AOC says RBG’s death should radicalize Democrats and make electing Joe Biden the focus

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg should ‘radicalize’ Democrats, urging her supporters to vote for Joe Biden whether they ‘like him or not.’

‘Let this moment radicalize you,’ Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said in a 40-minute Instagram Live video posted late on Friday, which was viewed by more than 1.5 million people within 12 hours. 

‘Let this moment really put everything into stark focus, because this election has always been about the fight of and for our lives. And if anything, tonight is making that more clear to more people than ever before,’ she continued.

‘It’s earth-shattering, this kind of vacancy,’ she said of the spot now open on the nation’s highest court, which opens a path for President Donald Trump to nominate a replacement for the liberal justice with the presidential election just weeks away.

‘This kind of vacancy and this kind of tipping point is the difference between people having reproductive rights, and the government controlling people’s bodies for them,’ she said, referring to the fight over abortion. 

‘It’s the difference between us having a future and our climate or not, and the timing of this vacancy is extremely unsettling and scary to a lot of people,’ she added. 

Ocasio-Cortez, the freshman leader of the so-called ‘Squad’ of progressive House Democrats, said that Ginsburg’s death represented a ‘tipping point’ and urged her followers to action, saying ‘I need you to be ready.’

‘No president is the answer,’ she said. ‘You are the answer. Mass movements are the answer.’ 

She encouraged her supporters to take action by double-checking their voter registration, urging friends and family to vote, and volunteering their time and talent to organize for the election.

Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary, also made reference to ideological splits in her party, urging her followers to now rally around the more moderate Biden. 

‘Voting for Joe Biden, it’s not about whether you like him or not, it’s a vote to let democracy live another day,’ she said. 

‘We need to focus on voting for Joe Biden. I don’t care if you like him or not,’ she added. 

Biden has called on Trump to hold off on nominating a replacement for Ginsburg until after the November election, but the president is widely expected to move forward with a nomination.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday that Trump’s nominee would receive a vote on the Senate floor.

Ginsburg was considered the leader of the court’s liberal bloc, and her replacement with a judicially conservative justice could have far-reaching implications.