Political observers are still dissecting the results of Tuesday’s startling upset victory by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York’s 14th Congressional District against incumbent Joe Crowley.

The media have showered her with glowing coverage. The New York Times editorial board declared, “Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s victory is a vivid sign of the changing of the guard.”

But what they aren’t telling you is that some disturbing trends were key to her success.  For example, there were not-so-subtle racial undertones to her campaign. 

Even The Washington Post picked up on the fact her campaign slogan — “It’s time for one of us” — was “an appeal to the tribal identities of class, age, gender and ethnicity.” In other words, white men like Joe Crowley shouldn’t be representing “us.”

As we noted before, Ocasio-Cortez is a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Not that long ago, she would have been mocked as a communist. 

She ran on a platform of “cleaning up the mess in Washington.” But that doesn’t mean what you and I think it means. She’s an avowed socialist. She wants to make Washington even more powerful. She wants big government to be even bigger. That will make the mess even worse!

Moreover, the Democratic Socialists of America is a fringe group that has formally embraced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. 

When Hamas launched attacks against Israel along the Gaza border, Ocasio-Cortez accused Israel of mass murder. She tweeted a story from Al Jazeera, writing:

“This is a massacre… There is no justification. Palestinian people deserve basic human dignity, as anyone else. Democrats can’t be silent about this anymore.”

In an interview, Ocasio-Cortez suggested that her Puerto Rican heritage led her to sympathize with the Palestinians. That’s strange since Israel was among the first nations to send aid to the island after Hurricane Maria.

Sadly, it seems that opposition to Israel is becoming a dog whistle for progressive candidates to signal their bona fides to far-left activists.

For some time now, political observers have nervously watched as anti-Semitism has spread within the progressive movement — at gay pride events, in the Black Lives Matter movement and the Women’s March. 

And it was evident in Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign. Thomas Lopez-Pierre was one of her biggest cheerleaders. He volunteered for her campaign and passed out a thousand fliers. But he is also known for a previous city council campaign in which he denounced “greedy Jewish landlords." 

Democrats often say that the Republican Party has become so extreme that Ronald Reagan could not win a primary today. Well, as usual, they are completely wrong. 

The Democrat Party has become so extreme that Bill Clinton could not win his party’s nomination today. If Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is the face of the Democrat Party’s future, then the party of Harry Truman and JFK is dead.

Conservatism Wins

What a week it’s been for the conservative movement! As the Fourth of July approaches and Americans look forward to celebrating our freedom under God, we have more reason than ever to celebrate and to hope. 

Once again, Americans feel free to assert a confident patriotism. The world isn’t free of conflict, but the level of violence in many parts of the world is down and talks are underway between global powers and regional rivals. Our nation is once again standing up for American workers and challenging trade barriers. Reports are surfacing that U.S. growth may exceed 4% for the second quarter and 3% for the year. A level of growth they said we’d never see again.

Now, we know there are plenty of people who see nothing but doom in these developments. Ronald Reagan called these folks "doomsayers,” by which he generally meant “liberals." As harsh as his critics were then, I have to say today’s brand is worse. Not only do they see disaster around every corner, but they offer intimidation and threats, the whiff of violence, to get their way. Michael Moore, the paunchy video maker, went on the Stephen Colbert show to urge his fellow liberals to "put our bodies on the line to stop Trump.”

Rhetoric like this does no one any good. It’s radically out of tune with reality. But this is a good time for some other critics of the current administration to pause and reflect. Two years ago at this time, after Donald Trump had won the most hotly contested GOP presidential primary ever, including many people I respect, the #NeverTrump crowd, dug in to oppose him. 

The past week shows the price we would have paid had their campaign succeeded. In one short week, the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution and handed down three rulings, touching all three segments of conservatism. The Court, by single votes, affirmed the president’s power to protect our borders from terrorist incursions, the right of government employees not to be forced to join unions, and the free speech rights of pro-life pregnancy centers.

On national security, economic liberty, and social policy, the Court stood with American values. Now imagine how radically different this week would have been if Hillary Rodham Clinton had won. No Neil Gorsuch. Each ruling going the other way.

This dramatic week would have ended with Anthony Kennedy stepping down. The Supreme Court would have been lost for the next 25 years. But it’s worse than that. The vision of life, liberty, and family we love would have been lost, likely irretrievably. It’s time for the president’s “house critics” to offer some mea culpas and give Donald Trump his due.

Harris Poll

Meanwhile, the evidence keeps piling up that millions of Americans — including some who weren’t originally impressed — are giving the president credit. Take the Harris Poll that came out Thursday.

It showed President Trump’s overall approval rating up two points. Included in the rise was a six-point increase in his approval among Republicans and a four-point rise among Democrats. Among Hispanics the increase in approval was an astonishing 10 points! This despite a hurricane of media reports stating that the Trump administration hates Hispanics (lies), kidnaps kids (darn lies), and locks them in cages never to see their parents again (more lies).

How can this be? Well, polls do vary a lot, so this could be a one-time statistical aberration. But maybe there’s a simpler explanation. Could it be that Hispanics are people, too, who want to live in a nation with secure borders? That they are workers who don’t want their jobs taken or their wages reduced by illegal immigrants who cross the border and work off the books? That they are family men and women who have no stomach for the brutal thugs of MS-13 whose violence largely targets other Hispanics?

Finally, might it be the case that Hispanics and blacks, like most Americans, like a president who will fight for them and for their values? Polls can change, but this one — by a liberal pollster — shows once again how Donald Trump’s critics aren’t seeing either the forest or the trees.

The Blessing of Another Fourth

As the 242nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence approaches, we have evermore reason to give thanks for God’s blessings on our nation. Thirty-five years ago, Ronald Reagan reminded us of the special character of our inheritance as a people. If you have two minutes to spare this weekend around the fireworks, cookouts, and time with family, you might give his weekly radio address a listen.