I CAN’T LET YOU GO. SHE’S LOOKING AT HERSELF ON
TELEVISION RIGHT NOW.
>> HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
>> CAN YOU PUT IT INTO WORDS?
>> NO.
>> NO. I CANNOT PUT THIS INTO WORDS.
>> THAT IS WHAT SHOCK GENUINE
AND REAL HONEST SHOCK LOOKS LIKE
IN THE UPSET WIN FOR NOM NEEF
FOR CONGRESS IN THE BRONX AND
QUEENS.
QUEENS. ALEXANDRIA OKAYSIO CORTES,
FORRER BARTENDER, WORKING CLASS
NEW YORKER AS SHEKAUS HERSELF
AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST WHO RAN
ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLY
IMPRESSIVE CAMPAIGNS HONESTLY IN
RECENT MEMORY.
RECENT MEMORY. TO PULL OFF THE BIGGEST UPSET IN
CONGRESSIONAL POLITICS SINCE TEA
PARTY CANDIDATE DAVID BRATT
DEFEATED ERIC CAPTOR.
SHE DEFEATED JOE CROWLEY, THE
NUMBER FOUR DEMOCRAT IN THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. SHE REFUSED CORPORATE MONEY AND
OUTSPENT FIVE TO ONE.
BUT IN THE END, SHE GARNERED 57%
OF THE VOTE
IF SHE GEETS THE REPUBLICAN IN
NOVEMBER SHE WILL BECOME THE
YOUNGEST WOMAN EVER ELECTED TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. A REMINDER OF THE POWER I’VE
GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN AND HOW MUCH
ELECTIONS MATTER.
ELECTIONS MATTER. JOINING ME NOW, DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE FOR CONGRESS ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ.
OCASIO-CORTEZ. THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE.
>> IT REALLY WAS, WASN’T IT.
>> SO HERE’S THE THING I FOUND
FASCINATING.
FASCINATING. YOU HAD A GAME PLAN VERY EARLY
AND STUCK TO IT.
IT WAS A VERY STRATEGIC
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. I SAW IT UNFOLD AS A WATCHED.
I’M A BRONX NATIVE.
I PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR
POLITICS.
POLITICS. WHAT WAS YOUR THEORY OF THE
CASE?
CASE? >> YOU KNOW, FROM DAY ONE I HAVE
BEEN AN EDUCATOR IN THIS
COMMUNITY AN ORGANIZER.
I KNEW THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED
HERE.
HERE. I KNEW OUR COMMUNITY.
I KNEW THAT IN THIS ELECTION,
OUR MAIN TACK WAS TO EDUCATE AND
EXPAND THE ELECTORATE.
FOLKS SAY THAT’S THE HARDEST
THING TO DO TO GET PEOPLE TO
TURN OUT TO AN OFF YEAR MIDTERM
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. I KNEW IF YOU COULD INSPIRE AND
EDUCATE PEOPLE AND STICK TO
ISSUES AND DO THE BLOCK BY BLOCK
DOOR KNOCKING AND PHONE CALLING
THAT YOU CAN GET IT DONE OLD
SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL DIGITAL.
>> DID YOU DO DOOR KNOCKING
YOURSELF?
YOURSELF? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I’VE KNOCKED ON A BUNCH OF DOORS
IN THE DISTRICT.
>> ONE OF THE IRONIES HERE, THIS
IS FASCINATING.
IS FASCINATING. NEW YORK HAS THIS SCREWY PRIMARY
SYSTEM DESIGNED TO DECREASE TURN
OUTOUT SO THAT MACHINE PARTY
CANDIDATES AND INCUMBENTS CAN
WIN.
WIN. THEY FIGURE THEY’RE THE ONLY
ONES WHO SHOW UP.
IT SHOT THEM IN THE FOOT.
>> THERE ARE NOTORIOUS POLITICAL
MACHINES.
MACHINES. THE CHICAGO, THE ILLINOIS, BE
BRP CONTENDED WITH.
THEY ARE TURNOUT MACHINES.
THOSE ARE PEOPLE THAT CAN NO HOW
TO YOU TURN OUT 40,000 PEOPLE
FOR A GIVEN CANDIDATE.
WITH THE SNAP OF A FINGER.
NEW YORK RELIES ON VOTER
SUPPRESSION AND VOTER DEPRESSION
AS WE JOKE ABOUT.
AND WHAT IT DOES IS, YOU KNOW,
IT MEANS THAT SOMETIMES A
CONGRESSIONAL RACE CAN BE
DECIDED WITH LESS VOTES THAN A
CITY COUNCIL.
CITY COUNCIL. >> TURNOUT IN YOUR DISTRICT WAS
LIKE 12%.
LIKE 12%. IN SOME 10, 5%.
12% IS HIGHER THAN IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN IF YOU WERE NOT IN THAT
RACE FOR SURE.
YOU CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALIST.
SOCIALIST. YOU’RE A MEMBER OF DSA.
THERE’S SO MUCH INTERESTING
DIABETIC WHAT THAT TERM MEANS.
WHAT’S IT MEAN TO YOU?
>> TO IS I THINK IT’S A BIG TENT
TERM.
TERM. AND FOR ME WHAT, IT MEANS IS
THAT IN A MODERN AND MORAL
AMERICA, A MODERN AND MORAL AND
WEALTHY AMERICA WHERE WE HAVE
THE CAPACITY TO INSURE THAT
EVERY AMERICAN CAN HAVE HEALTH
CARE AND EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO
DIGNIFIED HOUSING, WE SHOULD BE
ABLE TO TRY TO DO THAT AS A
SOCIETY BY WHICHEVER MEANS WE
CAN.
CAN. >> THAT’S IT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THAT’S AN AGNOSTIC READ OF
THE TERM.
THE TERM. >> YOU KNOW.
>> METHODOLOGICALLY.
>> METHODOLOGICALLY. >> AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT
BOILS DOWN TO THE BASIC ELEMENTS
REQUIRED
REQUIRED ELEMENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR
AN ECONOMIC AND SOCIALLY
DIGNIFIED LIFE IN THE UNITED
STATES AT A VERY BASIC MEANS WE
SHOULD AIM TO GUARANTEE THOSE
THINGS.
THINGS. I DON’T THINK ANY PERSON IN
AMERICA SHOULD DIE BECAUSE
THEY’RE TOO POOR TO LIVE.
>> WHEN DID YOU HAVE THE IDEA
I’M GOING RUN FOR CONGRESS?
WHAT WAS THE --
>> YOU KNOW, I WAS NOMINATED TO
RUN BY A PHENOMENAL ORGANIZATION
CALLED JUSTICE DEMOCRATS.
SO I’M ACTUALLY ONE OF 60
CANDIDATES NATIONWIDE JUST LIKE
ME, CANDIDATES LIKE IONA
PRESLEY, ING IN HAWAII.
I WAS ACTUALLY JUST GETTING OFF
OF THE CAMP AT STANDING ROCK TWO
YEARS AGO AND I RECEIVED A CALL
FROM JUSTICE DEMOCRATS, AND THEY
WERE SEEKING ESSENTIALLY
NONCORPORATE CANDIDATES WITH THE
HISTORY OF COMMUNITY SERVICE TO
RUN IN THE 2018 MIDTERM
ELECTIONS TO TRY TO GET MONEY
OUT OF POLITICS.
>> AND THERE YOU ARE.
PROBABLY SOON TO BE