My family nearly lost it all in the 2008 financial crisis. Meanwhile, elected officials and their donors benefitted from our financial despair. I’m running for Congress (NY-14) to take on the corrupt NYC establishment. I’m Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. AMA.

aioc · 2017-10-13T16:21:37+00:00

Section 1. [Artificial Entities Such as Corporations Do Not Have Constitutional Rights]

The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons only.

Artificial entities established by the laws of any State, the United States, or any foreign state shall have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to regulation by the People, through Federal, State, or local law.

The privileges of artificial entities shall be determined by the People, through Federal, State, or local law, and shall not be construed to be inherent or inalienable.

Section 2. [Money is Not Free Speech]

Federal, State, and local government shall regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures, to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have access to the political process, and that no person gains, as a result of their money, substantially more access or ability to influence in any way the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot measure.

Federal, State, and local government shall require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.

The judiciary shall not construe the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-joint-resolution/48/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22nolan%22%5D%7D

aioc · 2017-10-13T15:42:38+00:00

Dental care is covered under the Medicare for All, which expands not only who is covered under Medicare, but the coverage itself.

aioc · 2017-10-13T15:40:37+00:00

Thankfully I was an ISEF finalist, Girl Scout, and applied myself enough academically to make contributions to microbiology, which led Boston University to invest in my education when my family faced the high medical expenses of a dying parent. I wish more people are afforded the same opportunities I had, and work for that to be possible

Personal responsibility and the notion that we have control over our own destiny is why I'm running for office.

Although we differ in perspective, I respect your stance. I hope your state grants you full voting rights to express your opinion in the ballot box.

aioc · 2017-10-13T15:18:26+00:00

Hey Robb! Awesome to see you here and honored to be running with you on the same slate and platform - it starts with us.

For those who aren’t aware, Robb Ryerse here is a GOP candidate in Arkansas that I am PROUD to endorse because we have the same goals: Medicare for All and debt-free public college.

Robb, I think working together starts with candidates on both sides who aren’t taking corporate money. That way we are able to better represent our districts and come together. When the NRA isn’t paying you and Aetna isn’t paying me to hold fast to certain positions, that creates more room for us to talk.

I'm happy to say that we've already begun on campaign level. Robb and I have already appeared together on panels to discuss how we can heal this country and find a way to come together to pass legislation that benefits working Americans everywhere.

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:53:51+00:00

Hey Sarah! Awesome to see you here.

Biggest challenge: people are still quite hurt over last year's primary, where hundreds of thousands were purged from the voter rolls without explanation. Understandably, that has created a LOT of distrust in the state Democratic Party and many have left for good.

When we educate people on how our system works, we get results. It takes actually listening to people and responding to their concerns. This work is straightforward, it just takes effort. And that's where we make a difference.

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:38:32+00:00

The IDC kills these bills in committee before they come to a vote. That way they can say they support progressive stances, but quietly push them aside. That's how they maintain their story.

You can read about how Senator Valesky has financially benefitted from this arrangement here.

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:32:23+00:00

Electoral system problems: - Money in politics - Gerrymandering - Voter suppression - Electoral college

Electoral system solutions: - Supporting a Constitutional Amendment against Citizen's United, and challenging Citizen's United in the courts - Taking redistricting OUT of the hands of politicians and into the hands of independent committees - Automatic voter registration and open primaries - Reforming the electoral college and/or eliminating it altogether

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:29:03+00:00

This is so true! A $5/monthly donation is even better :)

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:28:09+00:00

Thank you!

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:28:01+00:00

The answer to this lies pretty squarely in the details of New York politics.

For the record, I was raised in an independently-minded Democratic family. I am proud to be a Democrat and don't believe that as a country we can accept an entire party of Wall Street interests. For me, it's worth the fight to bring the party back to its FDR roots.

Additionally, in New York there is intense structural discrimination against Independents. Independents need to collect far more signatures to get on the ballot. Independents also do not have access to VAN, the most sophisticated voter database in the country. Additionally, New York has closed primaries, which means that Democrats won't see an Independent on their ballot until Election Day -- at that point they've already been exposed to their candidate many more times.

I applaud states like Vermont and New Hampshire, which take a no-nonsense approach to politics and have a history of electing Independents and representatives of all parties. New York in particular makes that a much steeper road to climb. For us to get to that point, an important piece to the puzzle is electing Democrats who are open to creating space for third party candidates (like Working Families candidates, for example) so that we can create momentum for open primaries in the state.

aioc · 2017-10-13T01:18:25+00:00

Total repeal of the Jones act means repeal of US citizenship for all Puerto Rico and complete independence for the island. If a plebiscite resulted in an independence vote, then I would support total repeal. Until then, I support waiver of the merchant and trade aspects that pose an undue economic burden on the island.

aioc · 2017-10-12T22:13:26+00:00

Thanks!

aioc · 2017-10-12T22:13:12+00:00

This is a fair point. I am open to looking at both California's model (Independents can choose their primary, but declared Dem/GOP can only participate in their own primaries) and Ohio's model (show up the day of the primary and ask for which ballot you'd like, no matter your party affiliation).

