NEW YORK (AP) — Storming past questions about his health, Bernie Sanders vowed that he’s “more ready than ever” to fight for a political revolution — with a little help from new friends — at a rally Saturday that drew thousands to a New York City park. The rally offered a pointed reminder to skeptics in both political parties that the 78-year-old democratic socialist is still very much a force in the 2020 presidential race. Sanders opened his remarks by apologizing that he secured a permit for only 20,000 people. His campaign, he said, was forced to close the gates on many more people who were trying to enter the Queens park just across the river from Manhattan. “To put it bluntly, I am back,” Sanders declared, sparking chants of, “Bernie is back” from the massive crowd. “I am happy to report to you that I am more than ready — more ready than ever — to carry on with you on the epic struggle that we face today,” he added. “I am more than ready to assume the office of president of the United States.” The event marked Sanders’ formal return to the campaign trail less than three weeks after he suffered a heart attack that threatened both his life and political future. Even before that, he was in danger of falling out of the top-tier in the 2020 Democratic primary field. Polls suggest he’s lagging behind liberal rival Elizabeth Warren and establishment favorite Joe Biden. But the fiery Brooklyn native, backed by a slate of new endorsements and two new stents in an artery connected to his heart, appeared to be expanding his coalition on Saturday. A security company hired by the campaign reported a crowd estimate of 25,000. Among those speaking, filmmaker and activist Michael Moore told the cheering crowd that he was endorsing Sanders, shortly before Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., praised the Vermont senator on stage. “Bernie Sanders fought for me,” Ocasio-Cortez said as she introduced Sanders. She heaped praise on the Vermont senator but did not explicitly say that she was endorsing him. The Sanders campaign announced earlier in the week that she had. Before the rally, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said endorsements this past week from Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in particular were proof that the Sanders campaign is growing. He predicted that they would especially help Sanders strengthen his support among young, minority voters. “Those are two people who I think have immense power to mobilize young people, and I promise you you’ll be seeing them in Iowa, but not only in Iowa, but around the country, trying to get people engaged around the issues,” Shakir said. For now, at least, Sanders can use the help. While he insists he’s ready to move forward, he’s doing so cautiously. Saturday’s rally was his only scheduled appearance before he returns to Iowa late in the coming week. The week after, he’ll join Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for a tour of her congressional district. Tlaib hasn’t announced whether she’ll endorse Sanders, but she is part of the same small “squad” of minority women on Capitol Hill who gave been a target of President Donald Trump. Despite the aggressive rhetoric from Sanders himself, senior adviser Jeff Weaver said Sanders would ease himself back onto the campaign trail. But by December, he predicted, Sanders health scare will be forgotten. Almost all the speakers during Saturday’s event, which spanned several hours on a sunny, crisp fall afternoon, played down the health concerns. “The only heart attack we should be talking about is the one Wall Street is going to have when Bernie Sanders is president,” said Moore, the filmmaker. Nina Turner, one of Sanders’ national co-chairs, said it “boggles my mind” that Sanders’ critics have embraced “ageism.” “Life happens to us all,” she said. “Memo to the haters: hashtag Bernie Is Back,” she added. “We never went anywhere, we just pushed pause for a minute.”Source: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/

By Jessica S. Lee and Arielle Domantay  | Business Insider Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has a social media presence unlike many politicians. She has nearly 5 million Twitter followers and is well-known for her clever comebacks. AOC has clapped back at President Trump, the GOP, and Democrats. Nearly 5 million people follow Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) on Twitter. She's known for her large social media presence and clever comebacks. Here are 9 times Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed Trump, Republicans, and Democrats on Twitter 1. President Trump criticized four freshmen congresswomen on Twitter. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was quick to fire back at Trump with a series of tweets. 2. Trump directly addressed AOC on impeachment. AOC's response? 3. Sen. Lindsey Graham called AOC "anti-American" in an interview with Fox & Friends. AOC called him out… 4. During her 2018 campaign, TV show host John Cardillo criticized AOC for her "poor background." AOC set him straight... 5. Reporter Eddie Scarry criticized AOC's clothing. Scarry deleted his tweet after an AOC response… And AOC called him out. 6. AOC criticized the Democratic National Committee The DNC tried appealing to young people by using Beyonce's lyrics It received a lot of criticism... Even from AOC 7. Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, referred to AOC as "This girl...or whatever she is…" DeSantis: "She's in a totally different universe. It's basically socialism wrapped in ignorance." 8. AOC turned around Fox News' criticisms. 9. One of AOC's most popular tweets came after critics shared footage of her dancing during her college years... Anonymous Q account: "Here is America's favorite commie know-it-all acting like the clueless nitwit she is." AOC didn't seem fazed.

