New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an interesting case study because she's one of the few people who, even in the Democrat Party's pool of elected representatives, fail upward consistently.
It's a quality she shares with Kamala Harris, but AOC enjoys something Harris doesn't in that some people genuinely like her. She has a hardcore fanbase, and they're more than happy to defend her at all costs. She has the loyalty of radicals on the left who see her as the next generation of Bernie Sanders.
More than that, from the view of her supporters, she's reviled by all the right people, which only solidifies her as "their politician." If President Donald Trump hates her, then she must be the one.
This popularity is what makes her so dangerous, even as she remains one of the most ridiculous figures in Washington.
And this is one of the reasons why she would be a dangerous person in 2028.
As my colleague Ward Clark reported, AOC is "reportedly" thinking about running for president, and this was greeted by laughter, and some who want her to do it as a joke.
Read: Hoo Boy - Ocasio-Cortez Reportedly Mulling 2028 Presidential Run
There's a part of me that wants to see that too. If VP JD Vance ends up being the chosen nominee, then I'm pretty sure that fight would be a legendary one. Not because it would be an even fight, but because Vance would wipe the floor with her on an intellectual and (likely) cultural level.
But this wouldn't be a fair fight, and you would be fighting a Democrat Party that is desperate for a leader.
It wouldn't be fair because, as usual, the left would roll out everything they have to sell whatever lie, generate whatever fear, or create whatever narrative they needed to. This would obviously include legacy media outlets, but the plan would be cultural saturation. This means Hollywood, fashion magazines, schools, and any hole that leftists haven't been ferreted out of would be used to push AOC on the people.
Moreover, they wouldn't just rely on avenues available for said saturation; they would do what they could to secure more and silence whoever they can, however they can. Any way you've seen Democrats fight dirty over the past decade, rely on that to happen, and possibly prepare to see some you haven't thought of yet.
Then there's the fact that Democrats are leaderless. Their preference would be to have someone step up whom they can control, such as another Biden or Harris, but if they get someone who even has a little charisma, they can use that as a way to rally and unite the left. While you might not like to admit it, AOC's primary strength is charisma, but it just doesn't look like that because you can see the idiot she is.
To be clear, this could go very poorly for the Democrats if they choose her. Personally, I don't think she'd be their top choice, at least not yet, but if she does end up being the female person of color that I know the radicals in the Democrat Party will demand, then the election could become one of the wilder ones you've seen.
And not because AOC is anyone special. She's not. She doesn't have half the charisma of Trump, nor his drive. She's not as clever and intelligent as Vance. She's only proved to be popular in contained areas like major cities, universities, and blue pockets here and there.
But she has name recognition, she knows how to say things that make the virtue signalers tingle, and she's radical enough to be liked by out-of-touch rich donors who want to earn pats on the back from their peers more than they want to keep America strong and safe.
To be clear, the reason you should worry about AOC running isn't AOC, it's Democrat voters who want so badly to see Republicans fail, want to feel like the good guy again, and want to feel like they're reliving the glory days of hope and change by supporting another young candidate of color.
There's no telling what the landscape will look like by the time 2028 rolls around, but you can bet radical left Democrats will still be radical left Democrats.
