Ocasio-Cortez: No one ‘should be too poor to live’ in America

The New York Democrat who stunned the city with a primary win this week said in an interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert Thursday that no one “should be too poor to live” in the United States.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made the comment after Colbert asked her what being a Democratic socialist meant to her. She defeated Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) Tuesday in a big primary upset.

“For me, democratic socialism is about — really, the value for me is that I believe that in a modern, moral and wealthy society, no person in America should be too poor to live,” Ocasio-Cortez told CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

{mosads}Ocasio-Cortez said she believes health care is a human right and that all children should be able to attend either a trade school or college as part of her platform as a democratic socialist.

“It is unacceptable to be disrespectful of Congressman Crowley,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN in an interview.

“He’s done some phenomenal, phenomenal work for the Bronx and Queens.” 

Ocasio-Cortez, who is 28 and hails from the Bronx, is expected to win the general election this fall against her GOP opponent in a deep-blue district.