Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become a subject of contention between the inflamed tribes of Democrats and Republicans. Her outspoken nature has made her a regular target for flogging by Fox News. To her credit, she has withstood this mudslinging and met adversity in an admirably confrontational fashion.
To my knowledge members new to congress typically lay low in the early years lest they garner attention and illicit public ire. This may have worked before social media established itself, but the appeal both Trump and Ocasio-Cortez have benefitted from reveal the strengths this new medium bestows upon current day politicians. The tweet is the new fireside chat. Shares, likes, and retweets are the bricks which pave one’s way to leadership in new emerald city cyber-commune. Fame and infamy are now synonyms as either begets the other.
Taking the aforesaid into account, how does this form my opinion of the young idealist Ocasio-Cortez?
First: It cannot go unnoticed that she is young. At 29, I can acknowledge that I too recognized the many problems in the world and saw the power of the government as a clear tool to amend the many ills which plagued the country. I was neither as cunning, driven, nor confident in my convictions to rise to the position of influence which Ocasio-Cortez has earned. However, this young age means that regardless of how well studied she is, her life-experience is limited. This is neither a good or bad thing, it is just a fact that will influence her opinion on judgements going forward.
Secondly: as I previously mentioned Ocasio-Cortez is an idealist. H. L. Mencken once said, “An idealist is one who, upon noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it makes a better soup.” This is a good quote for encapsulating Ocasio-Cortez’s attack on Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan.
On the heels of her victorious performance against Cohen, Ocasio-Cortez carried her momentum into a foolish looking scolding of Sloan. Employing the same demeanour, Ocasio-Cortez ferociously proposed that lenders be held accountable for the actions of those they lend to. As in Mencken’s example, listeners/viewers can follow Ocasio-Cortez’s logic; unfortunately, this would bring lending – byproducts of which are both good and bad – to a grinding halt.
While I have always remained critical of idealism and its unforseen consequences, I actually find Ocasio-Cortez’s both heartening and encouraging. My cynical core has been genuinely moved by Ocasio-Cortez and the generation she represents. Under normal circumstances I would fear her cries of injustice as an emotional appeal which could cause a power-grab proportional to Trump (though with better intentions) , but her stuffy surrounding members, both Democrat and Republican, will temper Ocasio-Cortez’s actions. If she endures within the Congress, I think she truly has the potential to become a great force for America.
She is both confident and confrontational enough to force herself to be taken seriously, and at least for now she seems to have her heart in the right place. For these reasons alone she has earned my respect.
Lucid Ink 