Last June saw a tangible reflection of the changing tides in US congressional politics when Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez (AOC) delivered her victory speech before to enthusiastic voters. AOC's acceptance speech can be found on YouTube as provided by The Guardian. Although her speech lasts only a little over three minutes, she makes very specific points about what got her elected, what it meant for the future of Congress, and what steps need to be taken for better representative government. His passionate grassroots campaign ousted incumbent John Crowley from a New York district that had not held a primary election in fourteen years. A first-generation, working-class Latina is now expected to be the youngest to walk the halls of Congress this November. Tracing both the conditions and decisions that allowed her to run for Congress, the following questions are introduced: Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's victory signaling the election of more progressive Democratic leaders with an engaged voter demographic? If so, keeping in mind the current political climate, how does AOC leverage kairos in her speeches? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAlexandra Ocasio-Cortez running for Congress is an answer to the pendulum of politics. After Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election, a reactionary group, the Brand New Congress, formed. Their mission is to recruit working-class Americans to run for office. They run on a platform that seeks above all to take large sums of money out of politics and to reimagine Democratic Party representation. Through a combination of traditional fieldwork and organizing tactics developed during Bernie Sander's campaign, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez began her path to office. She confidently called herself a democratic socialist. A label that explains that it believes that “in a modern, moral and wealthy society no person should be too poor to live”. AOC reached out to America's predominantly working-class minorities, people who were often disconnected from actively engaging in their government representation. Her background as a college graduate, waitressing and bartending to keep her family's heads above water and continuing to be a community organizer made her stand out. This is the same group of people he addresses in his victory speech at his guard party headquarters. Even if she doesn't create Kairos in the sense that this is a moment she is given as a winner, after all she has to respond to the results, she takes the opportunity to manage Kairos and highlights why her election was possible and hopefully speaks about the future of a government more representative. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez begins her winning speech by attributing her victory to her voters. At 0:19 he states, “this room won this place.” This is a very specific choice. Your election would have been impossible without the tireless commitment of your voters and you are aware of this. Running for office is an expensive undertaking. To achieve this successfully a potential candidate must have money. If not money, then the support of the people. Ideally, both are vital to success. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez couldn't count on money and took advantage of it. He relied solely on public support and was quick to condemn politicians who ran expensive campaigns. His own opponent John Crowley invested about 3 million dollars for the primaries ofCongress, while AOC's campaign was financed with donations amounting to 300,000. That's an extreme ratio of 10 to 1. His victory demonstrated that by galvanizing supporters through a narrative that resonated with many you can achieve the same result as big-money candidates. His victory is a message not only to communities seeking to elect progressive candidates, but also to Democratic politicians who have become complacent. At the 1:01 mark he emphasizes that “putting donors before your community is not good.” Alexandria-Ocasio could have simply thanked her supporters and just talked about her excitement at potentially representing her home state in Congress, but she didn't. She branded her election as if every person in the room was going to Washington with her (this is the beginning). In this way, she erases the distance between herself and the voters. He is saying that change will happen not only because of his will, but because it is also the will of his voters. Here's how Kairos handles it. He is aware of the momentum in the room and makes a strong effort to maintain it beyond his primary election. For Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her victory is the turning point for a more diverse and representative government. In a separate interview, AOC clarifies that she didn't run with the idea of "vote for me, I'm Latina," but because she believed that minorities deserved a seat at the table, too. His district is one where the minority is the majority. Having a congressman who not only does not live in New York but also relies heavily on the support of privileged networks and companies has distanced him from the real problems of the 14th district. AOC concludes her speech by reiterating that the United States still has a long way to go in terms of change, but candidates participating in primaries in other states such as Ayana Presley in Massachusetts, Cori Bush in Missouri, Chardon Richardson in Florida and fellow New Yorker Julia Salazar will need the same support her community has given her. In this way she is expanding her platform from the locality of her home state to the national stage, where she hopes to arrive if she is elected to Congress. This is the general Kairos of his victory. This is not an isolated case. Electing a caucus, as AOC mentioned, that is filled with people who follow her ideals is necessary for the change her platform is based on: healthcare for all, abolishing ICE, supporting a sustained jobs program in federal level and make public universities free. It targets a demographic that has felt isolated and insecure about voting: both younger and older minority generations. This could be compared to President Donald Trump's rhetoric. He reached out to the marginalized, to those who felt left behind in economic and political matters. Just as Trump's rhetoric was a reaction to discomfort and disconnection from some communities, AOC's campaign is also born out of a need for greater inclusivity in political spaces. His victory is a shift towards that inclusiveness. This is, however, a specific inclusiveness, because AOC doesn't just mean supporting more Democrats in Congress, currently the minority. He intends to have a variation of ideas within the Democratic Party. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion It is important to recognize that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the NY-14 seat as a democratic socialist. He didn't hesitate to define his political orientation early on and that was powerful. He openly adopts the socialist world, a world still greatly feared by Americans 10 or 20 years ago. The fact that it can.
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