AOC just a ‘phantom of the media’ without real influence, ex-Gov. Paterson saysBy Sam Raskin
July 3, 2022
Former New York Gov. David Paterson dismissed US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s influence as a “phantom of the media” after left-wing progressives endorsed by the socialist firebrand suffered brutal losses in last week’s primaries.
“AOC are just three letters in the alphabet,” the 68-year-old Democrat said in an interview on WABC radio’s “The Cats Roundtable” aired Sunday.
Paterson was asked by host John Catsimatidis about the Tuesday primary results in which the majority of left-wing state Assembly contenders were unsuccessful in their efforts to expand their presence in Albany by ousting more moderate Democrats.
Asked if the losses represented “the rise and fall of AOC,” the Democratic former governor replied, “I don’t know if there ever was a rise, John.”
“I think AOC, who defeated a congressman who was notably absent from his district a lot, so she outworked him and she beat him, and then she became this overnight, national success,” Paterson said, referring to longtime ex-US Rep. Joe Crowley, who AOC toppled in a major upset in the June 2018 Democratic primary for the Queens and Bronx House seat.
“But really, there’s no evidence that it had any coattails, not in this 2022 primary, but not even in the 2020 elections,” he added. “I think she is really a phantom of the media, the media projects her.”
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/07/03/aoc-just-a-phantom-of-the-media-without-real-influence-ex-gov-paterson-says/
