CBS This Morning journalists on Friday offered a platform to radical socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, deeming the new Congresswoman’s extreme views “interesting.” The network, which will showcase the Democrat in a 60 Minutes segment on Sunday, previewed it by allowing Ocasio-Cortez to compare herself to Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. There was no objection to this.
Regarding her energy plans, Anderson Cooper gently wondered, “You're talking about zero carbon emissions. No use of fossil fuels within 12 years?” After Ocasio-Cortez responded, “That’s the goal,” Cooper mildly wondered, “How is that possible? You're talking about everybody having to drive an electric car?” That’s all he could manage? Not something like "how are you going to force people to stop driving the cars they have?”
Later, at least, Cooper observed that her views are “radical.” But when she compared herself to Lincoln and FDR, he didn’t challenge the 29-year-old.
ANDERSON COOPER: What you are talking about, just big picture, is a radical agenda compared to the way politics is done right now.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I think that it only has ever been radicals that have changed this country. Abraham Lincoln made the radical decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the radical decision to embark on establishing programs like Social Security. That is radical.
COOPER: Do you call yourself a radical?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah, you know, if that's what radical means, call me a radical.
Co-host Bianna Golodryga was intrigued by the democratic socialist’s agenda: “Interesting she calls herself a radical when just two years the word progressive was seen as too far to the left in Washington.”
Co-host Norah O’Donnell touted the new Democrats in Washington D.C.: “A lot of new voices in Congress pushing for change. A lot of people from different backgrounds than we've seen in the past and we're off to the races. It's going to be an incredible year.”
On June 27, 2018, CBS tossed softballs to Ocasio-Cortez, who had just won a Democratic congressional primary in New York, ignoring her hard-left agenda.
A transcript of the segment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
1/4/19
7:07CBS Graphic: Pushing for Change: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Talks Medicare for All & Renewable Energy
ANTHONY MASON: The youngest of those newly elected representatives tells 60 Minutes that Democrats should pursue radical change. Twenty-nine-year-old New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls herself a democratic socialist. She for calls for Medicare for all, wants to forgive student debt, and believes marijuana should be legal. She’s also calling for a green new deal, a crash program to refocus the U.S. economy on renewable energy. Anderson Cooper asked Ocasio-Cortez about the plan and how much it could cost.
ANDERSON COOPER: You're talking about zero carbon emissions. No use of fossil fuels within 12 years?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: That is the goal. It's ambitious. And —
COOPER: How is that possible? You're talking about everybody having to drive an electric car?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: It's going to require a lot of rapid change that we don't even conceive as possible right now. What is the problem with trying to push our technological capacities to the furthest extent possible?
COOPER: This would require, though, raising taxes.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: There's an element where, yeah, people are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes.
COOPER: Do you have a specific on the tax rate?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: You know, you look at our tax rates back in the '60s and when you have a progressive tax rate system your tax rate, you know, let's say from zero to $75,000 may be 10 percent or 15 percent, et cetera. But once you get to like the tippy tops on your 10 millionth dollar, sometimes you see tax rates as high as 60 or 70 percent, that doesn't mean all $10 million are taxed at an extremely high rate but it means that as you climb up this ladder, you should be contributing more.
COOPER: What you are talking about, just big picture, is a radical agenda compared to the way politics is done right now.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I think that it only has ever been radicals that have changed this country. Abraham Lincoln made the radical decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the radical decision to embark on establishing programs like Social Security. That is radical.
COOPER: Do you call yourself a radical?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah, you know, if that's what radical means, call me a radical.
MASON: The Congresswoman also talks about President Trump and why she took part in a protest in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. You can see the full interview on 60 Minutes Sunday night here on CBS.
O’DONNELL: A lot of new voices in Congress pushing for change. A lot of people from different backgrounds than we've seen in the past and we're off to the races. It's going to be an incredible year.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA: Interesting she calls herself a radical when just two years the word progressive was seen as too far to the left in Washington.
