The rise of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as the figurehead of Democratic socialists has come to an end.
Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx-born former bartender who represents Queens, was once the charismatic star of the “squad” of Democratic socialist congresswomen whose elections in 2018 helped return the chamber to Democratic control.
A self-described democratic socialist, the 32-year-old upset powerful Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley in that year’s primary, and easily prevailed in 2020 over opponents including former CNBC broadcaster Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.
Alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez has attempted to lead the Democratic party where it long feared to tread: Steep marginal tax rates. Abolishing the illegal immigration enforcement agency (ICE). Proposing a multi-trillion dollar “economic transformation” to combat climate change.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez recently spoke in support of organizers spearheading the successful union drive at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
But it’s not enough. Socialists have become angered that Ocasio-Cortez has tried to compromise with Democratic Party leaders — an unthinkable betrayal to the far-Left.
Socialist magazine Jacobin called it “The End of the AOC Honeymoon.”
“In 2018, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was heralded as the millennial successor to Bernie Sanders,” socialist Natalie Shure wrote. “Today, some on the Left are starting to have doubts.”
Of course, it’s not like Ocasio-Cortez has become popular among conservatives, either. Ocasio-Cortez has become a favorite villain among Republican lawmakers’ fundraising campaigns.
Last November, the House voted to censure Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona for posting an animated video that depicted him cartoonishly killing Ocasio-Cortez with a sword, an extraordinary rebuke that highlighted the political strains testing Washington and the country.
No one is feeling that string more than Ocasio-Cortez, who is now embattled by both the right and the left.
READ MORE: Even liberals stunned by AOC’s dark money turn
The Horn editorial team