‘Floored’ union leader called AOC new Springsteen after shock primary win, book says
A new book reveals that when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez burst on to the US political scene in 2018, one US labour leader made a telling comparison – to Bruce Springsteen.
Labour leader compares AOC to Bruce Springsteen
In a new book surveying the modern US left, it is revealed that when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez first emerged on the political scene, she was compared to Bruce Springsteen by a US labour leader.
Michael Podhorzer, then political director of the AFL-CIO, compared Ocasio-Cortez’s entry to Jon Landau’s famous line about Springsteen: 'I’ve seen rock’n’roll’s future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.'
Podhorzer’s comparison highlighted the youth and potential impact of Ocasio-Cortez in Democratic politics, much like Springsteen’s rise in the music industry.
Ocasio-Cortez's working-class credentials
Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, has managed to build her own star power while maintaining working-class credentials.
In 2018, she famously defeated Joe Crowley, a member of the Democratic US House leadership, in a primary election. At the time, she was a 28-year-old bartender, while Crowley was a 56-year-old incumbent.
During her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez portrayed herself as an ordinary New Yorker, emphasizing her use of public transportation and highlighting Crowley’s distance from the community.
A significant figure in her own right
In the book, AOC is seen as a significant figure within the Democratic Party by the rising generation of Democratic staffers and strategists.
While she is often associated with “the Squad” – a group of female representatives of color who have gained prominence – Ocasio-Cortez is viewed as someone who is shaping the future of the left in the post-Biden era.
According to a Warren advisor, AOC is pointing a path toward the future more so than the other Squad members and is seen as a notable figure in her own right.
