Politics
NEW: Bronx Voters Are Sick Of AOC, ‘Rock Star’ Who’s Never In The District
Even liberal voters in the ultra-blue Bronx neighborhood of New York are sick of “Squad” Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), with some of her former fans now openly calling for her to get serious about lawmaking or find another job.
Constituents of AOC railed against the 35-year-old progressive darling for cultivating her “rock star” status rather than providing basic services to residents seeking help with navigating a byzantine federal bureaucracy of phone trees and form letters. The criticism comes as AOC has left on a jet plan to join Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on their “Stop Oligarchy” tour — and voters don’t know when she’ll be back again.
“This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve,” Lauro Vazquez of Woodside, Queens, told the NY Post recently.
Whereas AOC used to hold monthly town halls and take face-to-face questions from audiences in her district, she’s now rarely seen on the streets where she once bartended to make ends meet, and the hardscrabble existence which inspired her victory over a powerful Democratic incumbent in 2018 now seems like a mirage to those who remember her first campaign.
Vazquez said she and a growing coalition of Bronx residents are demanding “mundane” services from AOC’s office — things like jobs, public safety, and traffic solutions — all which appear like afterthoughts to a youthful Democrat with her eye on the 2028 election.
She cited the congresswoman’s brief appearance last week at a town hall in Jackson Heights where AOC gave a short speech and took six questions before hopping into a black SUV and riding off to parts unknown. Her hometown stop had already been postponed after the “Squad” Democrat fell sick while on tour with Sanders.
“Of course, it’s cancelled — too busy jet setting around on private jets screaming about ‘oligarchs’ and setting up her bid for a POTUS run,” said Vazquez. “This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve.”
“It’s hard to find a private plane – it’s Easter weekend,” fumed Jackson Heights resident Tatiana Lacatus about the cancelled event. “She is too big for us.”
Ramses Frias, a Republican City Council candidate from Elmhurst, accused AOC of being the equivalent of an “absentee landlord” — all promises, but few fixes when basic services break down.
“She’s flying around on private jets, talking about the oligarchy, which is not really resonating with the regular guy – the person going shopping over here at the supermarket,” he told the Post, sarcastically adding, “She’s a rock star.”
On local matters where an opinionated thought leader like AOC might weigh in, she has remained silent. Residents at the rescheduled town hall pleaded with her to oppose the $8 billion casino proposed by Mets owner Steve Cohen on parkland near Citi Field, but now that it’s out of her jurisdiction, AOC told them she’s washing her hands of it.
“The Citi Field Park has been redistricted out of my district,” she said. “I have respectfully made my position on this known to folks who are weighing in on it. I don’t really have anything to do on that besides making my position known.”
That stance is fueling cries of hypocrisy given AOC’s willingness to partake in plenty of out-of-district dogfights. She briefly volunteered and fundraised for millions of Texans after they were left without power during a devastating 2021 winter storm.
In March, she loudly advocated for Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Israel activist picked up by ICE, who is not her constituent.
“I wish she did more,” admitted Aimee Rosato, an AOC campaign volunteer, to the outlet. “We don’t need a casino, it drives me a bit wild.”
“She will help if it gets her name on national issues,” sniffed Jackson Heights’ Gloria Contreras. “She’s about her and getting worldwide attention while ignoring her constituents.”
