Lately, AOC has become fed up with the Democratic Party and its obstinancy when it comes to getting things done. The idea was that after Joe Biden won the presidency, there would be a Blue Wave that would change the current situation. Still, not as many people won on the Democratic Party as was hoped. Many people blamed Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, or AOC, as well as other progressive politicians. AOC said recently that she thought the reason for fewer Deomcracts winning as she hoped was because of “Republican Narratives.” She went on to say that the in-fighting between Democrats also caused her to nearly not run for re-election this time around. AOC went on to say, “I genuinely don’t know… I don’t even know if I want to be in politics.” AOC has also said that the Republican Party levied “effective rhetorical attacks against our party.” There has definitely been some contention among Democrats and AOC, with James Clyburn, the Majority Whip, being one of them. Clyburn has contended that Trump and other Republicans were able to call Democrats socialists because of AOC and her “radical politics,” including the Defund the police movement.
The contention from people like Clyburn is that “radical” politics such as the criticisms of the police affected many Democrats being unable to win in their districts. This includes in the House were something like 8 Democrats actually lost this last election in 2020 when the Democrats were hoping to instead pick up seats. Clyburn made the same contention when it came to the Senate, where Democrats were hoping to take control of it handily, instead of a 50 to 50 tie that requires Vice President Kamala to break the tie. Clyburn went on to say that he thinks labels are a problem, but he also likes being a Democrat and an American and is proud of those labels. Clyburn contended specifically that Joe Cunningham lost his seat due to radical politics in South Carolina.
AOC responded to these accusations by saying that no one campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in 2020. She added that the slogans were only used during a struggle against police in the “largest uprising in American history around police brutality.” It is likely these kinds of arguments between Clyburn and AOC that demonstrate what AOC is talking about when she describes the split in the Democratic Party that makes her sometimes despair or politics altogether. The contention is focused on whether the Democratic Party should focus on progressive ideals or not, including reforming the police to mitigate or even eliminate police violence. It wouldn’t just stop there, however. Progressive ideals also include continuing stimulus checks and monetary support for people affected by Covid, including in a permanent way over the long term. Many politicians, like Clyburn, have a much more moderate approach that focuses on things going back to “normal,” and preserving a moderate, old status quo approach for the moderates in the Democratic Party who see many fewer problems than people like AOC do.
