Is Ocasio-Cortez the Future of US Politics?

Over the six or so months since her election, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has caught the eye of many people within the United States from both sides of the political spectrum. Those on the progressive left love her, seeing her as someone who can fix the problems they see within their system. On the right, she is seen as a dangerous socialist, seemingly hell-bent on wrecking the political system as they know it. But currently in her first term in the House, she has already made her agenda very well known with a great social media presence. But if she sees her future heading towards the White House, she may want to somewhat moderate her opinion on some matters.

This is not to say that her policies are bad. Though the Green New Deal was shutdown 57-0 in the Senate recently; even I, a conservative born in 1997, can see the positive sides to such a thing. The push for a fairer healthcare system too is a positive move towards fixing the unrepresentative and unfair system that has lingered too long in American politics. But these policies that have caught the imagination of the left may, in fact, not only be hurting her own future chances, but the chances of the Democratic Party as a whole.

This is something that I personally feel is a shame. Ocasio-Cortez is someone who, even from the conservative wing, I can admire. She doesn't compromise on her values and ideals, something that most other politicians cannot say. I admire her tenacity, and her own vision of the future. It's almost something that makes me switch politics. And though the Republican party moans about her democratic-socialist values, it was them who broke this system in the first place by bringing forward a lot of antagonistic policies since Newt Gingrich.

But this jump to the left in the whole Democratic party may be too far, too soon for the Democrats. And a key part of this is the visibility of Ocasio-Cortez online. In order to protect her own chances at becoming President in the future, something that, as a conservative, I would personally approve of, maybe something of a slight moderation is in order, so as not to alienate middle-America too much before her own run. Her record in Congress could count against her by that point. But maybe by then, the Republicans will have completely self-destructed over their support of the Trump.

It is possible that Trump has pushed the Republicans too far to the right, in which case the movement to the left by Democrats may not damage them as much as I predict here. And this current climate that has given birth to people with views like Trump's has also allowed hope to flourish on the left too. With Ocasio-Cortez as the biggest beacon of this, it is quite possible that other politicians with similar views will come sooner rather than later, and this new generation may well bring America into a new era that bring fairness and greater equality.

Despite this, I end with a friendly warning. Do not try and run before you can walk. Wait for the country to catch up with the progressive ideals that would level out the playing field. When the new era of politicians arise, which will be sooner than we think, that will be the time when Ocasio-Cortez could well find her name in history, as President of the United States. For now, however, it is best to take this one step at a time and see what the future holds, not only for the left, but in American politics as a whole.