Speaking recently, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the wave of activist rhetoric that defined. ""Woke 1 was crazy," she laughed, quoting a politician-friend."1, Axios said. She suggested candidates should instead be judged on where they stand today, rather than on statements from that earlier period.
The remark quickly drew notice, including from a cofounder of a centrist Democratic group. ""AOC is a savvy politician. It's good she recognizes that positions she and others took on police in 2020 were bad substantively, and really bad politically," said Matt Bennett, a cofounder of the centrist Democratic group Third Way."1, Axios said.
Not everyone read the comment the same way. A Republican congressman pushed back sharply, arguing that years of pushing a particular worldview could not simply be waved away once it proved unpopular. ""You don't get to spend years pushing to fundamentally transform the country, divide it on racial lines, inject DEI into every institution, and then try to brush it off as a minor misunderstanding when your worldview turns out to be extremely unpopular with the American people," said Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on X in response to her comments."2, Fox News said.
Ocasio-Cortez's own record from that era was also revisited, including past comments she made criticizing community gardening choices as tied to colonization. Reason reported: "In 2019, AOC posted a video criticizing New Yorkers who wanted to grow cauliflower instead of yuca in their community gardens as complicit in colonization."3
Axios headlined it ""Woke 1 was crazy": AOC seeks do-over on 2020-era rhetoric". Fox News headlined it "Conservatives shred AOC as she attempts to brush off radical 'Woke 1' wave amid 2028 speculation". Mother Jones headlined it "What Does “Woke 1” Even Mean?". Reason headlined it "Don't Let AOC Retcon Her Starring Role in 'Woke 1'".
