary; forcing the Democratic Party’s once rising star to retire from Congress and become a lobbyist. Ocasio-Cortez didn’t stop on the campaign trail. Soon after arriving in Washington, AOC joined youth climate protestors as they protested climate complacency by holding a sit-in in the speaker’s suite.

Since then, the two have publicly clashed roughly every few months over policy, strategy, or who to back in an election. While Pelosi – an 18-term incumbent herself – has focused her limited time and seemingly endless resources on protecting Democratic incumbents, AOC has remained focused on bringing new, younger, and more diverse voices into antiquated party politics. The abolition of Roe v. Wade has only enlivened AOC and The Squad.

“This right here, folks, is why we've been working to transform the Democratic Party,” AOC lectured, “and we have to also have a real conversation about why we are supporting and upholding individuals who are not protecting people's rights within our own party.”

In March, Cuellar was forced into a run-off after Cisneros came within a point and a half of retiring the nine-term incumbent whose district stretches from San Antonio to the border.

READ: Catholic bishops are begging for a deal with drug traffickers

After the Roe decision was leaked, it was business as usual for those party leaders here in Washington, even as Cisneros and other progressives increased pressure on Democratic leaders to open their eyes to this new, post-Roe reality.

“I am calling on Democratic Party leadership to withdraw their support of Henry Cuellar, the last anti-choice Democrat in the House,” Cisneros said in a statement released the day after the leak. “With the House majority on the line, he could very much be the deciding vote on the future of our reproductive rights, and we cannot afford to take that risk.”

Just three days before the Supreme Court formally snuffed out Roe, the recount of that Democratic primary was decided. Cuellar eked out his 10th primary win by just a few hundred votes. His victory was in no small part due to the support and resources he maintained from top Democratic leaders in the House, including Pelosi – who traveled to the district on Cuellar’s behalf ahead of the primary – Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries.

After the Supreme Court’s decision to end Roe reverberated through the marble halls of the Capitol, most Democrats were both discouraged and angry. Not Cuellar. He smiled – and even awkwardly chuckled a little – as he passed the press corps on his way to the House floor.

“Same position. Pro-life Democrat guys,” Cuellar replied to Raw Story. “It doesn’t change. It’s still the same position.”

“What about younger women in your district who might get raped?” I asked.

“Well, I do have exceptions,” Cuellar said.

READ: Abortion clinic director says Ohio’s swift move toward a six-week ban was ‘an unnecessary cruelty’

“But the Supreme Court doesn't,” I replied.


Cuellar’s stance on abortion isn’t like most Democrats. Rather, he’s in line with Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) – and she celebrated the morning the court killed Roe.

“It’s great. It's a blessing,” an ecstatic MTG told Raw Story at the Capitol. “It's an answer to prayer.”

Unlike Cuellar, most anti-abortion lawmakers don’t believe in exemptions for rape or incest.

“Here's what I say is, whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned that, it's a blessing to be a mother,” MTG said moments after Roe was eradicated. “Of course, those are horrible situations. Terrible.”

With millions of women now living under restrictive state laws that will force them to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, AOC and other progressives – from Bernie Sanders to many grassroots organizers – say it’s time to upend things.

“Just three years ago did we get a majority of Democrats really, really supporting choice,” AOC bemoaned of the culture of complacency that Democratic Party leaders have fostered in recent years.


In 2006, Pelosi first captured her gavel from the GOP by supporting then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s (D-IL) election blueprint. With George W. Bush in the White House and two wars raging abroad, Democrats moved the party’s historic focus on social issues to the side, and party leaders ran anti-abortion, pro-gun, tax-cutting moderates – also called Blue Dog Democrats.

It worked. Impressively well. That is, if power was the end goal. Because any notion of party purity was brushed aside as the Democratic Party got a conservative and very southern tint to it – one the party hadn’t seen since back when Nixon deployed his racist ‘Southern Strategy’ – a transformative effort that’s left a mark on the party to this day.

Besides temporarily broadening the Democratic Party’s tent, the party’s newfound ranks soon became thorns in the party leader’s sides.

“People don’t realize we didn’t have a pro-choice majority in the House. We didn’t have a pro-choice majority ever in the House, until 2018,” Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) – co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus and close Pelosi ally – said after she delivered a speech to abortion supporters at Washington’s Union Station.

Before the Supreme Court ruling officially came down on Friday, June 24, earlier that morning, DeGette and other leaders of the Pro-Choice Caucus met at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee HQ close to the Capitol to pour over abortion polling data in battleground districts. Once the ruling came out, DeGette helped coordinate Capitol Police protection for House Democrats who marched to the Supreme Court from the Capitol.

