Former US Senator Joe Lieberman criticized the newly-elected Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying he hopes she is not the future of the party during an interview with Fox Business last Thursday.
Lieberman said Ocasio-Cortez was too "different" from the rest of the Democratic Party, as well as too "controversial."
"With all respect, I certainly hope she's not the future, and I don't believe she is," he said.
Ocasio-Cortez has gained notoriety for being one of the most radically liberal Democrats, triggering criticism even from within her own party.
Lieberman, who represented the state of Connecticut in the Senate from 1989 to 2013, pointed out that many Democrats managed to win "purple" districts — ones where support is uncertain for either of the major parties — by being more centrist and moderate in their positions.
"The more typical Democrat elected to the House for the first time this year didn't share her point of view," he said. "They were center-left."
In reacting on Twitter to Lieberman's comments last week, Ocasio-Cortez suggested Lieberman had been left behind by the changes in the Democratic Party.
"New party, who dis?," she tweeted Thursday.
New party, who dis? https://t.co/2cznisv8tB
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) 11 января 2019 г.
Lieberman reportedly commented on this reaction, calling it "kind of silly," according to the New York Post.
Lieberman was Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore's running mate in 2000. He lost his Democratic Senate primary in 2006 but mounted a successful third-party bid to keep his Senate seat. In 2008, he endorsed his good friend Senator John McCain, a Republican, over the Democrats' nominee, Senator Barack Obama, sparking criticism from his fellow Democrats. Lieberman backed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
