The Democrats Can’t Just Laugh Off ‘Woke 1’
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is distancing herself from past progressive stances, such as 'defund the police,' as these positions become politically radioactive. The article argues that Republicans will continue to leverage these past ideological shifts against the Democratic Party.
Why it matters
Highlights the evolving political strategy of the Democratic Party as they attempt to moderate their image ahead of future elections.
Republicans have no incentive to let them forget past excesses.
Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc / Getty August 11, 2026, 6 AM ET Share Save On Sunday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made two striking remarks that seem related. First, she barely demurred when ABC News asked whether she aspired to run for president. “I haven’t ruled out the possibility,” she eventually said. Second, she tried to laugh off stances that progressives in her wing of the Democratic Party had taken in the preceding years: “‘Woke 1 was crazy,’” she said, echoing a comment that one of her allies had made about the heyday of ideas such as “defund the police.” Ocasio-Cortez represents an extremely liberal congressional district in New York City. The fact that she is declining to defend—and indeed wishing to move past—these positions shows how radioactive they have become. If only things were so easy.
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