Biden: Media misinterpreted Ocasio-Cortez’s impact on Democrats

Former Vice President Joe Biden said the news media misinterpreted what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) 2018 primary win meant for the direction of the Democratic primary in an interview set to air on Sunday. 

“You all thought that what happened was the party moved extremely to the left after Hillary. AOC was a new party, She’s a bright, wonderful person. But where’s the party?” Biden told Axios’s Mike Allen on “Axios on HBO.” 

Biden, who is widely seen as the standard-bearer for centrist Democrats in the primary, has pushed back on a number of progressive proposals floated by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Ocasio-Cortez earlier this year endorsed the Vermont senator for president in the 2020 election, and is a proponent of progressive policies espoused by the candidate such as “Medicare for All” and the Green New Deal. 

The former vice president has been vocal in warning against switching to a Medicare for All system, instead pushing for expanding the Affordable Care Act and adding a “public option” that allows people to select a government plan or use private insurance.

Biden said earlier this week that the majority of enthusiasm among Democrats was not behind Medicare for All. 

“I don’t think the bulk of the enthusiasm in the Democratic Party is for Medicare for All,” he said. 

However, Biden has not only been in conflict with Sanders and Warren over the issue. 

The former vice president accused South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) of stealing his health care policy idea on Monday. 

Buttigieg responded, saying his campaign was pitching the plan months before Biden entered the race.