It has been about a month since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the Democratic primary, upsetting an establishment Democrat who had overstayed his welcome in public office. Since then, AOC has risen to national stardom, making the talk show rounds and partnering up with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
She was so impressive that Robert Wenzel of the Economic Policy Journal launched The Committee to Flip Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (SEE: Can libertarians flip Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?) Wenzel was also the first to recognize her potential way before the media fell in love with the young socialist.
He reasoned:
With her skills and media appeal, she is going to be a big-time influencer, a major second-hand dealer in ideas.
We need to attempt to flip her away from wacky socialist ideas and show her the pitfalls of central power in any sector. At her young age, she is probably still susceptible enough to truth and honesty to listen to libertarian views.
Thus, I propose a version of the Burgundy Circle, The Committee to Flip Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, if you will.
However, considering her numerous embarrassments, misleading statements, and lack of knowledge, should libertarians even want to bother flipping AOC? Even if she started quoting Thomas Sowell or Ludwig von Mises on a regular basis, AOC might be more of a liability for the libertarian movement.
Here is a clip of her recent setbacks:
Wenzel even posted a couple of recent pieces highlighting the various mistakes she made on a late-night talk show appearance.
On top of that, AOC does not understand satire.
It is doubtful that AOC would ever flip to libertarianism anyway.
It has become evident in recent interviews that she is someone who wants to be a central planner, using the popularity of socialism to do so. And the media are throwing the entire machine behind her to ensure she is a national star advancing the cause of progressivism.
Simply put: Suddenly denouncing socialism in favor of free market capitalism would hurt her career. Now that AOC is a political heavyweight with the media’s full support, she will have book deals, she will wine and dine with the elite, and she could be a leader in the Democratic Party.
Imagine if she came out and announced:
“Today, I am officially abandoning the principles of Democratic Socialism. I want to advocate for massive government spending cuts, tax cuts for everybody, an end to government intervention into the economy, a withdrawal from NATO and the United Nations, an audit to the Federal Reserve System, and more free market capitalism. Socialism sucks, capitalism rules!”
Career over.
Despite her educational accomplishments, AOC doesn’t appear to be astute on policy, just talking points. In other words, if her “Firing Line” interview is any indicator, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. It’s possible that AOC is merely getting her news from Facebook posts and tweets.
Oh, and she is no Friedrich Hayek.
Leave a Comment