Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told "The View" on Wednesday the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has led to Americans wanting things like paid sick leave and free testing for the virus, proving Americans really want more socialistic policies than they care to admit.
The self-proclaimed democratic socialist said the short-term acceptance of such policies is similar to how the LGBTQ movement became mainstream as their sons and daughters came out as being part of that community.
"This pandemic interestingly enough has brought to the forefront many issues that you have been — that have been your signature issues for a long time. I mean, Suddenly, everyone’s a socialist. Even Republicans are on board with some of these measures, things like paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, free testing, and health coverage. It’s interesting, isn’t it? How they’ve all come on your team all of a sudden. What do you think will be the long-term effects of the Democratic socialist agenda?" host Joy Behar asked.
"Well you know, I think, it’s — it is a funny moment because everyone wants to fight against these policies until they have been personally impacted. And we’ve seen this not just economically, but we’ve also seen it in terms of social rights as well, you know? There are so many people that were against LGBT marriage equality until they realized, oh, wait, my friend, my son, my daughter, my, you know, my loved ones have come out of the closet, and I think that kind of vulnerability, that personal vulnerability, really brings a lot of people around," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And what we’re seeing right now is that guaranteeing health care in this country is not about giving charity to people. It affects all of us. When the person who is preparing your food and serves you food, cannot have — cannot see a doctor, that puts you at risk, that puts all of us at risk."
Ocasio-Cortez has continued to call for free health care and college for all Americans, saying the pandemic has proven those policies would help Americans in need.
Sometimes it still stops me in my tracks that because I believe insulin should be free, workers shld be paid justly, we shld house the homeless and not cage families, & that all people should be free to pursue education as they wish,for THAT we are treated as radical & dangerous.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 9, 2020