Violated human rights. A pop culture sensation. There is no question she has arrived in washington as a phenomenon. And a master of communication. Her use of social media feels more like the future than most of what people pay consultants lots of people to create for themselves. Her agenda of radical reform is already deeply felt in the halls of congress. Alexandria ocasiocortezs base wants her to stick it to this administration. The politics of revenge. And stick it to corporate democrats. Im going to be the bad guy, which im sure half the room would agree with anyway. A 29yearold democratic socialist is ready to shake up not just her party but all of washington, d. C. And we are going to rock the world. We cannot allow for a society that leaves people behind. Despite the fact that we didnt have the money, despite the fact that im working class, despite all those things, we won. Alexandria ocasiocortez is a person with passion. You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist. She is an activist at heart and shes brought an incredible new energy to the United States congress. She got elected to buck the norm. She got elected to make change. D. C. Needs to be shaken up. We need it. Its about time. Thank you, everybody. I sat down with alexandria ocasiocortez for an msnbc special event when the selfdescribed democratic radical was three months into her term. The youngest woman ever elected to congress. We had a provocative conversation about her signature policy initiative the Green New Deal. So why this issue front and center first thing . What connects you to this . So this issue is not just about our climate. First and foremost, we need to save ourselves, period. Weve got 12 years to turn it around. 12 years. This is urgent. And to think that we have time is such a privileged and removed from reality attitude that we cannot tolerate. Ocasiocortezs story may be proof that the time for true progressive politics is here. Hiding your radical nature used to be the way you could win in american politics 20 years ago. Shes 29. She didnt live through that era. Nobody likes people who tow the line anymore. Nobody likes people who are straddling the fence. Oftentimes the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table. What makes her journey especially remarkable is that months earlier, she was waitressing and shaking margaritas. I think the country was hungry, desperate for stories that would tell a different side of america. History is alive. But until the 2018 elections few had heard of the woman now known simply as aoc. That changed after the former bartenders stunning victory over joe crowley in the democratic primary. That was the day that i was like, oh, it is about to go down. Thats when i saw it all change. What youre dealing with right now is somebody who is both a rising political figure and a bit of a pop star. And the combination of those two powers is really something to behold. So wheres mitch . The person who occupies the white house right now is there in part because of celebrity culture. And alexandria stepping into that same hole in our society. The lipstick color she wore with at her debate was selling out. The fact she wore hoop earring on her swearing in. She said i want to make other women who wear hoop earrings feel like theyre looking like their congresswoman. By late march, she had more than 3. 75 million twitter followers. Every tweet she sends seems to ricochet across the internet. When donald trump jr. Mocked her political views with a meme, aoc replied with a twitter post warning him about her own subpoena power. I dont think people know what to take of alexandria on social media because she claps back so hard. She has the style of cardi b. With Bernie Sanders sized goals. It is exactly what the Political Revolution is supposed to be about. The former organizers for sanders president ial bid has taken his movement to the next level. I reject the idea that universal health care is impossible. All of these things are possible. I think Bernie Sanders really opened the window for this debate. In fact, whats becoming fringe is you call yourself a capitalist openly. She has clearly moved the needle on several key policy issues in her first weeks in congress. Including the Green New Deal. The basic idea of the Green New Deal is a plan for the u. S. To move to 100 Renewable Energy as fast as possible. Conservatives like donald trump jr. Have criticized the deal and aoc herself. Every mainstream leading democratic contender is taking the advise of a freshman congresswoman who three weeks ago didnt know the three branches of government. I dont know about you guys, but thats pretty scarey. You guys, youre not very nice. And neither is what that policy would do to this country. I think a lot of the conservative movement is at use to a woman, especially to a brown woman speaking her mind so freely. So there is a bit of sbim nation a intimidation ane confused by her. Which might be why the night before she was sworn in, this old video mysteriously surfaced on line featuring aoc and friends doing a mashup of 1980s dance moves when she was a student at Boston University. I see in evidence that republicans were involved in