Her interviews can be awful, but her campaign ads are stunning. Anyone still trying to understand the insurgent upset of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez followed by embarrassing and repeated policy gaffes needs to watch the first video clip released by the democratic socialist.
The visuals of the ad are studio quality with just enough dramatic footage, soft-lighting, and lens-flares to convince New York’s 14th Congressional District to dump a proven incumbent Democrat like Rep. Joe Crowley for an inexperienced 28-year-old community organizer. What’s more, it’s indicative of the Instagram effect on modern politics, where a fluffy digital narrative makes up for an ignorant candidate.
[Also read: Schumer says Democrats are ‘united’ on policy as Ocasio-Cortez visits Washington]
Expect more of this because, well, it works. It isn’t enough to drive a truck, kiss a baby, and spit out a boilerplate slogan in 30-seconds anymore. The insurgent candidate who wants to get ahead realizes that they need an ad with a narrative, drama, and authenticity. Videos need to feel real and, of course, need to be in easily digestible two or three minute packages.
The producers behind the cameras of the Ocasio-Cortez video get this. Naomi Burton and Nick Hayes are the owners and operators of a Detroit group called “Means of Production.” Their aesthetic is more Mumford and Sons than Karl Marx, but they are both card-carrying members of Democratic Socialists of America.
And they are worth the money. According to FEC reports, the Ocasio-Cortez campaign paid Burton just more than $6,000 for video production. Those videographers captured the imagination of the electorate and that candidate beat the incumbent. They racked up hundreds of thousands of views and she got just enough votes to win.
But take Ocasio-Cortez out of the staged light, put her in front of a real-live camera, and things begin to fall apart. The candidate excels at regurgitating leftist buzzwords about free college and affordable housing. She struggles to explain the concepts behind those throwaway lines. When pushed to explain, for instance, what she meant by “the occupation of Palestine” during a PBS interview on “Firing Line,” Ocasio-Cortez muddled through an explanation before admitting she’s no “expert on geopolitics.”
Right now many are putting those two videos side-by-side. They’re learning that while Ocasio-Cortez delivers a nice scripted message, she struggles when pushed to go deeper than regurgitated buzzwords. Socialism is similar. It delivers a wonderful promise but fails to deliver real results.
