On the evening of the 26th June, 2018, an earthquake has shaken up the establishment Democratic Party leaders as their favored Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the US House of Representatives, just lost his 20 year job to a 28-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America who had never previously held an elected office.
Another democratic star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unseated the congressman thought to be next in line to lead House Democrats who outraised her 10-to-1 in the Bronx and Queens district.
Here is the rest of the story…
On June 27, 2018, Vivian Wang of the New York Times penned the following report, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: A 28-Year-Old Democratic Giant Slayer”
Excerpts:
“She has never held elected office. She is still paying off her student loans. She is 28 years old. “Women like me aren’t supposed to run for office,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a viral campaign video released last month.
They certainly weren’t supposed to win.”
“But in a stunning upset Tuesday night that ignited the New York and national political worlds, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx-born community organizer and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Representative Joseph Crowley, a 19-year incumbent and Queens political stalwart who had not faced a primary challenger in 14 years.”
“Mr. Crowley, who is twice Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s age, is the No. 4 Democrat in the House of Representatives and had been favored to ascend to the speaker’s lectern if Democrats retook the lower chamber this fall.”
“If Ms. Ocasio-Cortez defeats the Republican candidate, Anthony Pappas, in the predominantly Democratic district in November, she would dethrone Elise Stefanik, a Republican representative from Central New York, as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress (Ms. Stefanik was 30 when she took office in 2015).”
“The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and a Bronx-born father, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez earned a degree in economics and international relations from Boston University but worked as a waitress and bartender after graduation to supplement her mother’s income as a house cleaner and bus driver, according to The Intercept. Her father, a small-business owner, had died three years earlier of cancer; after his death, her family fought foreclosure and her mother and grandmother eventually moved to Florida.”
“She dabbled in establishment politics during college, working for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, on immigration issues, but soon turned her attention to the grass-roots work that would come to define her candidacy.”
“Returning to the Bronx after graduation, she began advocating improved childhood education and literacy, starting a children’s book publishing company that sought to portray her home borough in a positive light, according to a 2012 article in The New York Daily News. The importance of education had been instilled in her from a young age: As a child, she was sent to school in Yorktown in Westchester County because of the dearth of quality schools in the Bronx.”
“She returned to national politics when she worked as an organizer for the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.”
“I never really saw myself running on my own,” she told New York magazine this month. “I counted out that possibility because I felt that possibility had counted out me. I felt like the only way to effectively run for office is if you had access to a lot of wealth, high social influence, a lot of dynastic power, and I knew that I didn’t have any of those things.”
“But if Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has, overnight, become the face of progressives’ hopes for ousting not only Republicans but also moderate Democrats who they see as insufficiently outraged about President Trump, her bid against Mr. Crowley predates the anti-Trump backlash.”
“She has credited her decision to seek office with her experience protesting at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016 against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Soon after, she was contacted by Brand New Congress, a newly formed progressive organization that asked her to run.”
“Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who has called for Medicare for all, tuition-free public colleges and the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, made her underdog status the central pillar of her upstart campaign.”
“In her bid against Mr. Crowley, she was unafraid to foreground race, gender, age and class. When Mr. Crowley sent a Latina surrogate to debate Ms. Ocasio-Cortez last week, citing scheduling conflicts, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez blasted him on Twitter for sending someone with a “slight resemblance to me.” She attacked Mr. Crowley for taking corporate money, for not living in the district and for looking increasingly unlike the constituents of the Bronx and Queens he was elected to represent.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔@Ocasio2018
In a bizarre twist, Rep. Crowley sent a woman with slight resemblance to me as his official surrogate to last night’s debate.@repjoecrowley’s surrogate said he is in full support of Trump’s embassy change in Israel last month (where 60 people died).
The community was in shock.
Michael Corley@MichaelCorleyNYI’m speechless …@JoeCrowleyNY doesn’t attend debate with @Ocasio2018 and sends @NYCCouncil member @PalmaAnnabel in his place
Why would she agree to do this?
This is the ugly side of the Democrats on full display, pitting one woman of Latin descent against another #NY14
“Like Mr. Sanders, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez made her rejection of corporate donations and reliance on small donors a rallying cry for supporters; nearly 70 percent of her campaign funds came from individual contributions under $200.
“Not all Democrats are the same,” she said in her May campaign video, adding — her voice rising with emotion — that a Democrat who “doesn’t send his kids to our schools, doesn’t drink our water or breathe our air cannot possibly represent us.”
“Congress is too old,” she told a reporter from the website Elite Daily. “They don’t have a stake in the game.”
“Before Tuesday’s victory catapulted her to the front of the political conversation, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez seemed to find readier audiences with outlets such as Elite Daily, Mic or Refinery29 — websites most often associated with millennial and female audiences — than with national publications.”
