Democrats Must Specify Which 'Woke' Policies They've Abandoned, Not Just Dismiss the Era as 'Crazy'
Source: Eddie Scarry. "Every Dem Should Be Asked: What About 'Woke 1' Was 'Crazy'?." August 14, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that when AOC laughs off the 'woke' movement as 'crazy,' she's dodging responsibility for real damage—like rising crime from 'defund the police'—without actually saying which specific policies she now rejects. He says Democrats shouldn't get to move on from unpopular positions with just a shrug; they should be forced to answer specific yes-or-no questions about whether they still support things like abolishing ICE, reparations, or trans healthcare for minors.
Conclusion
Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, should not be allowed to casually dismiss the 'woke' era as 'crazy' without being forced to specify exactly which policies they no longer support and why.
Premises
- AOC laughed off the 'woke' era by calling it 'Woke 1 was crazy' without acknowledging real harm caused
- The 'defund the police' movement and related 'woke' policies contributed to a 30 percent spike in the U.S. murder rate and increases in other crimes
- AOC characterized the 2020 'defund the police' discussions as 'fruitful' despite these harmful outcomes
- Democrats face political incentives to distance themselves from unpopular 'woke' positions ahead of 2028 presidential ambitions
- There is no evidence that Democrats have actually reversed specific policy positions (on ICE, policing budgets, reparations, transgender medical treatments, immigration, etc.) despite rhetorically disavowing 'woke'
- Simply relabeling past rhetoric as outdated ('rhetoric... we would use today') is not the same as substantively changing policy positions
Assumptions
- Rhetorical distancing from 'woke' without policy specifics constitutes an attempt to evade accountability
- The rise in crime during this period was substantially caused by 'defund the police' policies rather than other factors
- Voters have a right to demand specific policy accountability from politicians who claim to have changed their views
- The listed policies (abolishing ICE, reparations, transgender youth medical care, immigration enforcement, etc.) are fairly characterized as part of a unified 'woke' agenda
- Ocasio-Cortez's comments are representative of the Democratic Party's broader approach rather than an individual's isolated remark