Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez tried to wave away years of radical rhetoric during an appearance Sunday on ABC's “This Week.”

With a laugh and a convenient new label, the New York Democrat treated socialist excess as an awkward phase that voters should leave in the past.

Host Jon Karl asked AOC about Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, a socialist who has faced scrutiny over previous comments about canceling Thanksgiving and abolishing prisons.

WATCH:

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

Hong has attempted to retreat from some of those positions while pursuing the Democratic nomination.

Rather than directly confront the substance of those ideas, AOC reached for humor. “I have a local city councilman that has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy,'” Ocasio-Cortez said while laughing.

She then encouraged voters to focus on the latest version of a candidate rather than the rhetoric that candidate previously embraced.

FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest

“And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.”

That is a useful standard for politicians hoping the public has a short memory.

Radical declarations can apparently be filed away as youthful political exuberance once election season arrives and ordinary voters begin asking what those slogans would mean for their families and neighborhoods.

Karl pressed further, asking whether the socialist movement had gone “too far.” He also reminded viewers that Ocasio-Cortez previously supported efforts to “defund the police,” a slogan that became politically toxic as Americans watched crime and disorder consume major cities.

AOC argued that much of the rhetoric emerged during the COVID shutdowns, when activists and politicians were more willing to entertain sweeping changes.

“And I think that the doors were really open in trying to entertain any and every policy that was going to get us to a better place. And I actually think that the discussions that were had in that time were quite fruitful,” Ocasio Cortez said.

She also insisted that the current conversation about public safety is different from what Americans heard during the lockdown period.

“I think that when we talk about crime today, it’s fundamentally different than the way that we talked about crime in bringing crime down, right? And I think that we all share the goals of having as low a crime rate as possible.”

AOC continued by acknowledging that yesterday's slogans are not exactly useful campaign material today.

“I think that during lockdown, of course, rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today. And I’m grateful that these candidates have the opportunity to present who they are to their electorate, and what they’re campaigning on in this moment.”

WATCH:

The explanation amounts to a political reset button for the socialist movement.

Candidates promoted dramatic ideas when progressive activism was fashionable, but now they would prefer voters to grade only the sanitized platform being presented during the current campaign.

Karl noted that the national platform of the Democratic Socialists of America still includes abolishing the police.

That organization has supported several rising Democratic politicians, including Ocasio Cortez, and its official agenda makes the attempt to dismiss previous rhetoric considerably less convincing.

AOC responded that she belongs to the New York City chapter rather than the national organization and does not agree with every national position.

It was a carefully drawn distinction, especially for a politician whose political identity and ascent have been closely connected to democratic socialism.

The relationship has become increasingly strained.

In 2024, the DSA withdrew its endorsement of Ocasio Cortez during her campaign for reelection, saying she failed to satisfy conditions that included opposing all funding for Israel and publicly supporting boycotts and sanctions against the country.

More recently, members of the organization reportedly divided over whether to provide AOC with an early endorsement for a possible 2028 presidential campaign.

The dispute suggests socialist activists remain uncertain whether she is sufficiently committed to their agenda, even as she works to make that agenda more presentable nationally.

Canary Mission has warned that an Ocasio Cortez presidency could provide the socialist movement with something far more consequential than another congressional ally.

A spokesperson said such a presidency would “give that movement more than influence: it would give its agenda access to the full power of the executive branch.”

Fox News Digital contacted Ocasio Cortez and the DSA for comment.

For voters, the central question remains whether “Woke 1” was merely a strange moment or an honest display of what prominent socialists wanted before political reality forced a rebranding.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.