AOC Gives Her Own Version of Bernie Sanders' Las Vegas Rally Speech

Two progressive leaders, one young and one older, are touring Western cities with a similar message, but with a fundamental difference in how they deliver it.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, began a series of events with Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, in North Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday.

Even as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has ignited the American left over the past decade, his speeches have the flavor of a sociology lesson. He rarely makes himself the protagonist.

That's why it's striking how differently the young leader often seen as his successor, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, approaches politics.

When she began a Western tour with Mr. Sanders on Thursday in North Las Vegas, Nevada, she introduced herself by name — something he never does — and used her experience as a waitress to explain her political views to a crowd of several thousand.

“I don’t believe in health care and labor and human dignity because I’m a Marxist — I believe in these things because I was a waitress,” she said. “Because I worked double shifts to keep the lights on, and because on my worst day, I know what it’s like to feel left behind. And I know we shouldn’t live like that.”

Mr. Sanders, by contrast, delivered a version of the same speech he gave before Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was born, railing against corporate greed. “Eat the rich,” someone shouted.

ImageUnlike Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Sanders rarely weaves his personal history, including his middle-class history, into his speeches. Photo by Mikayla Whitmore for The New York Times

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