While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of the 116th U.S. Congress were being sworn in today, there was plenty of dancing and celebrating taking place on Capitol Hill. But ironically, the dancing that received most of the attention on social media was footage of the freshman Bronx politician performing the dance from The Breakfast Club while attending Boston University several years ago.
Yesterday, a Twitter user named Dan Jordan posted a 31-second edited excerpt from a much longer 2010 BU promotional video. The rationale, I suppose, was to somehow damage AOC's reputation.
Here's the 31-second "Best of AOC" clip:
And here's the full-length video:
The original video was filmed for BU's Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, to showcase the vibrancy and spirit of their community. And while there appears to be nothing remotely scandalous about the video, that hasn’t stopped right-wing Twitter users from attempting to weaponize it against AOC. Since winning her election in November, the Democratic Socialist has been criticized about a variety of seemingly minute issues, from the clothes she wears and her bank balance, to her modest childhood home, and - now, apparently - for dancing and having fun while in college.
She is, for lack of better words, a lightning rod.
She is also, for lack of better words, seemingly quite capable of turning every attack against her opponents quickly and effectively.
AOC is a quick study on how to "give no fucks" on the national scale about what elders think about her generation.
This is not the first time a young adult thrust into the public eye has schooled the establishment. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors (Alfonso Calderon, Sarah Chadwick, Jaclyn Corin, Ryan Deitsch, Emma González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, and Alex Wind) have put on a clinic the past 11 months, refusing to stand down when taking on the National Rifle Association or U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on national television.
Now, I realize dancing talent (and AOC and her fellow BU Terriers have some pretty decent moves) isn't quote on par with political commentary and being part of the U.S. House of Representatives - but then again, taking the John Hughes template and using it as your standard is a pretty good way to let loose and connect with the voting populace (even if that wasn't her intent eight years ago).
Ally Sheedy, who starred in the original The Breakfast Club, and who was seemingly AOC's inspiration, chimed in on the performance.
Brat Pack and The Breakfast Club co-star Molly Ringwald followed suit:
Luckily, no one fell through a false ceiling. And no one has accused AOC of raiding Barry Manilow's wardrobe. Yet.
Conservatives who obsessively comment on AOC's dance video and attire (among other non-political topics) feed directly into the narrative that the right is anti-women and doesn't treat them seriously. It’s counterintuitive to what the GOP is trying to do, and backfiring … oftentimes spectacularly. What's worse, these are her strengths, her positives - being a young adult with a sense of style and purpose is a good thing. It makes her look attractive, fun, and relatable - personality quirks that are really good to have in your political toolbox.
If it's a personality contest, AOC is winning, hands down.
The GOP is scared of what Ocasio-Cortez brings to the table. They don’t like her policies or positions. If they really wanted to try and take her down a peg or two, they should can the personal attacks and focus on her political ideas instead. Among other things, she supports progressive policies such as Medicare for All, a job guarantee, tuition-free public college, ending the privatization of prisons, and enacting gun-control policies. She campaigned in favor of tuition-free universities and public schools. AOC is a self-described hardliner on environmental issues, calling climate change the "single biggest national security threat" facing the United States, and calls for a Green New Deal in the United States, in which the federal government would invest in the construction of large-scale green-infrastructure projects. Republicans should try and explain why they believe her stance is unaffordable and unworkable. (I’m not sure how effectively they can do so, but they aren't even trying right now.)
Meanwhile, there's still a stalemate in Washington, D.C., in terms of the government shutdown over President Donald Trump's border (or boarder) wall's non-Mexican funding. That's not much to dance about, in the grand scheme of things. We shall see what transpires under the new Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.
What might the Breakfast Club say about their new worldly discoveries?
Dear Mr. Vernon: we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain ... and an athlete ... and a basket case ... a princess ... a criminal ... and a United States Representative from New York's 14th Congressional District.
Does that answer your question?
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