Name: Ocasio-Cortez Welcomes Help From Anti-Trump Republicans in Defeating President—But Rejects Kasich's Attempt to Define Party
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Ocasio-Cortez Welcomes Help From Anti-Trump Republicans in Defeating President—But Rejects Kasich's Attempt to Define Party

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Published on by"Something tells me a Republican&nbsp;who fights against women's rights doesn't get to say who is or isn't representative of the&nbsp;Democratic Party."Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wears a face mask to protect herself from the coronavirus during a press conference in the Corona neighborhood of Queens on April 14, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday welcomed the Democratic National Committee's attempt to gather as much anti-Trump energy as possible ahead of the general election by reaching out to leaders from across the political spectrum, but made clear that she will reject any attempt by so-called "moderate" Republicans who are invited to the party's convention to define what the Democratic Party stands for.The New York Democrat responded to&nbsp;a&nbsp;BuzzFeed&nbsp;&nbsp;in which former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a&nbsp;Republican who is speaking at the Democratic National Convention Monday night, downplayed the significance of Ocasio-Cortez's rise in the party over the past two years.&nbsp;Claiming the American electorate is, by and large, "moderate," Kasich dismissed Ocasio-Cortez as being "extreme" and representative of a small minority&nbsp;of Democratic voters."Because AOC gets outsized publicity doesn't mean she represents the Democratic Party," said Kasich, who ran against President Donald Trump in the Republican primary in 2016 and has been a vocal&nbsp;critic of the president. "She's just a part, just some member of it."Kasich is one of speaking at the convention on Monday night. While citing the importance of Republicans like Kasich rejecting Trump, Ocasio-Cortez made clear that the Democratic Party shouldn't allow GOP supporters of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to dictate the party's overall message to voters."Something tells me a Republican&nbsp;who fights against women's rights doesn't get to say who is or isn't representative of the&nbsp;Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.It’s great that Kasich has woken up &amp;realized the importance&nbsp;of supporting a Biden-Harris ticket. I hope he gets through to GOP voters.Yet also, something tells me a Republican&nbsp;who fights against women’s rights doesn’t get to say who is or isn’t representative of the Dem party.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) &nbsp;While Kasich is right to back former Biden over Trump in the election, the congresswoman added, he is still&nbsp;"an anti-choice extremist" and "is not a friend to workers."We can build bridges &amp; not lose&nbsp;sight of our values.It’s important to remember that Kasich is an anti-choice extremist. He 100% will (and has) signed&nbsp;away our reproductive rights the moment he has the opportunity to do so. He is not a friend to workers.SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTGet our best delivered to your inbox.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC)&nbsp;In 2018, when he was governor of Ohio, Kasich a ban on second trimester dilation-and-evacuation abortions, a common medical method of terminating a pregnancy. Under the law doctors who perform the procedure could face a fourth-degree felony and up to 18 months in prison. In 2019, a federal court the state not to enforce the portion of the law that would penalize providers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kasich also attempted to for 715,000 state employees—but was overruled by Ohio voters when the bill he signed was put up for a referendum."We can build bridges and not lose sight of our values," said Ocasio-Cortez, who is slated to speak for one minute at the convention.Contrary to Kasich's claims, Ocasio-Cortez's views on the climate, healthcare, and the economy are actually in line with those of a&nbsp;majority of Americans, particularly Democratic voters.In April, a month into the public health and economic crises which have forced&nbsp;millions of people off their employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, a Hill-HarrisX poll found thatsupported&nbsp;Medicare for All. Polling last year found nearlyof Americans supported a Green New Deal to create jobs while combating the climate crisis, including 86% of Democrats. of respondents to a Reuters poll in January backed a wealth tax for the wealthiest Americans, including 77% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans.&nbsp; &nbsp;Writer and organizer Melissa Ryan slammed Kasich for his dismissal of Ocasio-Cortez, suggesting that the Democratic Party's embrace of an "anti-choice union buster" would convince few on-the-fence voters to back Biden while shoving aside a popular progressive whose views are in line with most Democratic voters.John Kasich is speaking at the DNCC tonight. As part of his pre-speech media blitz, he's slamming , one of our rising stars. *So* glad we gave the anti-choice union buster a prime speaking slot. I'm sure it will sway at least five voters.— Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan)"Courting John Kasich might net some Independents and disgruntled Republicans, which is fine for this election," New York Times op-ed writer Wajahat Ali. "But Democrats would be wise courting progressives if they want to thrive in the future. Stop being afraid of the label and personalities like AOC who will keep rising."Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.Please select a donation method:More in: , , , , , ,Get our best delivered to your inbox.Connect With UsIn an unexpected gift, thousands of West Bank Palestinians have been streaming onto Israeli beaches through holes in the "security fence" as IDF soldiers blithely look on or sometimes help, perhaps with rare humanity seeing “families with beach balls...not grenades.” For many living achingly near - kids who'd never seen the sea to elders who hadn't since 1948 - the glad glimpse of "normal" amidst their oppression feels both bittersweet and just; to them, "These are the beaches of Palestine."

Published on by"Something tells me a Republican&nbsp;who fights against women's rights doesn't get to say who is or isn't representative of the&nbsp;Democratic Party."Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wears a face mask to protect herself from the coronavirus during a press conference in the Corona neighborhood of Queens on April 14, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday welcomed the Democratic National Committee's attempt to gather as much anti-Trump energy as possible ahead of the general election by reaching out to...

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Ocasio-Cortez Welcomes Help From Anti-Trump Republicans in Defeating President—But Rejects Kasich's Attempt to Define Party

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