Never mind that Ronald Reagan beat incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980 by 440 electoral votes.
Never mind that he won again in 1984 with every state except Minnesota and D.C.
Never mind that “Reagan Democrats” were so prevalent, they became their own category memorialized in political history.
Never mind all that – because 30-year-old N.Y. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was born nearly a full a year after Reagan left office, now says the only reason Reagan won the presidency was because “[Democrats] were asleep.”
"This was [Rev. Jesse Jackson's] analysis back then in 1984 that ‘Reagan won not by genius, he won while we were asleep. He won by the margin of despair. He won by the fracture of our coalition. By the margin of racial division. He won by default.’ Does that sound familiar, Michigan?” AOC told a crowd of Bernie Sanders supporters during a campaign stop over the weekend.
Rep. @AOC: "This was [Rev. Jesse Jackson's] analysis back then in 1984 that Reagan won not by genius, he won while we were asleep... Does that sound familiar?" pic.twitter.com/7m7I0NP50S
— The Hill (@thehill) March 9, 2020
Like Reagan, and as Ocasio-Cortez disdainfully points out, President Donald Trump also won over many blue states – including Michigan -- where he was able to successfully appeal to blue-collar Democrats disenchanted with liberal politicians and policies.
And if Reagan's victory, like Trump's, was simply because Dems were "asleep," that must've been one heck of an Ambien.