Kerby Anderson

Who is the leader of the political left today? Many might say it is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But if you asked who is the NEW leader of the political left many would probably say it is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is the 28-year-old, self-proclaimed socialist who recently won a Democratic primary in New York’s 14^th district in the Bronx. She has become the darling of political progressives and thus has attracted lots of media attention. And all that attention has shown how little political experience she has and how much she doesn’t know about history, politics, and economics. She is full of passion and progressive talking points but usually short on facts and historical perspective. Earlier this month she was on the PBS program Firing Line. Although it was a broad overview of her positions on politics, capitalism, and education, the widely circulated clip came when she referred to Israel’s “occupation of Palestine.” When asked to explain her comment further, you see a cringe-worthy attempt to backtrack that ended with an admission that she was “not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.” When it comes to the economy, she also has a theory. The reason “unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs.” By the way, she isn’t the only politician saying this. The left-leaning PolitiFact rated this claim not just false but “Pants on Fire!” As a self-proclaimed socialist, she takes extreme positions on nearly every issue. She is for free college, federal jobs guarantee, single-payer health care, housing as a human right, and mobilizing against climate change. She is also for gun control and abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). More than anyone she illustrates the future direction of the political left.