Letter to the Editor:
“Mr. Murphy, several months ago, you wrote a story about Congressmember Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and her connection to Westchester County, and my hometown of Yorktown.
I would like to give you another perspective on AOC. I admire her tenacity and I agree with most of her views. I recently purchased a “Tax the Rich” sweatshirt that she is selling on her website.
My only thought, and hope, is that AOC embraces where she grew up, here in Yorktown. I want her to know that there are progressive residents who live here and who appreciate what she is doing for the country.
Some of my cousins when to Yorktown High School when AOC was also at YHS. I am a more recent graduate and did not attend when she did. But I do agree with one thing that you have written in the past Mr. Murphy, regarding AOC’s “denial” if you will about her growing up in Yorktown.
I think that her life story is a great one, that her family helped raise money so that they could buy a house in Yorktown so that she could attend YHS and grow up in a great community. That is the American Dream, and AOC has lived the American Dream.
I understand that after her graduation she returned to NYC where she was a bartender before shocking the world to become a member of Congress.
What a wonderful surprise it would be for AOC to come back to Yorktown, where she could talk about her political successes and her life after Yorktown. I believe that Yorktown, like the rest of our country, is evenly divided with those who support AOC and her values, and those who are opposed.
So my message, if you choose to publish it Mr. Murphy, to AOC is please come home for Christmas, to Yorktown, where you grew up. There are thousands of us in Yorktown who would welcome you back. Sincerely, Janet Antonucci, Yorktown Heights”, end of letter.
Mr. Antonucci, thanks for your letter. While some of it is in jest, I understand the true meaning of your letter, which I agree with. While Yorktown tilts republican, there are 45% or more democrats in the Town and I would argue, more democrats are moving in and republcians moving out. This is a pattern that is happening across Westchester County and the other NY suburbs.
I also have wondered why AOC does not use her history in Yorktown as part of her story, and explain how her parents made sacrifices to ensure that she got a better than their own. I have actually been contacted by neighbors of AOC and her family when they lived in Yorktown and some of her high school friends.
All of them feel the same way you do,they are proud that she lived in your town, and they want to embrace that. The problem is they can’t embrace it when AOC herself refuses to acknowledge it. Maybe we can continue the conversation in 2021, and remember, I went to YHS also, Class of 1985. –Dan Murphy, Editor
AOC was recently featured on the cover of Vanity Fair. The story explains that most of her friends still call her Sandy, which was the name she used at YHS. In the best AOC story that I have ever read, Vanity Fair reporter Michelle Ruiz reminds us that while many were shocked that a woman as young as AOC could win a seat in Congress, (she was 29 in Nov. 2018 to become the youngest congresswoman in history) Joe Biden was also 29 when he was first elected to the US Senate.
Two other takeaways from the story, which I recommend you read by subscirbing to Vanity Fair like I have, were: How much of a lightning rod she has become, and the unfortunate number of threats she has received in such a short time in office.
Second, the many people in her circle who belive that she will run for President. “I’ve told her, I fully expect that she’s going to run one day, and that she should,” said Julian Castro, former HUD Secretary and former 2020 Presidential candidate.“She absolutely has the talent, the dynamism, and the leadership ability.”
AOC’s mom also believes that she will run “Her aspiration is to be the president. She has been thinking about politics since she was a teenager. She would read historical and political books old and new. She would engage in political discussions passionately.” said Blanca Ocasio-Cortez.
When will she run? She will be 35, the minimum age to run for President in 2024. Some speculate that she will be challenging Vice-President Kamala Harris for the democratic Presidential nomination in ‘24, while others believe that she will challenge Senator Charles Schumer in 2022 for his New York, US Senate seat.
Another important part of the Vanity Fair story is how Yorktown is mentioned and acknowledged as the place where she grew up and attended high school. “My dad would get coffee every day at the town Dunkin’ Donuts, and we would invite the cashiers over for dinner,” said AOC.
After her father’s death in 2008, the family struggled to pay the mortgage on the Yorktown home, forcing AOC to take a bartending job in NYC. “This is the story of a young Latina who’s trying to put food on the table for her family.” Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, making the case for AOC 2024!.
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s vision for America is still vastly different from millions of americans, despite the fact that she has 7.2 million Instagram followers. America is “still in a lot of trouble,” warns AOC in the story.
On her website, shop.ocasiocortez.com, AOC is selling sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats and other items. The “tax the rich” sweatshirt costs $58, but we are happy to report that all items are Made in the USA!
