Senior Democrat Reality-Checks Ocasio-Cortez Hype: 'I'm Not Sure What She's Done'
Outgoing Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill expressed confusion about the hype surrounding New York Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez has become a favorite figure on the left, with some even suggesting changes to the Constitution to enable her to run for president.
However, some people, including McCaskill, are rightfully skeptical about Ocasio-Cortez. She hasn’t even served a single day in Congress yet.
McCaskill admitted her confusion about Ocasio-Cortez’s popularity in an interview with CNN.
After being asked if she thinks Ocasio-Cortez is a “crazy Democrat,” McCaskill said that she “doesn’t know her,” but offered her thoughts on the incoming representative.
“I’m a little confused why she’s the thing,” McCaskill said.
McCaskill might be jealous that a newcomer with no experience was elected to the House while she was voted out of the Senate.
After all, McCaskill shouldn’t be that confused about the Democrats’ drastic shift to the left because she was complicit in helping the party’s shift.
While McCaskill is often lauded as a moderate, she has offered plenty of resistance to President Donald Trump’s agenda, including opposition to both of Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
Despite McCaskill’s apparent confusion, she hopes for the best.
“I’m not sure what she’s done yet to generate that kind of enthusiasm, but I wish her well. I hope she hangs the moon,” the outgoing senator said.
McCaskill also offered a rare moment of wisdom by warning Ocasio-Cortez about her rhetoric.
“The rhetoric is cheap,” she said. “Getting results is a lot harder.”
McCaskill is right. The left will be disappointed if the young democratic-socialist fails to back up her lofty talk.
Ocasio-Cortez’s rhetoric is particularly harsh when it comes to the issue of climate change. The incoming representative claimed that “people are going to die” if her climate change legislation isn’t passed.
McCaskill also warned Ocasio-Cortez not to forget about working-class voters.
“I hope she also realizes that the parts of the country that are rejecting the Democratic Party, like a whole lot of white working-class voters, need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs, and how we can really stick to issues that we can actually accomplish something on.”
Democrats might be able to save their party from socialism if more Democrats like McCaskill speak out against their leftist colleagues.
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