Mocked in Munich? Why AOC was a much bigger success than her critics realize
Following her appearance at the Munich Security Conference, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. drew significant criticism for multiple factual misstatements.
From her halting answer on U.S. support for Taiwan to mistakenly referring to U.S. relations with Europe as the "Trans-Pacific Partnership," and falsely accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, there were plenty of missteps to seize on.
That said, focusing solely on her errors misses the point of her presence — at least as she conceived it — and why it was extremely successful. Calling it anything else would be a mistake.
Indeed, AOC went to Munich with two goals, both of which she accomplished.
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The first was to attract extraordinary attention, which she did.
It is legitimate to say she drew as much — or more — attention than any other U.S. official, so much so that The New York Times felt compelled to publicly wonder whether the appearance was a stepping stone to a presidential run for the progressive lawmaker.
AOC’s second goal was to draw sharp contrasts between herself and other potential 2028 Democratic contenders, particularly by emphasizing working-class politics at home and for democracies globally – her least understood priority.
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Frankly, viewed through this lens, the congresswoman performed extremely well.
To be sure, one can disagree with her take on Israel, take issue with how she delivered her remarks on Taiwan, or question her grasp of geography. But there is no denying that AOC met — and arguably exceeded — her goals.
Moreover, she did so in a way that drew clear lines in the sand between herself and other potential Democratic contenders — and did so in a way that will facilitate her taking over the reins of the progressive movement.
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To be clear, this is not to say I agree with everything AOC said.
Her accusation that the U.S. "enabled a genocide in Gaza" — coming in the same city that served as the crucible of Hitler’s rise to power — was troubling.
Likewise, her halting and dithering response to the question of Taiwan has come under fire.
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Yet that issue has bedeviled American presidents for decades — hence the longstanding principle of "strategic ambiguity" — and AOC did eventually offer an answer largely aligned with that policy.
At the same time, it is important to note that in their hypercritical condemnation of AOC’s remarks, the media is entirely missing the point of why she was there.
AOC was not in Munich to convince independents to vote for her or to demonstrate her foreign policy bona fides.
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Rather, she was there to separate herself from what is shaping up to be an extremely crowded Democratic field and position herself as a true leader of the Democratic Party.
To that end, AOC is taking these steps at a time when Democrats increasingly want a left-wing candidate who will take the fight to Republicans.
More than 9 in 10 Democrats want to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy (93%) and on corporations (91%), according to New Republic polling.
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Further, three-quarters of Democrats want their officials to be "more aggressive in calling out Republicans," something AOC did repeatedly throughout the conference.
On policy, as President Trump continues to test the limits of American alliances, AOC explicitly voiced support for strengthening multilateral relationships.
Similarly, in a subtle shot at Gov. Gavin Newsom, she strongly backed a wealth tax on billionaires, drawing pushback from an Argentine lawmaker who laid out the dangers of socialist policies.
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In that context, factual errors matter less than how effectively AOC appealed to Democrats who want a fighter for far-left policies.
Polls of the general electorate also point to a growing number of Americans who may be sympathetic to AOC’s focus on the working class.
A recent Fox News survey found that on affordability and helping the middle class — two themes AOC repeatedly stressed — voters preferred Democrats to Republicans by 14 points.
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Whether Munich translates into sustained momentum for AOC remains to be seen.
It is possible that following Trump’s second term, voters will shun extremes on either side and back a return to "normalcy" — as they did in 2020, when former President Joe Biden campaigned on that message.
However, as speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run grows, AOC must carve out a lane and separate herself from other left-leaning potential candidates such as Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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As her presence in Munich showed, she is capable of drawing clear distinctions and positioning herself as the face of the party’s progressive wing.
To be clear, this is not to say AOC should be considered the Democrats’ 2028 front-runner. According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, she draws 8%, trailing Harris (31%), Newsom (22%) and Buttigieg (9%).
Still, if AOC’s ultimate goals were to advertise herself as a potential leader, separate herself from Newsom and define their differences, then there should be no illusion that she did anything less than remarkably well.