He said this country needed to be fundamentally transformed. He won’t say this country needs a democratic socialist revolution.
Former President Barack Obama announced his endorsement of dozens of candidates running for office this November, and there is an unmissable omission. He gave his seal of approval to 81 Democrats across the country, candidates running for every level of government.
He did not, however, give the nod to Democratic insurgent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The snub is significant because Obama was more than just the leader of the Democratic Party. Obama was the vanguard of a new, more modern progressivism. And he was the poster child of that movement when Ocasio-Cortez was just freshman at Boston University and now it seems, while plenty have tried to compare her to him, Obama isn’t all that accepting of the radical new it girl.
It is possible that Obama thinks Ocasio-Cortez needs to mature before earning his endorsement. He sent thrills up the leg of political observers when he arrived in the spotlight. She has them burying their heads in their hands with her ridiculous gaffes about history, defense spending, and geopolitics. Maybe with a little coaching and improvement, Ocasio-Cortez could earn Obama’s confidence.
It is also possible that Obama doesn’t think very much of late socialism and its current stars. He endorsed his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, over Ocasio-Cortez’s mentor, Sen. Bernie Sanders, after all. Maybe this is just the latest iteration of the Jets vs. Sharks rivalry between the Chapo Trap House Bernie-bros and the Pod Save America Obama-alumni.
One thing is certain though: The Obama political machine doesn’t slip gears. The omission of Ocasio-Cortez was deliberate. Look closer at the list. The former president endorses two New Yorkers, Antonio Delgado, who is running for the House, and Anna Kaplan, who is running for the state legislature. It is telling that Obama would pin his reputation on a candidate for the New York state senate while ignoring the supposed “future of the Democratic Party.”
Obama is watching and waiting for someone to run with his banner. For now, that isn’t Ocasio-Cortez.
[Also read: Obama knows his endorsement would be a kiss of death for vulnerable Democrats]
