AOC Uses the Vocabulary of Class
In last week’s post, I said that if Democrats want to defeat the MAGA movement, they will have to recover the ability to talk about class oppression, and in an earlier post, I said that the anti-Trump movement will have to make hard choices about what it stands for. Fortunately, there are leaders in the Democratic Party who understand what needs to be done, and the best known of these is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC). Her campaign website is full of ideas about how the party can move forward. (In the interests of transparency, I should say that I do not work for AOC or her campaign, and I am not recommending that you do so or that you vote for her. I am using her campaign website as an example because her positions are particularly clear and detailed.)
Her List of Issues Prioritizes Class-Based Concerns
Her list of campaign issues includes (in this order):
- Medicare for All
- Housing as a Human Right
- A Peace Economy
- Justice for Workers and Small Businesses
- Real Public Safety
- Honor in Immigration
- Just Recovery for Puerto Rico
- Green New Deal
- Elevate Public Education
- Women's Rights
- Support LGBTQIA* Rights
- Aging With Dignity
2. Of these 12 issues, only 4 (numbers 6, 7, 10, 11) refer to benefits for specific social groups like races or genders. Number 12 refers to seniors, but seniors are different because everyone who lives long enough becomes a senior. No one is born a senior.
Moreover, the order of the items in the list shows that she prioritizes issues that affect all working Americans. The first five issues in her list are important to all working Americans. Not one of them mentions a races, genders or even generations.
Her Way of Talking Emphasizes Class Solidarity but Not Socialism
Her descriptions of her positions on these issues show how she thinks that Democrats ought to talk about them. She does not talk about socialism or class conflict on her campaign website although she has described herself as a democratic socialist. She simply says that her policies would be good for all working Americans.
On Medicare for All, she says, “Medicare for All uncouples healthcare from your job. It allows everyone to receive quality care that is affordable at the hospital, pharmacy or doctor’s office. It will cover primary, mental, dental, vision, women’s health, and emergency room care in addition to prescription drugs.” She is also cost conscious. “A national healthcare system has stronger buying power and can negotiate lower prices for drugs and medical equipment as well as curb the astronomically high administrative salaries."
- On Elevate Public Education, she says, “Our schools should never be on the chopping block, even when budgets are tight. Now is the time to strengthen our education system and make it more affordable to all, so that students are prepared for jobs in a post-COVID economy.” Her website adds, “Rising tuition costs have made college and trade school inaccessible for millions and saddled millions of others with student loan debt. That is why Alexandria is working to liberate people suffering from student-debt and make our public college system affordable once again.”
- On Justice for Workers and Small Businesses, she says, "Far too often the United States government chooses to side with corporate wealth at the expense of working people and small business. This must end."
