Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rocked the Democratic Party last Tuesday after she toppled New York Congressman Joe Crowley. The millennial identifies as a Democratic Socialist and, as would be expected, she became an overnight media darling. Since socialism has led to the poverty and suffering of millions of people around the world, there’s no wonder many people fear its horrific effects. But on Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC, moderator Chuck Todd let the potential congresswoman define the ideology on her terms.
“Let me talk about some of your policy positions but generally. First, explain this to me. You were endorsed by a group, the Democratic Socialists,” Todd prefaced in the middle of the interview. “What is your definition of democratic socialist?” He also boasted to her about how The New York Times had a headline touting millennials turning to socialism.
As what often happens when a Democrat is asked to define socialism in non-scary and untruthful terms, she stumbled out of the gate:
Well, for me, again, and – and – there’s so much focus on this endorsement, but I also think it's important -- an important part of my strategy in winning was building a broad-based coalition of people. So while there is a focus on this one aspect of the coalition, and to me, you know, to answer your question, the definition of democratic socialism, to me, again, is the fact that in a modern, moral, and wealthy society, no American should be too poor to live.
“Some Democrats are afraid of the ‘S’ word,” Todd explained to her. “Older Americans hear socialism and they tie it to, sort of, ugly governments from Europe and the past. (…) How do you sell this to an older generation,” he wondered.
Ocasio-Cortez parroted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who suggested the Democratic Party was a “big tent.” “I do think that, once again, it's not about selling an ism, or an ideology, or a label, or a color, this is about selling our values,” she told Todd. While Todd was letting her redefine the ideology, there was no pushback or questions from him about the New York City Democratic Socialists pushing to "abolish profit" and to "abolish borders". Todd also failed to question her about a Page Six report that found a former co-worker who accused her of unfairly splitting tips just a few months ago.
It’s easy for Todd to overlook the horrors of socialism here because his network hardly covers them. As the Media Research Center noted in early 2017, NBC barely noticed Venezuela’s economic crisis. In the summer of that year, they couldn’t be bothered to note how the country became a dictatorship. And in the middle of it all, NBC couldn’t find it in themselves to label the culprit: socialism.
Ocasio-Cortez’s victory over Crowley had been likened to Virginia Congressman David Brat unseating House GOP whip Eric Cantor in a shocking upset in 2014. At that time, soothsayer Todd proclaimed Brats win meant “immigration will absolutely tear the Republican Party apart”. Yet immigration was a major reason why President Trump won the 2016 election. This time around, there was obviously no doom and gloom for the future of the Democratic Party from him.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC
Meet the Press
July 1, 2018
11:10:33 AM Eastern [2 minutes 4 seconds]CHUCK TODD: Let me talk about some of your policy positions but generally. First, explain this to me. You were endorsed by a group, the Democratic Socialists. You have embraced this label. I think The New York Times has a headline this morning, this sort of, "Millennials Have Embrace Socialism." What is your definition of democratic socialist?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, for me, again, and – and – there’s so much focus on this endorsement, but I also think it's important -- an important part of my strategy in winning was building a broad-based coalition of people. So while there is a focus on this one aspect of the coalition, and to me, you know, to answer your question, the definition of democratic socialism, to me, again, is the fact that in a modern, moral, and wealthy society, no American should be too poor to live. And to me, that means every working class American in this country should have access to dignified health care. Should actually be able to go see a doctor without going broke. It means you should be able to send your kids to college and trade school if they so choose. And no person should feel precarious or unstable in their access to housing as our economy develops.
TODD: Some Democrats are afraid of the "S" word.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah.
TODD: It has-- Older Americans hear socialism and they tie it to, sort of, ugly governments from Europe and the past.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah.
TODD: Do you -- how do you -- how do you sell this to an older generation?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I think, you know, as the clip from Schumer showed earlier, Democrats are a big tent party. I'm not trying to impose an ideology on all several hundred members of Congress, but I do think that, once again, it's not about selling an ism, or an ideology, or a label, or a color, this is about selling our values.
TODD: Are you a democratic socialist? Is that what you call yourself or you don't want that label?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Um. I mean, it's part of what I am, it's not all of what I am. And I think that's a very important distinction. I'm an educator. I'm an organizer. And I believe that what we're really seeing is just a movement for health care, housing, and education in the United States.
