Establishment Democrats Rely On Identity Politics To Ignore How Socialism Is Energizing Voters

In searching for an explanation for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s remarkable victory, liberal pundits seem to have settled on the argument that Ocasio-Cortez won because there is a generational and demographic shift occurring in the Democratic Party.

Yet, this argument obscures the role of class politics. It is a deliberate way for Democrats to embrace the success of her campaign and how she and similar candidates are energizing voters while maintaining a distance from the democratic socialist positions on issues that enabled her to prevail.

Ocasio-Cortez, who is a 28-year-old Latina working class activist from the Bronx, defeated 10-term congressman, Representative Joe Crowley, in the primary on June 26. She is also a Democratic Socialists of America member and organizer for Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

On MSNBC, Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez reacted to her victory. “At the end of 2018, when you see remarkable results for Democrats across the country, the role of women leading the charge is going to be a big part of the story of 2018.”

Dana Milbank, a columnist for the Washington Post, suggested Ocasio-Cortez did Democrats a favor. “The ouster of Crowley, who, fairly or not, had the aura of an old-time party boss and a conventional pol, gives the Democrats a vital chance to own the emerging electorate of young, female, nonwhite, and progressive voters.”

Bakari Sellers, a former surrogate for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, wrote a column for CNN, where he argued this was a result of Democratic primary voters wanting representation that looks like them.

“Ocasio-Cortez was able to paint Crowley as out of step, ideologically, and also demographically out of touch with the average voter in her district. Crowley’s failure to debate her made clear his disconnect,” Sellers contended.

A New York Times editorial board column with the headline, “Make Way For Young Democratic Leaders,” celebrated Ocasio-Cortez’s win. It chastised House minority leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, as well as party whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, and Rep. Jim Clyburn, assistant leader, for clinging to power “at the expense of future leaders.” It added, “At this point, the [Democratic] caucus leadership has gone from stale to downright ossified.”

But much of the commentary from liberal pundits took great pains to convince people that Ocasio-Cortez does not represent a left-wing or ideological shift among the base of the party.

Milbank asserted, “My colleagues in the media are shoehorning Crowley’s defeat into the narrative that Bernie Sanders-like insurgents are toppling a Democratic establishment. It isn’t so, because the argument that there is a Democratic establishment resisting the progressive tide is a straw man.”