Latest news with #FighttheOligarchy
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
AOC gloats she's ‘very present' in NYC— while her constituents complain she's AWOL
WASHINGTON — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez boasted in a new interview that she's 'very present' in her Bronx and Queens congressional district and that 'it's not unusual' for her to be spotted walking around — despite constituents telling The Post they've seen little of their 'rockstar' rep. 'In national conversations, people see one thing, but at home, what people experience is my presence,' Ocasio-Cortez, 35, told Rolling Stone. 'I'm very present in New York. It's not unusual for me to be walking down the street in Jackson Heights or in the South Bronx or in Astoria, and people see me and they have eyes on me.' 3 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has faced constituent criticism for focusing on a national tour rather than on her district. AP 3 Paola Morrongiello / NY Post Design The congresswoman, known by her initials AOC, even likened her presence in her district to President Trump's frequent rallies during the 2024 campaign. 'Trump did that, too, in this last election — he had [hundreds of] rallies in the last cycle. It's something that I think sometimes gets overlooked,' she said. Earlier this month, The Post ran a profile of Ocasio-Cortez in which her constituents and home-district supporters described her as AWOL while she and Sen. Bernie Sanders (i-Vt.) travel the country preaching democratic socialism as part of their 'Fight the Oligarchy' tour. 3 Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a town hall in Jackson Heights on Friday May 2. Constituents griped she took just six questions. Michael Nagle 'I wish she did more,' said Aimee Rosato, a campaign volunteer for Ocasio-Cortez. 'We don't need a casino, it drives me a bit wild, she said, referring to a controversial $8 billion casino proposal by Mets owner Steve Cohen, which opponents fear will change the community. 'She will help if it gets her name on national issues,' said Jackson Heights' Gloria Contreras. 'She's about her and getting worldwide attention while ignoring her constituents.'
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Bronx and Queens residents mock AOC as absentee 'rockstar' who's never in district
Frustration with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has reached a breaking point on her home turf, with fed up Queens and Bronx constituents telling The Post they're sick and tired of being second fiddle to the jet-setting socialist's primary focus — herself. Her district offices in the Bronx and Queens offer little to justify the $1.9 million the congresswoman gets to run them — one is only open a single weekday and the other is closed on Fridays, with phones that go unanswered and constituents urged to discuss their problems 'by appointment only.' AOC's town halls used to be monthly events – now are only held once in a blue moon, there's virtually no way to get in a question, and sometimes she only phones in and doesn't bother coming in person, galled constituents said. Advertisement 12 Ocasio-Cortez, here in Arizona, recently traveled the country with Bernie Sanders on a Fight the Oligarchy tour. AP 'This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve,' said Lauro Vazquez of Woodside, Queens. Vazquez echoed a sentiment heard in all corners of AOC's bi-borough district — that they and the 'mundane' issues they care about — jobs, public safety, traffic — are an afterthought for a representative with her eyes on the national stage. Advertisement The perception turned into a reality last week at a town hall in Jackson Heights, when AOC gave a packed auditorium of people just under an hour of face time before dashing for the exit to an idling SUV. She took only six questions. 12 AOC's recent town hall in Jackson Heights drew an estimated 450 people – the biggest crowd yet. Michael Nagle The public meeting had already been postponed from its original date because the lawmaker fell ill after wrapping her nationwide Fighting the Oligarchy tour with Bernie Sanders. 'Of course, it's cancelled — too busy jet setting around on private jets screaming about 'oligarchs' and setting up her bid for a POTUS run,' said Vazquez. 'This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve.' Advertisement 'It's hard to find a private plane – it's Easter weekend,' mocked Jackson Heights resident Tatiana Lacatus of the cancelled event. 'She is too big for us.' Elmhurst's Ramses Frias, a Republican City Council candidate, called Ocasio-Cortez an 'absentee landlord' disconnected from the reality of her working-class constituents. 12 AOC left the town hall from the back door and hopped into an idling black SUV. Michael Nagle 'She's flying around on private jets, talking about the oligarchy, which is not really resonating with the regular guy – the person going shopping over here at the supermarket,' he said, sarcastically adding, 'She's a rock star.' Advertisement On matters big and small, critics in her district — which includes Astoria and Jackson Heights in Queens, and the South Bronx — said AOC is failing the people that put her into office. 12 Ramses Frias of Elmhurst said AOC is a 'rockstar' who's barely in the district. Michael Nagle She has done little on a controversial $8 billion casino proposal by Mets owner Steve Cohen on parkland near Citi Field, which opponents fear will become a blight on the community. At the town hall, all AOC could do was shrug off the concerns. 'The Citi Field Park has been redistricted out of my district,' she said. 