Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Leads by Example

Much has been said about the degradation of discourse in politics over the last couple of years. With major political figures in the United States making up schoolyard names for their opponents, bullying others on social media, and the like, all in the pursuit of personal gain, it has been a dark time for those who stand for human decency and respect.

Then, into my Twitter feed comes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who I started to follow, not because I agree with all her policy positions or everything she says, but because she seems bright and dedicated. And, frankly, because as she started her orientation as a new member of Congress, she was Tweeting interesting behind-the-scenes information which I found interesting.

She is making a name for herself with her well-planned and executed style of questioning witnesses, but what has impressed me the most is her generosity. When confronted with a Tweet saying she’s getting too much credit for Amazon pulling out of the deal for a headquarters in New York, instead of getting defensive, she agreed, saying it was really the work of all the local organizers that lead to the outcome she desired.

Knowing the acclaim she was getting for her powerful questioning of Michael Cohen this week, she Tweeted, “I wonder if after yesterday’s hearing conservatives still think my staff is ‘overpaid’” while quoting a Tweet saying, “Staff working for @AOC will be paid at least $52,000 per year, a major shift from the tradition of underpaying congressional staffers.”

It’s notable that the news about staff pay resulted in her being criticized as a “socialist.” This Tweet of hers, then, deftly responds to criticism by generously complimenting her staff, shares the credit for her success with others who are often overlooked (as she did in the Amazon Tweet), while at the same time justifying her decision to pay a living wage. It’s a brilliant hat trick, made all the more effective by the authenticity behind it.

Some might try to say she’s just playing politics, but there is a pattern of generosity developing here that speaks to something deeper than that, something about her character, something about her ability to see that, no matter how famous she may be, it takes a community to be a successful member of Congress, and no person stands on their own merit alone.

The last example is what really nailed it for me. The two examples above could, after all, be seen as “just” brilliant political moves. But on Thursday, someone Tweeted a video of a person eating pizza in the Congressional hallway, implying it was embarrassing to be caught doing that, and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez Tweeted, “To be fair, the hearing yesterday went 9 hours and there’s little/no time to eat. I did the same thing afterward.”

Again, I was struck by her generosity. She had nothing to gain by Tweeting this. It was simply an act of kindness, from one human being to another.

While the First Lady’s “Be Best” campaign appears to have had no effect on the bullying behavior of many on social media, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading by example, showing us how to be kind and generous. I certainly hope we will see much more of this in politics going forward.