By Kimberly Anderson
My grandma’s favorite adage: say what you mean, mean what you say. Sounds simple enough. Yet we in politics often get caught in the nuance of clarification to the point that we say next to nothing and mean even less.
Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has set the political landscape on fire for a myriad of reasons. But one of the keys to her popularity – and the key to what drives Republican talking heads on Twitter and elsewhere totally nuts – is her authenticity and ability to speak with directness. AOC’s recent 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper is a great example:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The president certainly didn’t invent racism. But he’s certainly given a voice to it and expanded it and created a platform for those things.
Anderson Cooper: Do you believe President Trump is a racist?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Yeah. Yeah. No question.
Anderson Cooper: How can you say that?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (CHUCKLE) When you look at the words that he uses, which are historic dog whistles of white supremacy. When you look at how he reacted to the Charlottesville incident, where neo-Nazis murdered a woman, versus how he manufactures crises like immigrants seeking legal refuge on our borders, it’s — it’s night and day.
The “Is Trump a racist?” question has inexplicably baffled our news media and national political landscape since he announced he was running for president. That so few in positions of leadership are willing to answer that question directly is an indictment of our Democratic political culture. Don’t throw rocks and don’t rock the boat has been the Democratic M.O. for too many decades. It renders words meaningless, forcing people to tune you out as just another politician who won’t take a stand.
Simple, straightforward. More impact, more meaning. It’s what AOC is doing right, and it’s the way we all need to be speaking. Don’t fool yourself into thinking your voters want you to prove how well you can weave a sentence. They want you to be authentic, say what you mean, and mean what you say. Even if they don’t agree with every stand you take, they’ll respect your bravery and honesty.