DEMS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “They detest what she stands for. They think her policies would destroy the country. And they wish she would just go away. All the same, many of President Donald Trump’s most media-conscious supporters can’t help but admit it: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has got serious political game…Such admiration, in spite of vast ideological and demographic differences, is a testament to just how quickly the 29-year-old former activist and waitress has achieved political stardom. It’s also a sign that many parts of Trump’s playbook — a populist image, an authentic social media presence, a willingness to lash out at mainstream media gatekeepers and fact-checkers, and a lack of deference to party leaders — are becoming enduring features of American politics, rather than some aberration made possible only by Trump’s unique persona or the state of the Republican Party circa 2015.”
–Ben Schreckinger, “Why Trump’s superfans dig Ocasio-Cortez,” Politico, January 30, 2019 5:02 am