JASMINE D’ARCANGELIS
STAFF WRITER
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the recently-elected democratic representative of the 14th congressional district of New York.
Ocasio-Cortez was elected into Congress on June 26, 2018. She was endorsed by several progressive and civil rights-based organizations and didn’t accept funding from major corporations.
Ocasio-Cortez is a self described democratic socialist. Her political positions include single-payer Medicare for All and enacting gun-control policies. OcasioCortez is very involved in all areas of politics.
“I am literally in love with her. Frankly, the United States is really behind in the health care and education departments. Every other developed country has some form of socialized health care,” said Preston Riegel (‘22).
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a freshman in congress. Being a freshman means that this is her first elected position in Congress and first year of official political association.
Ocasio-Cortez has said that the socialism she supports is not that of Cuba or Venezuela but mostly resembles that of which we see in the United Kingdom and other European countries.
“The Congress of the US is supposed to be representative of the people, including demographics, and I believe that she [AOC] represents the voice of the younger generation of Americans well,” said Nathan Fetter (‘22).
Along with her support of free public college and trade school, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also leads the effort on many proposals within the democratic community.
“I think people are forgetting to acknowledge the plans she has with Sen. Sanders for a Green New Deal. Although these aren’t coming to full fruition any time soon with the dynamic of congress, I’m looking forward to seeing material proposals in the near future,” said Bennett Dubois (‘19).
The Green New Deal involves the federal government investing in the construction of largescale green infrastructure. Ocasio-Cortez also sees climate change as the single biggest national security threat in the United States.
“While many of her policies are popular with the American people … most of her stances will most likely not be implemented during her first term,” said Fetter.
Before beating incumbent Joe Crowley in the 2018 democratic primary election, Ocasio-Cortez was given little airtime by major networks. She was also barely covered by any form of mass media before her win in the primary.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is also a very prominent figure in social media. Just recently, she called into a livestream with a well-knownYouTuber. Once live, she stayed on the call until said YouTube star met his goal of $200,000.
One of Ocasio-Cortez’s most controversial platforms is that she supports defunding the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. She would not completely disband the agency, but rather create a pathway to citizenship through decriminalization.
Ocasio-Cortez has also said that she would support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. She believes that we must hold everyone accountable, and that no one is above the law.
Dubois believes that the current political climate in the United States is not prepared for Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive views. While he wishes that the United States was ready for a leftward shift, he feels that the political establishment will resist her with the same methods that have worked for decades.
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