Nothing is beyond the dreams and the hubris of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez… but would she really run for president in 2024?

Well, consider the current situation. As the midterms are approaching, the media is suddenly noticing that Joe Biden is quite old. And that nobody really likes him. What’s even more problematic, nobody likes Kamala Harris, either. And has been repeatedly pointed out, that Democrat bench of possible presidential contenders is not deep, and full of also-rans and old people.

While Dems are nervous about Biden's age/presentation on TV — they're not sold on Harris either and nobody thinks the field would defer to her if Biden steps aside.

Names suggested: Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Warren, Booker, Beto & Bernie not ruling 24 out!https://t.co/beFmFtSL2l

— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) June 11, 2022

When on CNN’s “State of the Union” yesterday, AOC was asked directly by Dana Bash if she would be supporting Joe Biden’s reelection bid in 2024. The fact that Bash even felt like this was a question to pose to AOC is telling, because it indirectly reveals just how uneasy the media is about Biden. If the media is uneasy, then they want to check in with the Thought Leaders of The Squad. And AOC definitely was hedging all her bets in her answer to Dana Bash.

The left-wing lawmaker was asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if she will support Biden — but dodged the question, saying Democrats have to get through the fall’s midterm elections first.”

“First of all, I’m focused on winning this majority right now and preserving a majority this year in 2022,” Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the Bronx and Queens, told host Dana Bash.”

“So we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” she continued. “But I think if the president has a vision, then that’s something certainly we’re all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.”

Bash pushed back, pointing out, “That’s not a yes.”

“Yes, I think we should endorse when we get to it,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “But I believe that the president has been doing a very good job so far. And should he run again, I think that we will take a look at it.”​

Well, the numbers out this morning show Biden continuing to just tank in the polls. The odds that the Democrats keep the majority in the House? Pretty much nonexistent, if the polling data collated by RealClearPolitics on the House midterm races is any indication. Sure, AOC herself is in a safe seat, but there’s a whole lot of Democrats who have already announced their retirement because they can see what’s coming. AOC doesn’t care if Democrats end up in the minority, because she figures it will make her voice – and that of the “progressive” democratic socialists – a whole lot louder. She’s still going to be invited onto the Sunday morning shows as the voice of the progressive left wing, even if she does nothing but warm a seat in the House – which, to be fair, is pretty much all she does now.

But her not-a-yes answer caught the eye of more than one person on both sides of the political aisle.

this is not a prediction, just a little tidbit of information — AOC turns 35 less than a month before Election Day 2024. https://t.co/0OMjG0nUnz

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) June 12, 2022

( @AOC is the best person for the job. If she runs for president She'll be 35 before taking oath of office.

(It doesn't say that no person can run for president under the age of 35, it specifically says no person under the age of 35 shall take the oath of office) pic.twitter.com/983PB4LJrc

— Democratic socialist. anti capitalist. (@raynacruz40) June 9, 2022

As we have all heard repeatedly, Joe Biden was elected to the Senate before he turned 30 (the required minimum age for the Senate), but turned 30 before he was sworn in. (It should also be noted that Biden has now spent close to FORTY YEARS on the taxpayers’ dime, and has miraculously become very rich over the course of those forty years. So much for “working class blue-collar Joe Biden,” right?) So the precedent of running for an office that you don’t meet the age requirement for has already been set – and AOC actually would have a better case than Biden did, because she would turn 35 before the actual election.

Now, would AOC actually run for president in 2024? Maybe, because this isn’t about winning – this is about AOC continuing to build her personal brand. She declined to challenge Chuck Schumer in a Democrat primary for his Senate seat (and Schumer has run hard to the left in fear of a challenger), which would have been a real test of her statewide electability. This IS New York we are talking about, after all – AOC probably had a 50/50 chance of winning a Senate primary election. However, in a anticipated red wave midterm election? Voters in New York will likely re-elect Schumer without batting an eye (unfortunately), but would have had a very hard time doing so for AOC this year. Could AOC run for president without even attempting a statewide election first? That’s been done before very recently (examples: Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, Bill de Blasio). It’s almost not about electability anymore when it comes to presidential races – it’s about personality and branding. And AOC has marked that out for her in spades.

So, could AOC actually mount a presidential campaign? Absolutely. Will she? That will completely depend on the shellacking the Democrats take in the midterms, and how Biden’s cognitive functioning and Kamala’s poll numbers continue to decline. If AOC sees an opening, I think she has enough arrogance, and belief in her own righteousness, to take the chance.

And frankly, a primary debate between the mental heavyweights of Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be a popcorn-worthy event.

Welcome Instapundit Readers!

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click