releasing her dance video. I found the dance video adorable. The attempted smear backfired when the video became an internet sensation. Aoc responded by posting another video of her dancing in front of her new Congressional Office and the comment wait until they find out congresswomen dance, too. I think republicans should be very cautious and making aoc sort of the new object of ire. Because if we do that, the country might like her more than some of the angry republicans that are trying to personalize their disagreements on policy. Florida republican matt gates is one of President Trumps biggest allies. Aoc on the republican side sometimes we call her the architect of chaos because shes got the ability to really ignite conflict and activity. I think on substance, there is very little that folks on the right would agree with her on. But stylistically, there is little doubt that shes got game. We have the votes. She understands the intersection of politics and pop culture and social media in a way that frankly few people on the right or left fully grasp in todays politics. Behind the scenes some democrats are genuinely upset with ocasiocortez and her pledge to support more progressive members of the party against incumbents in primaries. There are plenty of incumbents that are doing an amazing, amazing job. But just because you are in a seat doesnt mean that you are entitled to keep it. In an interview with cnn in december, outgoing democratic senator Claire Mccaskle appeared bewildered by aocs appeal. Im a little confused why shes the thing. But it is a good example of what im talking about, a bright, shiny new object came out of nowhere and surprised people and she beat a very experienced congressman. What i was trying to say is that shes exciting and shes new and i think she can contribute a lot. Weve got to remain focussed on the things that unite us as a party, not the things that can divide us. Coming up, a meteoric rise to power with roots in the works class. Im running for office. Nobody likes dealing with insurance. Right . See, esurance knows its expensive. I feel like im giving my money away. So theyre making it affordable. Thank you, dennis quaid. Youre welcome, guy in kitchen. I named my character walter. Thats great. 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Cologuard is not right for everyone. It is not for high risk individuals, including those with a history of colon cancer or precancer. Ibd, certain Hereditary Cancer syndromes, or a Family History of colon cancer. Maybe ill be at your door soon ask your doctor if cologuard is right for you. Covered by medicare and most major insurers. Alexandria is a bartender from the bronx who somehow became one of the most famous politicians in america. Before alexandria ocasiocortez was aoc, she was just a girl from the bronx. The daughter of Blanca Cortez and sergio ocasio. She was not first generation, but pretty close to it. When she was five, the family moved to suburban Westchester County looking for better schools for alexandria and her younger brother. I think it is actually a very common story for a lot of latinos, especially high achieving or ambition kids. She saw the advantage that wealth and resources and a Quality School district brought next to cousins who just didnt happen to be lucky enough to end up in that zip code. As a tenth grader, ocasiocortez got her first taste of politics when she attended the National Hispanic institutes legislative session. It is part of us for immersing students in pretending to be leaders, so her practice in that art started very early on. She spent eight days immersed in policy discussions, mock law making and elections. She will tell you she ran for every position. She lost at everything. But by the end of the week, her peers had selected her as the most promising female of that delegation because they saw that never quit attitude. Just shrug it off, shake it off and get back again. At 17, she competed in the Intel International science and engineering fair at the worlds most Prestigious Science fairs and appeared on nbc nightly news. Alexandria ocasiocortez a senior from new york. She focussed on using antioxidants to present disease. One day we may be able to use this to prevent these diseases were seeing here. Competing against nearly 1,500 students from all over the world, alexandria took second place. You guys interested in science . Yes. She made such an impression that Mits Lincoln Laboratory named an asteroid after her. 23238 ocasiocortez. When she really takes an interest in something she could really go after the stars because there is an asteroid named after her. She headed to Boston University to study premed but her interest in social policy continued to grow. She became a student leader. She got involved as a Student Ambassador of trying to promote the sense of unity among students at Boston University. Shes incredibly funny. Shes like a funny nerd. There is oftentimes these moments where youre like, did you know and ill be like no. And why do you know this . In september of her sophomore year, her world turned upside down. Her father died of lung cancer at 48 years old. Friends say she threw herself further into her