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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsVanity Fair: AOC's Next Four Years
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/becoming-aoc-cover-story-2020AOCS NEXT FOUR YEARS
The history-making congresswoman addresses her biggest critics, the challenges that loom no matter who wins, and what shes taking on next.
Her Republican colleagues had, up until then, been civil. But one day in late July, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol while Representative Ted Yoho lost his shit. The Florida Republican, incensed by the New York congresswomans recent comments linking crime and poverty, jabbed his finger in her face, calling her crazy and disgusting. She froze. The situation felt dangerous, with Yoho towering over Ocasio-Cortez, who calls herself five-five on a good day. Congressman Roger Williams, a Texas Republican, bumbled next to him like a wind puppet at a used-car dealership. She told Yoho he was being rude and went into the Capitol to vote. As Yoho descended the steps, he called her a fucking bitch. A reporter nearby witnessed the exchange, and soon the whole world had heard the epithet.
This part hasnt been reported: The next day Ocasio-Cortez approached Yoho and told him, You do that to me again, I wont be so nice next time. She felt his actions had violated a boundary, stepping into the zone of harassment, discrimination. His mocking response, straight out of Veep: Oh, boo-hoo. Publicly, Yoho doubled down, issuing a non-apology on the House floor, citing his wife and daughters as character witnesses.
Ocasio-Cortez flashed back to one of her first jobs out of school, when a male colleague whom shed edged out for a promotion called her a bitch in front of the staff. She had been too stunned to reply, and no one came to her defense. She wouldnt let it happen again.
Forty-eight hours later, Ocasio-Cortez delivered one of the most eloquent dunks in political history, a thank u, next for the C-SPAN set, taking on not just Yoho but the patriarchy itself. She took care to enter fucking bitch into the Congressional Record. I want to thank him for showing the world that you can be a powerful man and accost women, she told the House. It happens every day in this country. And the line that spawned headlines, T-shirts, hashtags, and memes: I am someones daughter too.
The 2020 horse race may be between two white, male septuagenarians, but it is a millennial Puerto Rican Democratic Socialist who produced a seminal political moment. Her Yoho rebuke inspired a fresh wave of awe for the youngest U.S. congresswoman in history and cemented her status as neopolitical iconnot just good on Twitter (where she schooled her congressional colleagues in a tutorial) and Instagram Live (where she gave an impromptu address on the dark night of Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death), but a skilled orator with the power to move even her most cynical congressional colleagues. They were like, I didnt know youre that eloquent,? Ocasio-Cortez says with a wry smile. ?Im so pleased and surprised by your restraint.?
...continued at link
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Lots of good photos in the article...including some of young AOC.
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Vanity Fair: AOC's Next Four Years (Original Post)
iluvtennis
Oct 2020
OP
Gore1FL
(21,030 posts)1. She is a genuine. She is thoughtful. She is willing to fight for what is right.
She is our future.
iluvtennis
(19,756 posts)3. Indeed. nt
mahina
(17,502 posts)2. President one day
2032 seems a long while off but she is young.
So strong, so good, and just brilliant. We are blessed she is called to service.
iluvtennis
(19,756 posts)4. sure hope so. nt
gristy
(10,667 posts)5. more on the speech
transcript: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-floor-speech-about-yoho-remarks-july-23
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (00:00)
Speaker, I seek recognition for a question of personal privilege.
Speaker 2: (00:04)
The chair has been made aware of the valid base for the gentlewomans point of personal privilege. The gentlewoman from New York is recognized for one hour.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (00:14)
Thank you Madam Speaker, and I would also like to thank many of my colleagues for the opportunity to not only speak today but for the many members from both sides of the aisle who have reached out to me in support following an incident earlier this week. About two days ago, I was walking up the steps of the Capitol when Representative Yoho suddenly turned a corner and he was accompanied by Representative Roger Williams, and accosted me on the steps right here in front of our nations Capitol. I was minding my own business, walking up the steps and Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind, and he called me dangerous. Then he took a few more steps and after I had recognized his comments as rude, he walked away and said Im rude, youre calling me rude. I took a few steps ahead and I walked inside and cast my vote. Because my constituents send me here each and every day to fight for them and to make sure that they are able to keep a roof over their head, that theyre able to feed their families and that theyre able to carry their lives with dignity.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (01:43)
I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol and in front of reporters Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a f***ing b****. These were the words that Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman. The congresswoman that not only represents New Yorks 14th Congressional District, but every congresswoman and every woman in this country. Because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape, at some point in our lives. I want to be clear that Representative Yohos comments were not deeply hurtful or piercing to me, because I have worked a working class job. I have waited tables in restaurants. I have ridden the subway. I have walked the streets in New York City, and this kind of language is not new. I have encountered words uttered by Mr. Yoho and men uttering the same words as Mr. Yoho while I was being harassed in restaurants. I have tossed men out of bars that have used language like Mr. Yohos and I have encountered this type of harassment riding the subway in New York City.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (03:11)
This is not new, and that is the problem. Mr. Yoho was not alone. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Representative Roger Williams, and thats when we start to see that this issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, and an entire structure of power that supports that. Because not only have I been spoken to disrespectfully, particularly by members of the Republican Party and elected officials in the Republican Party, not just here, but the President of the United States last year told me to go home to another country, with the implication that I dont even belong in America. The governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis, before I even was sworn in, called me a whatever that is. Dehumanizing language is not new, and what we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern. This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanization of others.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (04:35)
So while I was not deeply hurt or offended by little comments that are made, when I was reflecting on this, I honestly thought that I was just going to pack it up and go home. Its just another day, right? But then yesterday, Representative Yoho decided to come to the floor of the House of Representatives and make excuses for his behavior, and that I could not let go. I could not allow my nieces, I could not allow the little girls that I go home to, I could not allow victims of verbal abuse and worse to see that, to see that excuse and to see our Congress accept it as legitimate and accept it as an apology and to accept silence as a form of acceptance. I could not allow that to stand which is why I am rising today to raise this point of personal privilege.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (05:49)
I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to. Clearly when given the opportunity he will not and I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women, but what I do have issue with is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior. Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yohos youngest daughter. I am someones daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yohos disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (07:12)
Now what I am here to say is that this harm that Mr. Yoho levied, it tried to levy against me, was not just an incident directed at me, but when you do that to any woman, what Mr. Yoho did was give permission to other men to do that to his daughters. In using that language in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community, and I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable. I do not care what your views are. It does not matter how much I disagree or how much it incenses me or how much I feel that people are dehumanizing others. I will not do that myself. I will not allow people to change and create hatred in our hearts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (08:18)
And so what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man, and when a decent man messes up as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize. Not to save face, not to win a vote, he apologizes genuinely to repair and acknowledge the harm done so that we can all move on.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (09:06)
Lastly, what I want to express to Mr. Yoho is gratitude. I want to thank him for showing the world that you can be a powerful man and accost women. You can have daughters and accost women without remorse. You can be married and accost women. You can take photos and project an image to the world of being a family man and accost women without remorse and with a sense of impunity. It happens every day in this country. It happened here on the steps of our nations Capitol. It happens when individuals who hold the highest office in this land admit, admit to hurting women and using this language against all of us. Once again, I thank my colleagues for joining us today. I will reserve the hour of my time and I will yield to my colleague, Representative Jayapal of Washington. Thank you.