“It was cathartic,” DeGette said after the march.

When pressed on how to revitalize voters so the party can restore reproductive rights to women, DeGette was bullish.

“We already harnessed it. The reason why we have a pro-choice majority in the US House is because of activism at the local level,” DeGette argued. “People who would vote for congresspeople or state legislators who were anti-choice have slowly been changing that and electing folks who are pro-choice. So it's already changing, but now this is going to make it very real to millions of people across the country.”

The morning the Roe decision came down, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) – a task force leader on the Pro-Choice Caucus – also reviewed abortion polling data. Like DeGette, she said the numbers also make her optimistic.

“I just saw some very compelling polling data that goes against the grain of most Americans in this country,” Schakowsky told Raw Story after the ruling. “They do not think that the Supreme Court – and don't think that politicians and the government – ought to be making this decision.”

Even as Republicans have felt the wind at their backs heading into these midterms that were expected to focus on inflation and the economy, these veteran Democrats see power in those poll numbers. They also see potential electoral power in the court’s decision.

“I think it accelerates the whole movement to oppose what is happening. You know, this is not a maybe; it happened,” Schakowsky said.

After being accused by the party’s base of being caught flat-footed, President Biden and his administration became more proactive. The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled ReproductiveRights.org as a federal resource so women and young girls know their rights. It also directs those in states where abortion is now – or soon will be – illegal to AbortionFinder.org so they can more easily find the closest abortion clinics and even contraceptives in this strange, scary, and confusing new post-Roe world.

Progressives say Democratic Party leaders are thinking too small. Republicans have dominated state elections in recent years, which enabled them to remake many congressional districts after the last census. Those local battles – along with gubernatorial races and now all-important state Supreme Court elections – are now vital for Democrats to try and preserve reproductive rights. But the party’s historically been bad at it.

“We have to get good. We have to understand what the stakes are. This is not a joke anymore,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) told Raw Story after addressing a pro-choice rally. “The house is on fire, and we have to get water to put it out.”

Like AOC, Omar also endorsed Cisneros in her failed bid to oust the anti-abortion incumbent Cuellar. She says party leaders must wake up and get aggressive with Supreme Court politics.

“They are going to limit a woman's right to have autonomy over their bodies. They might come after LGBTQ people. They will come after voting rights and everything we hold dear,” Omar said, “and it's going to be up to us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez used her organizer skills to oust that longtime New York incumbent back in 2018, and she says the party needs to tap into that organizer mentality. She says party leaders continue thinking too small.

“There's going to be immediate actions that are going to be necessary on the grassroots organizing level,” AOC said. “You have the policy response, but then you also have the people's response.”

Rallies and protests are no longer enough.

“I think we need to have protests, but there's a lot of people who are sick of holding up signs,” AOC continued. “I think that protests are an important tool in our arsenal, but we also need to be mobilizing abortion funds, we need to be opening our home, we need to be developing relationships that transcend class, because [who] this is going to affect the most are poor people.”

To AOC and other progressives, polling data and policy debates aren’t the need right now. They say policy is personal – it’s people, after all – and normal Washington responses fall short this time.

“We're going to have to open our homes. We're going to have to…financially support – or even just time support, volunteer support – people who are crossing state lines in order to seek safe harbor,” AOC said.

Many traditional Democratic voters in blue states will be fine, AOC argued, but the party will now be tested on its commitment to the least of these.

“Demographically and statistically, if you are wealthy, if you're white, and if you're a cisgender woman, this ruling will not affect you that much,” AOC contended. “Not as much as it will affect people who are poor, non-binary, and/or just in a marginalized state, where crossing a state line isn't even an option, because you're two, three, four states away from a place that that provides abortion care.”

As Democratic Party leaders focus on polls and planning ahead of November, AOC said the party needs to stop trying to expand its tent. Instead they need to expand their hearts, while also broadening their vision.

“We need to understand that elections are not the be all and end all of politics, and we need to expand our understanding of how things actually happen,” AOC said. “Elections are the absolute bare minimum – voting is the bare minimum.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has a Sweet Virtual Reunion with Her Second-Grade Teacher

"Thank you for teaching me, encouraging my growth, and believing in me as a child," AOC tweeted to Ms. Jacobs.

BY CHELSEY SANCHEZ AUG 13 2020, 11:47 AM EDT


JIM BENNETT GETTY IMAGES

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez virtually reunited with her second-grade teacher, whom she called Ms. Jacobs, via Twitter.

