Ocasio-Cortez wows Democrats with fiery speech on first night of DNC

CHICAGO — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) blasted former President Trump as a “two-bit union-buster” who would “sell this country for a dollar” during her speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

The New York congresswoman was also among the first high-profile speakers to reference the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed an estimated 40,000 people in the 10 months since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, when the group killed about 1,200 Israelis.

Ocasio-Cortez praised Vice President Harris for “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.” 

Ocasio-Cortez, like others on the left, has been very critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. But she has been somewhat less willing than others on the left to frontally attack the Biden administration on the topic.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Ocasio-Cortez’s speech was the rapturous reception it received.

While the 34-year-old New York congresswoman draws incessant criticism from Republicans and conservatives, she is an iconic figure for progressive Democrats, especially of her generation. The start of her speech was interrupted by cheers of “AOC!” from the boisterous crowd inside the United Arena.

The atmosphere among the crowd was notably more energized for the charismatic Ocasio-Cortez than for any speaker who preceded her — barring Harris herself, who made a brief surprise appearance in advance of her big speech scheduled for Thursday.,

Ocasio-Cortez also sought to turn a common conservative attack to her own advantage. 

Noting the frequency with which conservatives tell her to “go back to bartending” — her previous job — the congresswoman said she would be glad to do so because “there’s nothing wrong with working for a living.”

The speech was also notable for how squarely it fell within the Democratic mainstream, extolling the virtues of Harris and her vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as fighters for the middle class.

Ocasio-Cortez also ostentatiously thanked President Biden for his service in office.

Despite her left-wing credentials, the congresswoman notably declined to push for Biden to step aside during the crisis that enveloped him after his disastrous June 27 debate performance against Trump.