A Case Study in Political Brilliance
No three-letter word in the American lexicon has the magical ability to equally animate and anger more than “AOC.” No elected official in recent memory possesses the power to orchestrate and manipulate the political debate like she can. Her critics champ at the bit to cut her down to size regardless of whether they agree with the substance of her latest policy position, speech, or, in this case, political statement.
That’s precisely why Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Tax the Rich” dress at the Met Gala was a case study in political brilliance. The Met Gala is globally recognized as one of the most exclusive and extravagant red carpet events that garners worldwide attention. Critics — both liberal and conservative alike — deride the event for being elitist. Tickets cost around $30,000. A table could cost you around $275,000. But where critics saw a moment to mock, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez saw a moment to seize.
Since she entered the political arena, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has championed raising the top marginal tax rate (in other words, “taxing the rich”) to pay for childcare, more affordable housing, climate change initiatives, and a host of other social services. But “taxing the rich” isn’t merely a revenue-raising mechanism to pay for critically-needed infrastructure. It’s also a crusade to correct a colossal wrong by exposing the sheer highway robbery that ultra-billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk get away with in paying little to no income tax.
Americans are starting to take note and take exception. Indeed, a majority of Americans — save, to no great surprise, the rich (for the most part) — agree that the wealthy and big corporations don’t pay their fair share. Yet, the wealthy and well-connected dodge their financial responsibilities by weaponizing said wealth to lobby weak-kneed politicians to look the other way. Or, with respect to Republican members of Congress, provide more tax relief. As if that’s possible.
No political paradigm shift of the taxing-the-rich magnitude — and closing the income disparity gap — materializes without ingenuity, commanding attention, and puncturing the outsize influence of the opposition. In this case, wealthy and well-connected opposition.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez understood that. She used her platform and her body (which, as a woman, seems to be the most regulated thing today), to make a statement, knowing that every move she makes and every word she utters is under microscopic attention. What better way to make a statement than go to a literal festival of the riches with a personal message delivered via their cherished medium?
Of course, as always, her critics were tripping over themselves with “gotcha” takes to chastise her for being a hypocrite or ‘performative socialist.’ People also conveniently ignored the fact that New York elected officials frequently attend the Met Gala, and attend for free.
But those who condemned her for going to an event glorifying richness miss the entire point. What AOC understood was that you have to go into their arena — with the world watching — and co-opt their medium to get your message across. Missionaries (I’m not saying she is one) don’t preach to the converted. They go into foreign spaces and seek to win people over.
Her mission was accomplished. Whether you hate her or love her, she forced you to talk about one of the more pressing issues of our time: gross inequality. Nobody was talking about so-and-so’s dress or so-and-so’s suit. “Tax the Rich” was trending. She captured media attention and activated the youth, as she always does. The slogan became mainstream. People began questioning the sheer absurdity of the American tax code. How could we rationalize the fact that, in 2021, in the United States of America, a working-class single mom, struggling to make ends meet, pays more in taxes than the world’s richest man?
