Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounces online vitriol, including from Democrats

On By Pranco

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez staged an autopsy of sorts on her Instagram account this weekend, using the platform to connect with voters Donald Trump‘s election victory and how you can best prepare for the days and years ahead.

At one point, in response to a question about Democratic infighting and post-election resentment in general, the New York Democrat denounced those who were eager to point fingers maliciously after the election.

Despite the fact that Trump was running a campaign steeped in white racial resentment and the fact that MAGA influencers literally were calling for white men – specifically – to ggo to the pollsSome commentators have resorted to tired stories about Kamala Harris losing the party scantyed too concerned with ‘identity politics’.

The Democratic ticket did not Actually tend toward identity politics, but some in the party have drawn on that line of thought as well — such as Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-Y., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who suggested that Democrats’ support for transgender rights helped predict their demise this cycle.

Without naming names, Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram:

This is not an insignificant problem. It’s interesting that we’re in a cultural moment where, left, right, and center, there’s just a certain cache and reward for being an a-hole. And yes, we have seen it on the right – we see it on the left too. And I actually think we need to pay more attention to what a person is like, because many people use righteous or popular things as an excuse or a smokescreen to indulge their worst impulses or find the ways they would like to treat people. . And I think we need to pay a lot more attention to that in deciding how to trust and who to trust as we move forward. I think it’s a really big problem.

I agree. I think many liberals spend far too much time trying to score cheap political points, when it would be far more productive for them to protect their voters and the country from the looming Trump presidency – and all the illiberalism that entails could bring. That criticism actually extends to one of Ocasio-Cortez’s most important allies in the Senate – Bernie Sanders – too.

AOC actually wanted to refocus people’s attention on what was ahead, although she did take the time to ask for feedback from people who voted for her And for Trump. She also spoke about how misconceptions exist among immigrant communities including documented citizens who voted – helped benefit Trump.

And she said some people still don’t seem to understand what a Trump presidency will likely mean:

I think a lot of people found out this week what a tariff means, that a tariff is not what China or any other country pays – it’s what you pay. What we pay. I think a lot of people are not ready for mass deportations and what that means. One in fifteen people in this country live in a mixed-status family. So that means that we are talking about one in fifteen people whose family may break up. I don’t think we’re ready for that, including what that means for the economy. I don’t think we’re ready for the censorship that’s coming, and much more to come. But our job now is to get ready and prepare.

What does that preparation look like? Ocasio-Cortez said she is taking some time to process her plan. But she said she personally will be “doing a lot more direct communication” — that is, methods other than social media, which can be awash with unverified claims and outright propaganda.

“I think I plan to use my email list to be much more thorough and specific about what I’m thinking about and how to prepare for it,” she said. And she encouraged her followers to get out of their online bubbles:

My recommendation is to join now and become part of the community: whether it is a church, or your knitting circle, or a mosque, or a temple, or whether it joins… New York City DSA ( Democratic Socialists of America), or Working Families Party, an interest group – get into a physical community.

For those in despair, she spoke of intentional joy as a radical act of resistance.

For those in despair, she spoke of intentional joy as a radical act of resistance.

“I mean, listen: the fear is telling us something, but I also want to emphasize how important it is in this day and age – that it is actually important to live intentionally, and live fully, and bring joy into your day to day . . And loving the people you love,” she said.

“There is sometimes a culture of abuse where it seems as if someone dares to be happy in public and people want to jump on him or her. We’re going to need that now more than ever – not in some gauzy, you know, bubblegum ‘deny how bad everything is’ kind of way, but that cultivating it is a tool for our survival.”