“Still, shock seemed to be the predominant emotion at Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s party on Tuesday. “Oh my God, oh my God,” she said as she realized she had won, her hands flying to her mouth and her eyes widening. Throughout the night, as more and more people flooded into the packed Bronx pool hall, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was trailed by a swarm of reporters, supporters and campaign staff clamoring for hugs, selfies or just a glimpse of the woman behind a feat many had considered impossible.”
“She added, “I hope that this reminds us of what the Democratic Party should be about, which is, first and foremost, accountability from the working-class people.”
Gronda Morin 
Reminds me in some way of Elle Woods of Legally Blonde when she said “like it’s hard” about law school.
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Dear Tony Burgess,
That’s a great analogy. She just went for it. But she is also an outstanding candidate, for real. Take a look at her video Advertisement that is linked above.
Hugs, Gronda
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Dear Mz. Gronda,
While many are celebrating this victory by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, it might be worth noting that the voter turn out was only 11.8% of the registered Democrats in that district. It has been rumored for a while that some GOP and Indep. voters had changed to Democrats simply to vote in this primary, but it was not to just to place this young lady on the ticket but to remove the incumbent that they thought would be harder to beat, and they will not vote Democrat in the elections in Nov. What we need to do now is look at the Republican candidate that she will face in the Nov. elections, Anthony Pappas. Let’s be realistic and consider if a Democratic Socialist, much in the likeness of Bernie, can beat the challenger? If her message only managed to bring out 11.8 % of the vote, remember she perhaps got only 6% if the vote. I’m not about to suggest that she will not win the election, but I am warning that it will not be an easy victory once the race actually begins. Do not forget that the term “Socialist” still raises red flags for a lot of people, no matter how popular she is to some of us, it is a term that will be difficult to explain away when the political ads start to get ugly..
Once again, we see a party leadership in disarray and for all practical purposes missing in action! Yes, I realize the statement that it is we that will bring about change, but need I remind you that a ship with no Captain at the helm simply flows with the tide with no real course or direction…
I have sent so many emails to various members of the Democrat Party over the last several years that I am starting to think my computer is attached to some of their printers…
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Dear Crusty,
Why is there such a fear of the word “Socialist” in America? There are successful Socialist nations all over this globe, and it is about time Americans started taking realistic looks at what Socialism is all about. But the fear is there, and while it is a manufactured fear, it is still real, and I am not ignoring that. But young voters were not around when Republicans and Democrats alike told everyone Socialism = Communism, and everyons was already scared of the big C. Socialism has NOTHING to do with Communism, and it is high time for older Americans to realize that.
And I sincerely hope Ms Ocasio-Cortez puts the end to that fear. It is an ABSOLUTELY STUPID and UNFOUNDED fear.
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Dear Crustyolemothman,
I read the turnout numbers a little differently than you do. The democrats divided the primaries out. On the 26th of June, it was only Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and her opponent Joe Crowley on the ballot. The Democratic Party bosses thought that this plan would be to the benefit of Mr. Crowley. Well their plans backfired.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in an area compassing parts of the Bronx and Queens where Hillary Clinton won by 20 percentage points. She is not going to lose to a republican.
Mr. Crowley outspent Ms. Ocasio-Cortez by 10 to 1 but he was lazy to where he took his seat for granted.
Hard work still pays off.
P.S. Did you take time to review her video Ad?
Hugs, Gronda
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Dear Mz. Gronda,
My numbers were based on the number of registered Democrats in the district, not on the percentage of the actual voters that voted for her. My point was/is that while she won by a substantial number of the actual numbers, the actual turnout for the primary was pretty small considering the “blue wave” movement… Yes, I watched her video, but like I pointed out, that while both you and I like her progressive message, the very word “socialist” has a tendency to bring out bigoted voters! Those are the voters that will never listen to her message past the title of Socialist. Might I also remind you that a large number of people in the last presidential assumed that because of the name recognition of the Clinton name the election was in the bag, how did that turn out? I would not say she will not be beat by a Republican at this time, hopefully she will not be, but we dare not assume she has it in the bag!! I might suggest that Crowley’s defeat was due to some outside influence as well as a young fresh face with a message that did inspire some to turn out, so with that in mind do not underestimate the power of the TRUMP Party… I have not looked at the actual numbers of voters in the district that voted for tRump, but in the next few days I will.. Remember, for some unknown reason his supporters do actually show up and vote…
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Congrats to Ms Ocasio-Cortez! Finally some fresh spirit within the Democratic Party.
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Dear 1EarthUnited,
It is great to see a young person with hardly any monies but with hard work was able to beat out a 20 year veteran who took his seat for granted and who paid 10x more money than she did.
Hugs, Gronda
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