'I have respectfully made my position on this known to folks who are weighing in on it. I don't really have anything to do on that besides making my position known.' 12 The Jackson Heights town hall had to be rescheduled after AOC fell ill after touring the country. Michael Nagle But critics said she will pounce on an issue that suits her — even if it is nowhere near her district. She made headlines in 2021 by briefly volunteering to work at a Houston food bank and help raise more than $5 million for Texans after the state was devastated by winter storms – yet some of her own constiuents said she did little to assist New Yorkers that same year who were slammed by Hurricane Ida and still dealing with the pandemic. Advertisement The congresswoman paid only lip service after the Trump administration last month announced it was cancelling $200 million in grants for climate-friendly 'cloudburst projects' that help absorb heavy rains, according to critics. Some of these projects were slated for parts of flooding-plagued parts of Queens. But in March she loudly advocated for Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who is not her constituent, after the anti-Israel activist was arrested and detained. 'Mahmoud was a Columbia student — but our office has been able to take the lead on that case for the New York City delegation,' she boasted at the town hall. 12 The town hall's Q&A consisted of six pre-vetted questions, with no chance for others to walk up and ask questions. Advertisement Locals expect more from the lawmaker who recently boasted about commanding crowds of 86,847 people, including in far flung places like Missoula, MT, and Nampa, ID. 'I wish she did more,' admitted Aimee Rosato, an AOC campaign volunteer. 'We don't need a casino, it drives me a bit wild.' 12 The casino proposal near the Mets' Citi Fields in the Bronx is a huge community concern right now. Michael Nagle 'She will help if it gets her name on national issues,' sniffed Jackson Heights' Gloria Contreras. 'She's about her and getting worldwide attention while ignoring her constituents.' Advertisement 12 At her main office in the Bronx, a constituent waits to be seen as workers break for lunch until 1pm. J.C. Rice Even fellow comrades are tired of the schtick. 'She's always on TV trying to build up her profile – not to represent her neighbors and fight for funding for her constituents,' a longtime lefty Queens pol told The Post. Another slap in the face came this week after her office asked business owners to fill a survey about the impact of tariffs, which was viewed as a shameless attempt to bash President Trump's policies and elevate herself on the national scene. Advertisement 12 Her main office, in Hunts Point in the Bronx, closes for lunch – and on Fridays. J.C. Rice 'Now you are digging for dirt?' slammed retired nurse Jeanette Geary Many pointed to a failure not just to bring economic development to her district — but to sabotage it, like killing the deal to bring an Amazon headquarters to Queens after she first got elected. It would've created 25,000 jobs and was backed by most of her constituents. 'We need to focus on good healthcare, living wages, affordable rent. Corporations that offer none of those things should be met w/ skepticism,' she posted on X at the time. 12 AOC's Astoria office, which she shares with Tiffany Caban, is only open Thursdays by appointment. J.C. Rice 'She killed the Amazon deal, ghosted her district, and thinks viral TikToks make her a legislator,' said Republican mayoral candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. One of AOC's two district offices, in Astoria, is open only one day a week and is shared with Queens Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, a fellow socialist. Typically, Caban's workers are forced to take in-person messages left for AOC because the congresswoman isn't regularly staffing the office, sources said. Ocasio-Cortez' main constituent office in the Bronx' Hunts Point is closed Fridays and shuttered for long lunch breaks the other four days. When The Post paid a visit, a Spanish-speaking constituent, who was seeking help on an immigration matter, had to wait outside the office Until 1pm before she was allowed to enter. 12 The fight the oligarchy tour drew tens of thousands of people at every stop. Getty Images Phone calls usually go unanswered, leaving the public with no way to contact staff unless they show up in person. Forget about actually seeing AOC in town. She has spent at least $101,788 in campaign funds on flights across the US in just the past year, Federal Election Commission records show. Many believe she is eyeing the White House. She raked in a jaw-dropping $9.6 million in campaign donations during the first quarter of this year, shattering her own personal record and fueling rumors of a future presidential run. 12 AOC's main constituent office is in this building in Hunts Point in the Bronx. J.C. Rice Her office did not respond to questions how often the congresswoman was in her district in the past year, only boasting she is the most popular NYC politician, according to a Siena College poll in April. 'She is a constant presence in the district and deeply engaged with the issues that matter to her constituents' her chief of staff Mike Casca told the Post. However, Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Queens Dem, said he 'hears from her constituents constantly — and AOC is nowhere to be found.' 'She can't be bothered doing mundane constituent services like addressing quality of life issues in her district,' he said. Holden added: 'She's too busy trying to make our entire country into a carbon copy of the failed Soviet Union — Queens and the Bronx deserve better.'
