AOC Tells Dems To Embrace ‘Upside’ To Primary Protest Votes Against Biden Over Israel

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said on Monday that Democrats should be moving to “acknowledge the upside of the uncommitted movement,” attempting to put a positive spin on the large numbers of Democrats who have voted against President Joe Biden in some swing state primaries.

The New York Congresswoman told comedian Stephen Colbert that if those voters — who have expressed anger over the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel’s war against the terrorist group Hamas — were truly disillusioned and disengaged, they would have stayed home instead of continuing to engage in the voting process — and she said that Democrats should see that as a plus.

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“We need to acknowledge, actually, the upside of the ‘uncommitted’ movement, which is that these are folks that easily could have given way to cynicism and walked away from this process entirely,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

She went on to explain that the thousands who had voted “uncommitted” in states like Michigan were “using the primary to send a message” and make it clear to Biden that the issue was one that was important enough for them to take a stand.

“I do believe that many in the ‘uncommitted’ campaigns also know and understand the threat of a Donald Trump presidency,” Ocasio-Cortez continued. “The Democratic Party has always been a coalition party, and we have to bring everybody together. … Once people feel like their concerns have been seen, then we can start the process of coming together. I think they’re using this process to be seen, and it’s best that we do that now, than for folks to stay home in November.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who has said that she plans to vote for Biden despite her own criticisms of his support for Israel, did not say what could happen if those who had voted “uncommitted” in several state primaries did not appreciate Biden’s response to their “message.