Just hours after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was sworn into Congress, right-wing establishment trolls struck. Presumably thinking they’d dent her glory as the youngest woman ever to be elected to the US House of Representatives, they tweeted a video of her dancing at Boston University. But Ocasio-Cortez showed them the new way of politics with a perfect response.
“Congresswomen dance too”
On 2 January, a now-deleted tweet said: “Here is America’s favorite commie know-it-all acting like a clueless nitwit she is… High School video of ‘Sandy’ Ocasio-Cortez.” alongside a video of Ocasio-Cortez dancing when she was a student. But if this was an attempt to take her down, it backfired. Badly.
It didn’t take long for a Twitter page called AOC Dances To Every Song to appear. But it didn’t mock her; it was a sheer celebration that mocked the right-wing establishment trolls, and it currently has over 16,000 followers.
It didn’t take long for Ocasio-Cortez to, quite simply, shut the trolls down:
Asked @AOC re this dancing video. She said:
"It is not normal for elected officials to have a reputation for dancing well and I'm happy to be one."
& "It is unsurprising to me that Republicans would think having fun should be disqualifying or illegal"https://t.co/M0qMKmQ0ar
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 4, 2019
And on 4 January, she took it to the next level and posted a video herself, dancing into her new office:
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1081234130841600000
But behind the dancing is the ever powerful reminder of the politics Ocasio-Cortez stands for. She’s not afraid to take down the old school Democrats. AsThe Canary reported in November 2018, she joined progressive, anti-corporate funding groups to protest against Democrat house leader Nancy Pelosi’s office. She’s a socialist, a genuine progressive, and a true advocate for equality and a new way of doing politics:
Sometimes we take for granted exactly how radical ideas like Social Security, the VA, and public schooling really are: that we will care for our elders, provide healthcare, and educate *all* children in America free of cost at the point of service. https://t.co/thqD1u8VfY
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 4, 2019
She’s also working with Senator Bernie Sanders to forge a credible solution to the spiralling global climate crisis, called the ‘Green New Deal’.
“A new era”
Ocasio-Cortez was elected during midterms that dramatically changed the traditional face of US politics. As Vox reported, Congress:
now has a record-breaking number of women, people of color, and LGBTQ representatives — and they’ve already begun to shake things up. Because so many of the new House members are mothers with small children, for example, the Capitol is now adding baby-changing tables in the members-only bathrooms and considering possible changes to its working hours.
Because the November elections saw:
- 117 women elected to Congress
- 102 women elected to the House
- 15 women elected to the Senate
- At least 10 LGBTQI+ members of Congress elected
- Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib become the first Muslim women in Congress
- Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids become the first Native American women in Congress
Meanwhile, 28 women in the new Congress are mothers of young children, and one baby has already been present during votes.
First day of a new era. 💪🏾😍 pic.twitter.com/GeGv6xvJuv
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 3, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez has also pointed out that many of these women are powerfully aware of the historic battle for women to gain political freedom and make their voices heard:
I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come.
From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the mothers of the movement. ⬇️ https://t.co/GBfSSYxbek
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 4, 2019
Given Donald Trump’s racist, sexist, and increasingly dangerous politics, it’s clear why the US electorate voted for change. The younger, diverse wave of newly elected politicians are a breath of fresh air after the old white men who’ve dominated US politics for too long. And dancing them into the future is Ocasio-Cortez, who truly is on point.
Featured image via screengrab