Sky News AU
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Hypocrite': Bernie Sanders slammed for flying in private jets while fighting the oligarchy
US Senator Bernie Sanders has been labelled a 'hypocrite' after he revealed he uses private jets to travel for his campaign rallies. On Wednesday, Sanders appeared alongside Fox News host Bret Baier on 'Special Report' when questioned about his use of jets. During the interview, Sanders asserted he is making 'no apologies' for chartering private jets while on his 'Fight the Oligarchy' tour. The 83-year-old senator defended using private jets because 'that's the only way to get around.' 'You run a campaign, and you do three or four or five rallies in a week. [It is] the only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. You think I'm gonna be sitting on a waiting line at United… while 30,000 people are waiting?' Sanders said. 'That's the only way to get around. No apologies for that. That's what campaign travel is about. We've done it in the past. We're gonna do it in future.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why anger has shifted from Trump's overreach to the Democrats' disunity and apathy
Ever since the stopgap funding bill debacle, I seem to get more and more questions, not about how do we stop Donald Trump, but how do we press 'go' for the Democratic party. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. I went out to dinner the other night with politically astute friends that I haven't seen in a while, and I girded myself for questions about everything Trump has been doing to make our lives miserable. Instead, the first question was Trump's miserable opponents, 'WTF is wrong with the Democrats.' While I was prepared to answer a bevy of questions about how our constitution is being shredded, I was at a loss at how best to answer that question, and it dawned on me that the reason I was grappling for answers was that there's so much wrong with the Democratic Party, it's hard to figure out where to start. Shockingly, in recent months, Democrats have found themselves grappling with the same question that I was charged with answering. They seem saddled with a profound sense of frustration, while disillusionment toward them is on the rise from Democratic voters. It seems everywhere you turn now, online chatter and headlines are screaming about the do-nothing, impotent Democrats, and it's causing some serious problems for the party. Late last week, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew over 30,000 people at their 'Fight the Oligarchy" tour at a stop in Denver. The anger and exasperation from the crowd was palpable. Sanders, who twice campaigned for the presidency, said it was the largest crowd he'd ever addressed. This sentiment of frustration — actually, it's more like anger — is not unfounded. There's been a confluence of lackluster poll numbers, tepid responses to pressing challenges, and internal disarray among the party and its leaders that has left many of us questioning the party's direction and resolve. On Friday, Politico revealed a striking downturn in approval ratings for congressional Democrats among their base, with the subhead of their story 'Democratic voters are even angrier than you think.' Only 40 percent of Democrats approve of their performance, while 49 percent disapprove, which is in stark contrast to the 75 percent approval rating just a year prior. How did things go from smooth sailing to shrinking ships in less than a year? The Democratic Party's response to Trump's actions, which many view as threats to the Constitution, has been perceived as disjointed and feeble, and that's putting it mildly. From attempts to undermine democratic institutions to controversial policy decisions affecting public health and education, Trump's agenda has been met with what many see as a lackluster opposition. The party's inability to present a unified and vigorous counter-narrative has only deepened the frustration among its supporters. I've been dumbfounded, and frankly pissed off, about how easy it has been for Trump to roll over them. Take the Democratic response to Trump's addresses to Congress. It lacked cohesion and impact. While some members like Rep. Al Green took bold stands by vocally challenging the president, the broader party response was criticized - by me, and many others - for its lack of unity and assertiveness. I, for one, wished more members of the House Democrats would have acted like Green. He was criticized, but why? At least he reflected the anger of the party. The recent horrific handling of the stopgap budget vote further exemplifies internal party discord. While House Democrats largely opposed the Republican-crafted bill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and eight other Senate Democrats inexplicably shifted their stance, allowing the bill to pass without securing concessions. This uncoordinated approach not only undermined the party's negotiating position but also conveyed a troubling image of inconsistency and lack of strategy. At first, I thought, 'Maybe Schumer has a point.' But then I thought, 'Whether the government is open or closed, Trump is going to do whatever the hell he wants.' This was validated by my recent conversation with Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin. Internal debates have also surfaced regarding the party's strategic direction. Figures like James Carville have suggested a passive approach, advocating for patience in anticipation of Trump's potential self-destruction. However, this strategy is contentious, as it risks portraying the party as complacent and reactive rather than proactive in addressing the nation's challenges. Compounding these issues is the recent revelation that former President Joe Biden and his wife want to start to help rebuild and raise money for the party. This is a giant step backward. Given Biden's record low approval ratings upon leaving office, the party should focus, instead, on cultivating new leadership and innovative strategies rather than reverting to former figures. Highlighting the Bidens would send exactly the wrong message. Love you Joe, but it's time to go. Conversely, during the last couple of weeks, I've spoken to emerging party leaders like Sen. Chris Murphy, Reps. Raskin, Ro Khanna, and Maxwell Frost, and even former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all emphasize the necessity of a more confrontational approach. They have all been vocal about the imperative to actively oppose detrimental policies, energize the base, and seize the message from Trump. With the midterm elections looming, the Democratic Party faces a critical juncture. The current trajectory, marked by internal strife and perceived passivity, threatens to further alienate the base and diminish electoral prospects. To reverse this trend, the party must coalesce around a clear, assertive agenda that not only counters the opposition but also inspires and mobilizes supporters. Here's the deal. Voters live vicariously through their elected representatives. If voters are angry, then they expect their elected representatives to be angry too, and when they're not, it further infuriates their constituencies. This palpable anger among Democratic voters is both a warning and an opportunity. It signals a demand for leadership that is bold, unified, and unafraid to challenge threats to democratic principles and societal well-being that Trump is threatening. The clock is ticking, and without a decisive course correction, the party risks not only electoral defeats but also the erosion of the foundational values it seeks to uphold, particularly among the working class. A message to the Democratic leadership: the time to get angry, and fight back hard, is now! Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit to learn more about submission guidelines. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
