Trump and Ocasio-Cortez use the same tricks to win at politics, by Salena Zito.
They’re both brash outer-borough New Yorkers, each with their own notorious nickname — she’s AOC; he’s The Donald.
Both shocked their parties by coming out of nowhere to win their elections, defeating members of the establishment, despite being greatly outspent.
And both have broken the rules of DC politics in strikingly similar ways, using social media to push policy and usher in previously uninspired voters.
Though they have very different ideological bents, President Trump and newly minted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are two sides of the same coin, heralding a new era of fresh, unbridled, unapologetic politics that delights a frustrated base of voters who feel forgotten. …
Using Twitter to bypass the establishment media:
She also mocked former Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Lieberman earlier this month for saying he hoped she was not the future of the party, tweeting simply: “New party, who dis?”
It’s the same kind of gut punch Trump brings to the ring to knock out his foes, including Kim Jong-un (“Little Rocket Man”), Elizabeth Warren (“Pocahontas”) and Ted Cruz (“Lyin’ Ted”).
Numbers from data company CrowdTangle compiled by Axios show that AOC had nearly 14.3 million total interactions on Twitter, far less than Trump, who had 41.8 million, but nearly three times as many as former President Barack Obama, who had 5.3 million during the 30-day period between Dec. 17, 2018, and Jan. 17, 2019.
Disrupters both to a corrupt establishment’s hold on the main parties:
Both AOC and Trump see themselves as consensus builders and dealmakers. At the same time, both profess boldly populist platforms — AOC from the left and Trump from the right. Both won and maintain support by speaking for those who’ve felt left out of economic and political power compared to traditional politicians who move toward the middle to try to attract those who disagree with them. …
AOC’s voice is refreshing to the young, urban populists who find the Democratic establishment stale and corrupt. Their world view has been shaped by the attacks on 9/11, an economic depression, a technological revolution and rapid social change. While they liked Obama, he disappointed them on change issues like government reform. AOC gets that because she’s lived it, and her authenticity shows in everything she says and does.
Despite Trump’s wealth and status as a member of the global elite, he understands that a large number of Americans are deeply rooted to places that the establishment has left to wither in the wind. The people who support AOC and Trump feel that their ability to achieve the American dream has been compromised by big, corrupt institutions. …
Until people realize both leaders are tapping into the same core of American frustration right now, they’ll never truly understand our current political landscape. Members of the establishment need to get out of their bubbles and understand why people are rejecting them and flocking towards the disrupters.