studies. A lot of what drives her is her sense of trying to hon know what her father wanted her to be. That every day, she tries to honor that with her actions. Starting in 2008. She interned at ted kennedys offices working on immigration issues. During her junior year she had eye opening look with a foreign study. Changing growth for her was going to africa and studying abroad. She got malaria. She was there in some very challenging communities. There was something about that experience that was like, there is much more to my life that i can do than go work at a bank. Alexandria graduated in 2011 with a degree in International Relations and economics and returned to the bronx with a new perspective on life. She worked on social causes during the day and at night took on a second job to help her now single mother keep the family afloat financially. Blanca cleaned houses while alexandria waited tables and tended bar. It was very challenging, financial, socially, emotionally. Making it through that made her incredibly strong person. Between shifts, alexandria got involved in Bernie Sanders 2016 president ial campaign as an organizer in the south bronx. After the november election, she traveled to the Standing Rock indian reservation and joined the protests against a natural gas pipeline that ran through sacred triable lands. For alexandria ocasiocortez, the experience was pivotal. I think that informed a lot of her thinking about how you needed to act in politics did because Standing Rock did not have a political advocate. Thats the moment when she started to express herself and talk candidly and authentically to folks on social media. There is so much to share with you guys and were just hoping that you get a little piece of this action right now and we will be back. Thanks again. She was at Standing Rock when she got the call about brandnew congress. Brandnew congress, a Political Action committee started by Bernie Sanders supporters promoted candidates. We are looking for leaders in the community, people who are really respected and who probably dont want to run for congress. The group decided on an audacious plan. Run alexandria ocasiocortez against joe crowley, the fourth most powerful democrat in the house. She was just one of those people that had a spark to do something. She felt the burden of the world on her shoulders where she felt like if not me, who . Coming up, alexandria makes the decision of a lifetime. She was like, so, john, im going to run for congress. And i kind of laughed a little bit. And i was like, good, it is about time. Allergies with sinus congestion and pressure . You wont find relief here. Go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritind. 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Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Quit smoking slow turkey. Talk to your doctor about chantix. Bill barr notifying congress he will release Robert Muellers report by midapril. Im running for office in the area. Im running for office. Im running for office. Oh, youre doing a barbecue. Alexandria ocasiocortez announced her primary run in new yorks 14th district in may 2017. It was the political equivalent of a moon shot. She wanted to prove that the challenge was worth taking on, the idea that you shouldnt run because you might not win is not a good reason not to step into that arena. Aocs opponent was as formidable as they come. Joe crowley, one of the most powerful names in the Democratic Party. Joe wasnt just a powerful democrat in washington. He was a powerful democrat here in new york. It would be like as if david had approached goliath with a sling and no rocks. Ocasiocortez had the support of the justice democrats, a Political Group backing progressive candidates across the country. The others were skeptical at best. The candidate herself forecast victory on instagram. Were not running to make a statement. Were not running to pressure the incumbent to the left. Were running to win. We knew it was a long shot. The odds were totally stacked against us. We had all of wall streets money, all of real estates money in his bank account. And he just had small dollar doenors. Rejecting corporate donations was key to her platform. As a whole, her policy stands were leftist. Getting money out of politics, medicare for all, fighting for Affordable Housing and abolishing ice. Ice was created after the attacks on september 11th. Ocasiocortez confronted trumps zero tolerance immigration policy head on calling for the outright abolishment of ice. A lot of democrats did not want to address that issue. She forced them to address that issue. Almost immediately, she seemed to have a palpable influence on the competition. Within a week, joe for the first time in his career supported medicare for all. She texted me that she was so excited about it. Ocasiocortez attracted activists and progressives who were itching to fight for something, not just against President Trump. Alexandria was really the thing that gave me hope back in politics. I had started giving up. I was like, this is too hard. There is too many powerful interests here. People are fighting back cant make a difference in our country. We were a scrappy group and d