Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) indicated that she believes the U.S. may be on the brink of a second civil war, during an extensive interview with the New Yorker released Monday.
When asked if she thought the country was getting “to that point,” as if the U.S. would be on “the brink of civil war” if events did not change, Ocasio-Cortez indicated that the events may already be in motion.
DAVID REMNICK: You’ve used a phrase “if we have a democracy ten years from now.” Do you think we won’t?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: I think there’s a very real risk that we will not. What we risk is having a government that perhaps postures as a democracy, and may try to pretend that it is, but isn’t.
REMNICK: What’s going to bring us to that point? You hear talk now about our being on the brink of civil war—that’s the latest phrase in a series of books that have come out. What will happen to bring us to that degraded point?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I think it has started, but it’s not beyond hope. We’re never beyond hope. But we’ve already seen the opening salvos of this, where you have a very targeted, specific attack on the right to vote across the United States, particularly in areas where Republican power is threatened by changing electorates and demographics.
Ocasio-Cortez, the leader of the radical Squad, also revealed the Democrat Party has weaknesses and is without strong leadership to combat American First Republicans.
“I wish the Democratic Party had more stones,” she complained when pressed about Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “I wish our party was capable of truly supporting bold leadership that can address root causes.”
Ocasio-Cortez blamed the lack of Democrat leadership on a “generational situation” that is unable to keep up with radical policies, which may be used to defeat Republicans. Taking a swipe at the president, she accused Biden of taking a soft approach towards passing radical policies.
“President Biden thought that he could talk with Manchin like an old pal and bring him along. And, frankly, that was what the White House’s strategy was, in terms of what they communicated to us,” she said about why the Democrats have failed. “That’s how they tried to sell passage of not even half a loaf but a tenth of the loaf.”
Ocasio-Cortez then attacked America’s institutions for withstanding radical mobs that desire power. “It does not revolve around the majority,” she said of an American form of government with separated powers. “The thing that’s unfortunate, and what a lot of people have yet to recognize, is that the motivations and the sense of investment and faith in our democracy and governance from people in communities like mine also determine majorities.”
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