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
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks at a rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Venice, California on Saturday. (Photo: Penny Lane/Twitter)
Promising a 'Radical Realignment of Our Priorities,' Ocasio-Cortez Tells Los Angeles Crowd That the Sanders Campaign Can Change the Country
"For anyone that accuses us of instituting purity tests, it's called having values. It's called giving a damn."
Dec 20, 2019
A crowd of around 20,000 people listened on Saturday as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid out how the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign would work to reshape society in a fundamentally fairer and more democratic way.
"This is a movement decades in the making," said Ocasio-Cortez.
The first-term New York Democrat told the crowd that the fact pundits and politicians only care about how to fund government programs when they benefit the poor, but not when they're for war or tax breaks for the rich, shows that budgets are moral documents that determine a society's priorities.
"They tell us, dollar and dime, how much we value ourselves and our priorities," said Ocasio-Cortez. "In that order."
"And what this campaign is about," she continued, "is a radial realignment of our priorities in the United States of America."
The crowd for the rally was estimated at 20,000 people.
Before Ocasio-Cortez spoke, actor Tim Robbins and activist and professor Cornel West both took the stage to rally the crowd.
Ocasio-Cortez asked the crowd of supporters to do whatever they can for the Sanders campaign.
"I want to ask you to wear out your shoes for this," she said.
The congresswoman also dismissed the centrist argument that asking for progressive values to be reflected in Democratic leadership is too much.
"For anyone that accuses us of instituting purity tests, it's called having values," said Ocasio-Cortez. "It's called giving a damn."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A crowd of around 20,000 people listened on Saturday as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid out how the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign would work to reshape society in a fundamentally fairer and more democratic way.
"This is a movement decades in the making," said Ocasio-Cortez.
The first-term New York Democrat told the crowd that the fact pundits and politicians only care about how to fund government programs when they benefit the poor, but not when they're for war or tax breaks for the rich, shows that budgets are moral documents that determine a society's priorities.
"They tell us, dollar and dime, how much we value ourselves and our priorities," said Ocasio-Cortez. "In that order."
"And what this campaign is about," she continued, "is a radial realignment of our priorities in the United States of America."
The crowd for the rally was estimated at 20,000 people.
Before Ocasio-Cortez spoke, actor Tim Robbins and activist and professor Cornel West both took the stage to rally the crowd.
Ocasio-Cortez asked the crowd of supporters to do whatever they can for the Sanders campaign.
"I want to ask you to wear out your shoes for this," she said.
The congresswoman also dismissed the centrist argument that asking for progressive values to be reflected in Democratic leadership is too much.
"For anyone that accuses us of instituting purity tests, it's called having values," said Ocasio-Cortez. "It's called giving a damn."
A crowd of around 20,000 people listened on Saturday as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid out how the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign would work to reshape society in a fundamentally fairer and more democratic way.
"This is a movement decades in the making," said Ocasio-Cortez.
The first-term New York Democrat told the crowd that the fact pundits and politicians only care about how to fund government programs when they benefit the poor, but not when they're for war or tax breaks for the rich, shows that budgets are moral documents that determine a society's priorities.
"They tell us, dollar and dime, how much we value ourselves and our priorities," said Ocasio-Cortez. "In that order."
"And what this campaign is about," she continued, "is a radial realignment of our priorities in the United States of America."
The crowd for the rally was estimated at 20,000 people.
Before Ocasio-Cortez spoke, actor Tim Robbins and activist and professor Cornel West both took the stage to rally the crowd.
Ocasio-Cortez asked the crowd of supporters to do whatever they can for the Sanders campaign.
"I want to ask you to wear out your shoes for this," she said.
The congresswoman also dismissed the centrist argument that asking for progressive values to be reflected in Democratic leadership is too much.
"For anyone that accuses us of instituting purity tests, it's called having values," said Ocasio-Cortez. "It's called giving a damn."
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.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy