SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"If we don't show up for people, why should you feel entitled to their vote?" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote in response to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's interview on CNN. (Photo: CNN/Screengrab)
'Medicare for All and Equal Rights Aren't Trends': Ocasio-Cortez Fires Back After Aaron Sorkin Lectures Young Progressives
Low turnout in some demographics, says New York Democrat, is "not because communities are apathetic, it's because they don't see you fighting for them."
Jan 20, 2019
After "West Wing" producer and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin lectured the bold freshman class of congressional Democrats to "stop acting like young people" in a CNN interview on Sunday--remarks that were quickly interpreted as a call to move right--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded that the progressive policies championed by young Democrats aren't mere "trends" with no real-world consequences.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?"
-- CREDO Mobile
"News flash: Medicare for All and equal rights aren't trends," the New York congresswoman wrote, referring specifically to Sorkin's flippant dismissal of the push for equal rights for transgender Americans as a "Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with."
"When people complain about low turnout in some demo[graphics], it's not because communities are apathetic, it's because they don't see you fighting for them," continued Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. "If we don't show up for people, why should you feel entitled to their vote?"
Sorkin went on to tell CNN's Fareed Zakaria that he believes "there's a great opportunity here, now more than ever, for Democrats to be the non-stupid party. To point out the difference, that it's not just about transgender bathrooms."
"That's a Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with," Sorkin said. "That we haven't forgotten the economic anxiety of the middle class, but we're going to be smart about this. We're not going to be mean about it."
Watch:
Sorkin's unsolicited advice to young congressional Democrats--who, in just a short period of time, have helped push bold solutions like a Green New Deal and a 70 percent tax rate into mainstream political discussion--was widely panned by progressives, who characterized the screenwriter's comments as a sad attempt to shoot down the party's surging left-wing energy.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?" CREDO Mobile wrote on Twitter in response to Sorkin's remarks.
Referring to the popular political television series "The West Wing," Charlotte Clymer of the Human Rights Campaign added, "I would like to remind everyone that the only political campaign Aaron Sorkin ever won was a fictional presidential election that he wrote."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
alexandria ocasio-cortezbernie sandersdemocratic partygreen new dealhealthcarehuman rights campaigninequalitymedicare for allus house
After "West Wing" producer and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin lectured the bold freshman class of congressional Democrats to "stop acting like young people" in a CNN interview on Sunday--remarks that were quickly interpreted as a call to move right--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded that the progressive policies championed by young Democrats aren't mere "trends" with no real-world consequences.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?"
-- CREDO Mobile
"News flash: Medicare for All and equal rights aren't trends," the New York congresswoman wrote, referring specifically to Sorkin's flippant dismissal of the push for equal rights for transgender Americans as a "Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with."
"When people complain about low turnout in some demo[graphics], it's not because communities are apathetic, it's because they don't see you fighting for them," continued Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. "If we don't show up for people, why should you feel entitled to their vote?"
Sorkin went on to tell CNN's Fareed Zakaria that he believes "there's a great opportunity here, now more than ever, for Democrats to be the non-stupid party. To point out the difference, that it's not just about transgender bathrooms."
"That's a Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with," Sorkin said. "That we haven't forgotten the economic anxiety of the middle class, but we're going to be smart about this. We're not going to be mean about it."
Watch:
Sorkin's unsolicited advice to young congressional Democrats--who, in just a short period of time, have helped push bold solutions like a Green New Deal and a 70 percent tax rate into mainstream political discussion--was widely panned by progressives, who characterized the screenwriter's comments as a sad attempt to shoot down the party's surging left-wing energy.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?" CREDO Mobile wrote on Twitter in response to Sorkin's remarks.
Referring to the popular political television series "The West Wing," Charlotte Clymer of the Human Rights Campaign added, "I would like to remind everyone that the only political campaign Aaron Sorkin ever won was a fictional presidential election that he wrote."
After "West Wing" producer and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin lectured the bold freshman class of congressional Democrats to "stop acting like young people" in a CNN interview on Sunday--remarks that were quickly interpreted as a call to move right--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded that the progressive policies championed by young Democrats aren't mere "trends" with no real-world consequences.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?"
-- CREDO Mobile
"News flash: Medicare for All and equal rights aren't trends," the New York congresswoman wrote, referring specifically to Sorkin's flippant dismissal of the push for equal rights for transgender Americans as a "Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with."
"When people complain about low turnout in some demo[graphics], it's not because communities are apathetic, it's because they don't see you fighting for them," continued Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. "If we don't show up for people, why should you feel entitled to their vote?"
Sorkin went on to tell CNN's Fareed Zakaria that he believes "there's a great opportunity here, now more than ever, for Democrats to be the non-stupid party. To point out the difference, that it's not just about transgender bathrooms."
"That's a Republican talking point they're trying to distract you with," Sorkin said. "That we haven't forgotten the economic anxiety of the middle class, but we're going to be smart about this. We're not going to be mean about it."
Watch:
Sorkin's unsolicited advice to young congressional Democrats--who, in just a short period of time, have helped push bold solutions like a Green New Deal and a 70 percent tax rate into mainstream political discussion--was widely panned by progressives, who characterized the screenwriter's comments as a sad attempt to shoot down the party's surging left-wing energy.
"Who is going to tell him that most of the Democratic politicians firing up the base and driving the conversation are young people?" CREDO Mobile wrote on Twitter in response to Sorkin's remarks.
Referring to the popular political television series "The West Wing," Charlotte Clymer of the Human Rights Campaign added, "I would like to remind everyone that the only political campaign Aaron Sorkin ever won was a fictional presidential election that he wrote."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.