AOC dismisses 2020s progressive activism as "Woke 1" era
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez invokes term coined by NYC councilman to distance current progressives from defund-police and radical rhetoric of the pandemic years.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 4 items across 3 sources · 3h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used the term "Woke 1" in an ABC News interview on Sunday to describe the radical progressive rhetoric of the 2020-2021 pandemic era, arguing that the "Overton window" was temporarily opened due to COVID-19 disruptions. The phrase, coined by NYC Council Member Chi Ossé in May 2026, is now being used by progressive candidates like Ocasio-Cortez and others to distance themselves from earlier positions on police abolition and other radical policies they no longer publicly support.
- AOC uses "Woke 1" framing—coined by NYC councilman Chi Ossé in May 2026—to describe 2020-era radical progressive rhetoric as temporary product of COVID-era conditions.
- Multiple progressive candidates are walking back or qualifying pandemic-era positions on police defunding and prison abolition, citing changed circumstances.
- AOC is no longer endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and explicitly distances herself from DSA platform positions ahead of 2026 elections.
- Progressive critics argue this dismissal represents abandonment of the activism that helped elect these candidates rather than evolution of policy thinking.
How it unfolded
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Mother Jones editorial argues that AOC is dismissing vital progressive work that helped elect her, questioning whether the 2020s rhetoric should be laughed off rather than evolved into substantive reckoning.
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During an ABC This Week interview with Jonathan Karl, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez uses the term "Woke 1" to describe the COVID-era peak of radical progressive rhetoric, citing the expanded "Overton window" as temporary circumstance rather than enduring policy direction.
“I think that during this time, especially during COVID, there was a huge opening of the Overton window...We were shut down, there was some of the highest unemployment rates.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez · Memeorandum ↗ -
Ocasio-Cortez tells ABC that she no longer supports many positions on the Democratic Socialists of America's policy platform and is no longer endorsed by the DSA's National Political Committee.
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The congresswoman confirms that progressive candidates like Francesca Hong and Abdul el Sayed have walked back radical positions from the pandemic era, with AOC implicitly endorsing this distancing.
“My understanding is that Francesca Hong has made clear her present stances to her electorate. And I have a local city councilman who has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy,' and I think that what's important is that we have to assess what a…”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez · Memeorandum ↗ - 15 weeks quiet
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NYC Council Member Chi Ossé posts on X in response to criticism of a 2021 comment, using the term "Woke 1 was crazyyyy" to characterize intensely liberal rhetoric from the 2020 racial justice and pandemic era.
What people are saying verbatim
“I have a local city councilman who has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy,' and I think that what's important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Rep. (D-NY) · ABC News This Week ↗ · Aug 9
“There was a huge opening of the Overton window...We were shut down, there was some of the highest unemployment rates that we have seen because of these shutdowns.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Rep. (D-NY) · ABC News This Week ↗ · Aug 9
“Woke 1 was crazyyyy”
Chi Ossé, NYC Council Member · X (Twitter) ↗ · Apr 30
“Rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Rep. (D-NY) · Mother Jones ↗ · Aug 10
“One can win votes without laughing off progressive discussions. What if the rhetoric of six years ago evolved into a more widespread, substantial reckoning?”
Mother Jones editorial, Publication · Mother Jones ↗ · Aug 10