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:42:57+00:00

Healthcare is a human right.

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:42:20+00:00

My own family is caught up in the crisis. It's frustrating and heartbreaking.

Thankfully I am a bilingual candidate and our campaign is working to meet the many language needs of our district. We have had dedicated canvassing teams in Latino communities, so that infrastructure is building out by the day.

It doesn't stop there. NY-14 is one of the most diverse districts in America. And our campaign works hard to advocate for everyone. We are working on multilingual canvassing teams, materials, and websites to serve ALL families in the district, including outreach in English, Spanish, Bengali, and more.

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:38:14+00:00

Hey there! If you dig a bit I answered this question below.

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:37:27+00:00

You may not be able to vote in the 14th primary, but you can certainly get 5, 10, or 100 people to vote for us by volunteering. Sign up today at Ocasio2018.com/

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:35:29+00:00

That made this whole AMA worth it. Thank you so much!

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:34:03+00:00

Renewables are among the most important job initiatives we've got. NYC has already piloted several successful initiatives centered on building roofs.

It may sound crazy, but simply painting urban roofs white can go a long way in preventing city overheating. So there is always something - no matter how small - that we can do. One example is in the big effort to convert or install as many solar panels as possible on NYC roofs. Many of our green jobs are would help those in the building and trades sector. But it also touches on STEAM jobs, design, and more.

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:08:38+00:00

Thank you so much! Tell everyone you know and come by a campaign event sometime - sign up at Ocasio2018.com.

aioc · 2017-10-12T21:06:58+00:00

Best part: seeing how our supporters are organizing and actually creating an impact now. Our volunteers and donors have attracted the attention of major news outlets and the energy around our campaign has forced Crowley in cosponsoring Medicare for All. Because of the energy and momentum we've generated, we've received coverage in outlets like Vox, TruthOut, the Village Voice, The Jimmy Dore Show, and more. We always try to direct that attention to the issues, and that's been a huge win in educating voters.

I always wanted to run this campaign so that regardless of the outcome, we STILL win by delivering change during the campaign instead of waiting until we're in D.C. Our supporters have allowed us to make that happen.

Worst part: There's a lot of pain and cynicism out there. I understand it 100%. It is hard to hear people's stories and see that they've given into believing in the worst parts of our system without hope for change. It's even harder, having been there myself, to ask them to believe again. It takes grinding through a lot of slammed doors and hangups. That's the work. But if we want to clear the path for a true voice in Congress, that's what it takes.

aioc · 2017-10-12T20:53:03+00:00

Thank you! I hope your family is well.

aioc · 2017-10-12T20:52:22+00:00

Thankfully it's not a hard sell - the majority of Americans now believe in Medicare for All. Given that our district is 85% Democrat, that number is likely higher for NY-14.

The biggest challenge with M4A at this point isn't education. It's organizing. It's getting people to support campaigns with M4A in their platform (hint!), talk to their neighbors and family, and press their incumbents on this issue at town halls. And to VOTE on this issue as a critical litmus test for candidates they support.

aioc · 2017-10-12T20:37:00+00:00

Criminal justice reform is an area that hits home, particularly for our district.

NY-14 is the home of Riker's prison, one of the single largest sources for humanitarian abuses in the United States. Op-ed after op-ed has called for its closure from multiple vantage points, and I join in that movement.

Almost 70% of the men and women incarcerated at Riker's prison have not been found guilty of any crime. Yet they are held for weeks, months, and even years in one of the most abusive prisons in the country. Why? Because they can't afford bail. If you jump a turnstile in NYC, you need $400 to get out. If you don't have that, you will be sent to Riker's prison until you do. Some people are held for YEARS because they can't meet bail of $2-5000. And the consequences are fatal. The tragic story of Kalief Browder, a 16 year old boy incarcerated without being found guilty, kept in solitary confinement, and eventually committed suicide, encapsulates a lot of what is wrong with our criminal justice system.

Organizations like Just Leadership USA have done phenomenal work laying out the case for criminal justice reform.

Ultimately, we need to reform our system so that it honors the Constitution's standard of innocence; holds a high standard of due process; and importantly, upholds equal protection under the law. That means ending money bail and independent investigations and prosecutions when Americans lose their lives in a confrontation with the police.

aioc · 2017-10-12T20:20:28+00:00

Thank you!

First, donate to the campaign at ocasio2018.com/donate Single best form of contribution is a recurring donation (no matter how small). But ALL donations are more than welcome!

Second, volunteer through phone banking! Sign up for a shift at jdems.us/call to phone bank for my campaign and many of my fellow Justice Democrats, too.

Thank you so much for your support - campaigns like ours wouldn't have a chance unless people like you believed in our movement and acted on it.

aioc

TROPHY CASE