Politicians should make sure their constituents feel seen, “Not from on high, but from the same level,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in recent remarks to GQ, which featured the New York Democrat in a glamorous photo spread for its October cover story.
THE QUOTE
At one point during the wide-ranging interview, GQ contributor Wesley Lowery contrasted Ocasio-Cortez’s response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June with what he called a “hopelessly out of touch” gathering of Democratic lawmakers singing, “God Bless America.”
The two-term congresswoman stressed the importance of political leaders’ participation in “protest,” which she described as an activity that “creates community” and “sends a message.”
- “It’s really important for people to feel like their elected officials give a shit about them,” she said. “Not from on high, but from the same level.”
- Lowery, who was at the Supreme Court interviewing protesters following the overturning of Roe, described witnessing a plaid pink pantsuit-clad Ocasio-Cortez borrowing a megaphone and leading an “Into the streets!” call and response chant while pumping a clenched fist into the air.
- According to Lowery, a young woman threw herself into the congresswoman’s arms and began repeating, “I’m so scared,” while weeping.