Speaker, I seek recognition for a question of personal privilege.
Speaker 2: (00:04)
The chair has been made aware of the valid base for the gentlewomans point of personal privilege. The gentlewoman from New York is recognized for one hour.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (00:14)
Thank you Madam Speaker, and I would also like to thank many of my colleagues for the opportunity to not only speak today but for the many members from both sides of the aisle who have reached out to me in support following an incident earlier this week. About two days ago, I was walking up the steps of the Capitol when Representative Yoho suddenly turned a corner and he was accompanied by Representative Roger Williams, and accosted me on the steps right here in front of our nations Capitol. I was minding my own business, walking up the steps and Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind, and he called me dangerous. Then he took a few more steps and after I had recognized his comments as rude, he walked away and said Im rude, youre calling me rude. I took a few steps ahead and I walked inside and cast my vote. Because my constituents send me here each and every day to fight for them and to make sure that they are able to keep a roof over their head, that theyre able to feed their families and that theyre able to carry their lives with dignity.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (01:43)
I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol and in front of reporters Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a f***ing b****. These were the words that Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman. The congresswoman that not only represents New Yorks 14th Congressional District, but every congresswoman and every woman in this country. Because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape, at some point in our lives. I want to be clear that Representative Yohos comments were not deeply hurtful or piercing to me, because I have worked a working class job. I have waited tables in restaurants. I have ridden the subway. I have walked the streets in New York City, and this kind of language is not new. I have encountered words uttered by Mr. Yoho and men uttering the same words as Mr. Yoho while I was being harassed in restaurants. I have tossed men out of bars that have used language like Mr. Yohos and I have encountered this type of harassment riding the subway in New York City.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (03:11)
This is not new, and that is the problem. Mr. Yoho was not alone. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Representative Roger Williams, and thats when we start to see that this issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, and an entire structure of power that supports that. Because not only have I been spoken to disrespectfully, particularly by members of the Republican Party and elected officials in the Republican Party, not just here, but the President of the United States last year told me to go home to another country, with the implication that I dont even belong in America. The governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis, before I even was sworn in, called me a whatever that is. Dehumanizing language is not new, and what we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern. This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanization of others.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (04:35)
So while I was not deeply hurt or offended by little comments that are made, when I was reflecting on this, I honestly thought that I was just going to pack it up and go home. Its just another day, right? But then yesterday, Representative Yoho decided to come to the floor of the House of Representatives and make excuses for his behavior, and that I could not let go. I could not allow my nieces, I could not allow the little girls that I go home to, I could not allow victims of verbal abuse and worse to see that, to see that excuse and to see our Congress accept it as legitimate and accept it as an apology and to accept silence as a form of acceptance. I could not allow that to stand which is why I am rising today to raise this point of personal privilege.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (05:49)
I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to. Clearly when given the opportunity he will not and I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women, but what I do have issue with is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior. Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yohos youngest daughter. I am someones daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yohos disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (07:12)
Now what I am here to say is that this harm that Mr. Yoho levied, it tried to levy against me, was not just an incident directed at me, but when you do that to any woman, what Mr. Yoho did was give permission to other men to do that to his daughters. In using that language in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community, and I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable. I do not care what your views are. It does not matter how much I disagree or how much it incenses me or how much I feel that people are dehumanizing others. I will not do that myself. I will not allow people to change and create hatred in our hearts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (08:18)
And so what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man, and when a decent man messes up as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize. Not to save face, not to win a vote, he apologizes genuinely to repair and acknowledge the harm done so that we can all move on.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (09:06)
Lastly, what I want to express to Mr. Yoho is gratitude. I want to thank him for showing the world that you can be a powerful man and accost women. You can have daughters and accost women without remorse. You can be married and accost women. You can take photos and project an image to the world of being a family man and accost women without remorse and with a sense of impunity. It happens every day in this country. It happened here on the steps of our nations Capitol. It happens when individuals who hold the highest office in this land admit, admit to hurting women and using this language against all of us. Once again, I thank my colleagues for joining us today. I will reserve the hour of my time and I will yield to my colleague, Representative Jayapal of Washington. Thank you.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,021 posts)6. Thank you.
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)7. Gorgeous cover. nt