(COMMON DREAMS) Jake Johnson, September 23, 2018 — In just a few short months on the national political scene, New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has distinguished herself as a remarkably effective social media voice, using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to easily demolish right-wing smears and falsehoods while also pushing her positive progressive vision.

“It’s kind of amazing that one of the most naturally talented politicians to emerge in some time also happens to be a highly effective, aggressive, and rather merciless combatant in social media messaging.”
—Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept

By contrast, the Democratic National Committee (DNC)—with midterm elections looming—has a relatively paltry social media presence and is notorious for its horrendous messaging, leading some prominent progressives to suggest that the DNC should immediately hand its accounts over to Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a landslide upset in June with no establishment support.

The latest example of Ocasio-Cortez’s strength as a progressive social media presence came Thursday night, when the 28-year-old democratic socialist systematically rebutted right-wing provocateur Dinesh D’Souza’s unsubtly racist insinuation that Puerto Rico contributes nothing to the United States.

via Progressives to DNC: It Would Be ‘Insane’ Not to Hand Over Twitter Account to Ocasio-Cortez.