AOC is a new breed of politician. Firstly, she’s the only politician that is instantly recognizable by her initials alone. Secondly, at 29, she’s the youngest female ever elected to Congress. Then there’s her Bronx-bred fighting spirit, that sends the old guard running for the hills. Quite literally in some cases. (More on that later.)
She is indeed a rare breed. A natural leader who’s not afraid to speak up for those without a voice. A social media savvy politician, that doesn’t need to write in all caps. A relatable and passionate speaker that doesn’t play by the normal rules of engagement. She’s a leader for the new age, a leader who speaks to fresh-faced millennials and weary activists in turn.
In short, she’s a nightmare for the old white men who cling onto power in the White House. So here are the 10 things I believe Old White Men need to learn from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
1. Tells It Like It Is
This is one of her greatest abilities. She’s willing to ‘call a thing, a thing’ (in the words of Iyanla Vanzant.) Too much of the time the old guard have mastered the art of deflection. They’re willing to lie through their loosening teeth in order to cling onto power at all costs. This is not AOC’s approach. Her willingness to speak her mind – even if she sometimes gets the details wrong, is a thing of beauty.
2. Listens To Her Constituents
She won her election precisely because of her ability to connect at the grass root level. The usual shenanigans of old white men speaking from their lofty towers about what they believe is right for the populace, holds no court. Her ability to understand and articulate the needs of her constituents is like a photo negative of Trump rallies. He exploits his followers without really caring about them. She exploits her platform to fight for hers.
3. Is All About Real Change
On her 60 Minute interview with Anderson Cooper, she posited the idea of a 70% tax rate for multi-millionaires. Of course, the old white men were up in arms, quaking in their Brooks Brothers brogues. Why? Not because her suggestion was so outrageous, (even Warren Buffet is on board with that idea, and he’s an old white man who’s the exception to the rule here.) No, it was because they could feel their bloated wealth slipping through their crinkled fingers, with every sentence she uttered.
4. Is Willing To Learn
On a number of occasions, AOC has been ridiculed for her lack of knowledge. For example, for not knowing the names of the 3 branches of government. But rather than shrink away in shame, she chose to get it right the next time. That is the sign of a true leader, a willingness to get it wrong and then do what it takes to get it right. Again, Trump gets things wrong too, but he just blusters and lies his way through because he’s ashamed.
5. Focuses On Transparency
Who knew about the intake procedure for newly elected members, before Alexandria made it so transparent? Certainly not this writer. The more she revealed about the intake process, the more it began to sound like the first day on campus at a completely uncool university. Her Instagram Live videos, shared the process for the rest of us mere mortals to appreciate, and be thankful we weren’t a part of.
6. Dances To Make A Point
When one of the old white men’s advocates, a certain, AnonymousQ, shared a video on Twitter of Alexandria dancing while still at college, the old guard really perked up. Not for long though. Instead of the video making her less popular, it made her more appealing to a wider base. Add to that, the clip of her dancing into her office in the White House and she was winning. It was a strategic and deliberate response to her critics, and her fearless nature was thus cemented in our minds.
7. Beats Trump At His Own Twitter Game
Trump doesn’t have many points I’d praise him for, but his Twitter game is quite something. He manipulates the news cycle 24/7 with a mere tweet. Usually it’s a tweet full of falsehoods and sanctimony – it has to be said, but it’s very effective just the same. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has youth on her side. She knows how to bite back just as effectively. Yet her focus on Twitter is to highlight the hypocrisy of old white men in politics, and to share the true global concerns of our time.
8. Goes Beyond Leftist and Centrist Delineations
This is quite fascinating to watch. Certain old white men of the Centrist Democrat persuasion, find AOC a little challenging. There are reports of her being told not to rock the boat. The reports seem to imply that Alexandria may have been elected because of her outspokenness, but that type of behaviour wouldn’t help fellow Democrats get elected in 2020. It seems they are missing the point. She’s not outspoken – particularly about immigration abuses, just for the sake of it. Her willingness to be vocal, authentic and tackle controversial issues head-on, is the source of her strength. These Old Democrat White Guys, could learn a thing or two from her, for sure.
9. Gets Things Done
Because of her willingness to be so outspoken, she even has Fox News debating whether the Green New Deal is a viable option. Theirs, and other news networks outrage over not only that, but also her suggested tax rate hike, actually work in her favour. These issues are actually being discussed and debated on national television rather than being ignored and deemed to be the rantings of leftist loonies. They still believe these are leftist-loony policies, but now those policies are being openly discussed in the mainstream media. It’s only a matter of time before they are actively debated on the senate floor.
10. Chases Mitch McConnell Around Washington
And now to the chasing of old white men around Washington, mentioned at the beginning of this article. Poor Mitch McConnell. The Senate Majority Leader and consummate old white man, is the one in the firing line. According to an article in the New York Post, Ms Ocasio-Cortez and fellow newly elected members of congress, Lauren Underwood and Katie Hill, had Mitch on the run!
To be fair, they were actually formally delivering a letter to his office to demand the end to the partial government shutdown. Apparently, Mitch, on hearing they were on their way, took the subway to another office building just to avoid their wrath. That alone, seems to say it all.
I shall give AOC the last word: “Eight-hundred thousand people don’t have their pay checks. So where’s Mitch?”
Indeed, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, indeed!
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Excellent points! Love AOC. She has a very bright future.
Um, is that a Freudian slip in #6 “…clip of her dancing into her office in the White House…”
Thank you William, and I agree wholeheartedly, she definitely does have a bright future. Yes, it must have been a Freudian slip because it certainly wasn’t intentional. 🙂