By Alex Pappas | Fox News Republican Scherie Murray is launching a campaign Wednesday for the New York congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Courtesy of Murray campaign) EXCLUSIVE -- Scherie Murray, a New York businesswoman who immigrated from Jamaica as a child and is active in state Republican politics, is launching a campaign Wednesday for the congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Fox News has learned. In a phone interview, Murray, 38, confirmed her intention to run for the New York congressional seat as a Republican. “There is a crisis in Queens, and it’s called AOC,” Murray told Fox News. “And instead of focusing on us, she’s focusing on being famous. Mainly rolling back progress and authoring the job-killing Green New Deal and killing the Amazon New York deal.” Murray, who was born in Jamaica and moved to the United States when she was 9, is officially launching her campaign Wednesday with an introductory video that takes sharp jabs at the 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez. 'There is a crisis in Queens, and it’s called AOC.'   — Scherie Murray “Your representative in Washington chooses self-promotion over service, conflict over constituents, resistance over assistance," Murray said in the video. "Queens and the Bronx needs someone who will create jobs instead of turning them away." Asked about Ocasio-Cortez’s brand of Democratic socialism, Murray said, “I think it’s far, far to the left and it is not connecting with everyday Americans.” As for "Medicare-for-all," which Ocasio-Cortez has embraced, the Republican said: “Medicare-for-all, I think a lot of people are happy with their current health insurance.” And on the Green New Deal, the left-wing proposal to address climate change pushed by Ocasio-Ortez, she said: “We know that it certainly will kill jobs.”   Murray joins four other Republicans who have filed to run for the seat: former police officer John Cummings, medical journalist Ruth Papazian, construction contractor Miguel Hernandez and entrepreneur Antoine Tucker. No Democrats have yet announced a primary challenge to Ocasio-Cortez, though there's been speculation that establishment Democrats could rally behind a primary challenger. Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world in 2018 by defeating longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in a Democratic primary. Whichever Republican candidate emerges from the primary field will face a steep uphill climb in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. But Murray and others are looking to paint Ocasio-Cortez as more of a celebrity than a lawmaker, while stressing their ability to work across party lines. Murray's new campaign video, which doesn’t mention President Trump or the Republican Party, portrays Murray as a bridge-builder. She is a former state committeewoman of the New York State Republican Party. Asked during the interview if she considers herself a Trump supporter, she said “yes.” She said she is in the process of talking with national Republicans about her campaign, including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a prominent black Republican in Congress. She expressed disgust over the recent spat between Trump and Ocasio-Cortez and her allies. Trump has taken heat for telling Ocasio-Cortez and other minority progressives to "go back" to where they came from – provoking accusations from Democrats that Trump's comments are racist. “I think it’s disgusting, to be quite honest,” Murray said of the controversy, without specifying which part of it disgusts her. “I think we are missing the point of why we’re elected to public office: to legislate on policy, to deliver results to those kitchen table issues that are affecting everyday Americans.” Murray later clarified her thoughts on the back-and-forth, saying of Trump's tweet, "Is that how I would have worded it? No. Do I think the president is a racist? No." She added, "But I want to get back to the core of why we’re even talking about this – there is a crisis at our border." Murray, who grew up in Southeast Queens and worked for the city’s Jamaica Bus Depot as a teenager, founded a television production and advertising company called The Esemel Group in 2004. She said her business generated employment for minorities in New York City. She said she no longer works for the company and is now a full-time mother. The GOP primary will take place in June 2020. Winning a general election in New York’s 14th congressional district would be a long shot for any Republican: In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez’s GOP opponent, Anthony Pappas, won just 14 percent of the vote. But Murray still insists a Republican could win – even in a Democratic-controlled district – because of dissatisfaction with Ocasio-Cortez. “A Republican can win the district,” she said. “There is an absolute path to victory when you look at a general election campaign.”