Making her primetime Democratic National Convention debut, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Monday night gave a rousing call to arms to elect nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and “deliver on an ambitious agenda for the people.”
“We choose a new path, and open the door to a new day, one that is for the people and by the people,” she said.
In a marked departure from her 90-second introduction of Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2020 DNC, Ocasio-Cortez was given a primetime speaking slot on the first night of this year’s DNC. Ocasio-Cortez, who was first elected in 2018, reminded Democrats of her own working-class roots, saying Republicans want her to “go back to bartending.”
“Ever since I got elected, Republicans have attacked me by saying I should go back to bartending,” she said. “But let me tell you, I’m happy to, any day of the week, because there is nothing wrong with working for a living. Imagine having leaders in the White House who understand that, leaders like Kamala and Tim.”
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Ocasio-Cortez called Harris someone who “understands the urgency of rent checks and groceries and prescriptions.”
“I am here tonight because America has before us a rare and precious opportunity,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “In Kamala Harris, we have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class.”
Ocasio-Cortez also took swipes at former President Donald Trump, getting thunderous applause as she called him a “two-bit union buster” and said he would “sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends.”
“The truth is Don, you cannot love your country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business,” she said. “To love this country is to fight for its people, all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.”
But between the applause lines and cheerleading for Harris, Ocasio-Cortez said Harris has been “working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring hostages home.”