AOC tweeted about having a brief 60 seconds to deliver her remarks at the Democratic National Convention next week, and Ms. Jacobs supportively responded, "Remember all those poems we recited together in 2nd grade? It was prep for this moment."

As New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gears up for her first appearance at the Democratic National Convention next week, she's also keeping in mind the lessons she learned as a child.

Tweeting in reference to the 60-second time slot for her remarks at the Democratic National Convention next week, AOC quoted a poem by civil rights leader Benjamin Mays: "I only have a minute. / Sixty seconds in it. / Forced upon me, I did not choose it, / But I know that I must use it. / Give account if I abuse it. / Suffer, if I lose it. / Only a tiny little minute, / But eternity is in it."

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

“I only have a minute.
Sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, I did not choose it,
But I know that I must use it.
Give account if I abuse it.
Suffer, if I lose it.

Only a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.”

- Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
(and recited by Elijah Cummings) 💜 https://t.co/ul9CE7NriV— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 12, 2020

Then, a user tweeted their encouraging response to her. "You've got this," the user wrote. "Remember all those poems we recited together in 2nd grade? It was prep for this moment. You've got this."

AOC replied, "Ms. Jacobs! Is that you?! Yes, I do remember the poems we recited in second grade! You prepared me perfectly for this moment. Thank you for teaching me, encouraging my growth, and believing in me as a child."
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Ms. Jacobs! Is that you?! 😭

Yes, I do remember the poems we recited in second grade! You prepared me perfectly for this moment.

Thank you for teaching me, encouraging my growth, and believing in me as a child 💜— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 12, 2020

Ms. Jacobs's Twitter bio reads, "Veteran elementary teacher. Uncertain about our future but inspired by former student @AOC and hopeful for Biden/Harris."

She also later quote-tweeted AOC's response to her, writing, "One of my lowest days this summer, worried about my teaching future. And then this."

As a new semester nears, many educators, students, and parents have expressed their concerns about schooling in the age of COVID-19, especially as the country continues to see a high number of cases.

In a powerful display of collective might, Chicago teachers threatened a strike if schools reopened in-person classes while the pandemic remains uncontrolled across the country.

"We shouldn't have had to fight for our students' lives," Sarah Chambers, a special education teacher, told Business Insider. "There are teachers writing their wills."

'You are my superhero': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reunites with her 2nd grade teacher on Twitter

Oma Seddiq  Aug 13, 2020,

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) passes through the National Statuary Hall January 9, 2020 at the U.S. Capitol. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's second-grade teacher reached out to her on Twitter to offer motivation on Wednesday evening.

"You've got this," her teacher replied to a tweet the lawmaker made about her scheduled appearance at the Democratic National Convention next week.
Ocasio-Cortez and her second grade teacher now follow each other on Twitter.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received a heartwarming boost of confidence from an unexpected source, her second-grade teacher, ahead of her scheduled speech at the Democratic National Convention next week.

"You've got this," her teacher, who uses the handle @MJacobs on Twitter, said in response to a poem the lawmaker tweeted on Wednesday evening. "Remember all those poems we recited together in 2nd grade? It was prep for this moment. You've got this."
—mjacobs (@mjacobs324) August 12, 2020

The congresswoman was surprised by the Twitter notification. "Ms. Jacobs! Is that you?!" she repied with a crying emoji. "Thank you for teaching me, encouraging my growth, and believing in me as a child."

The social media reunion comes more than two decades since Ocasio-Cortez, 30, would have been a student in Ms. Jacobs' class.

Her teacher replied that she had been trying to reconnect for the past two years when she became a member of Congress and offered praise: "You are my superhero! I want to give you a hug when hugs are safe again. Always always here for you."

Ocasio-Cortez regularly attracts attention online for her punchy, conversational and policy-related posts to her more than 8 million Twitter followers, along with at times fiery exchanges with fellow lawmakers.

As a legislator, Ocasio-Cortez has been a champion for teachers, staunchly advocating for increased pay to address income inequality in the country. Other education policies she has supported include one-time student debt cancelation and tuition-free public college.

Ocasio-Cortez shared the poem, "I have only just a minute" by Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, along with news from Insider that she only has a pre-recorded 60 seconds to speak at the virtual event. The three-day convention on Aug. 17-20 will feature multiple notable speakers, including the Obamas and Clintons, and will officially declare former Vice President Joe Biden as the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.

Ocasio-Cortez and her second grade teacher now follow each other on Twitter.
—mjacobs (@mjacobs324) August 12, 2020