One of the country's most influential progressive Democrats will get just 60 seconds to speak at the overhauled virtual Democratic National Convention next week where Joe Biden is poised to accept his party's presidential nomination, Insider has learned.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is pre-recording a one-minute speech from her home base in New York to be heard on Tuesday night, according to her spokeswoman. Ocasio-Cortez is writing her own words - with the blessings of the Democratic National Committee.
Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez co-chaired a Biden task force on climate change with former Secretary of State John Kerry. Ocasio-Cortez was chosen to serve on the climate panel as a representative of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom she endorsed in the presidential primary over Biden.
In July, Ocasio-Cortez celebrated the release of the task force's recommendations: "Among the notable gains: we shaved *15 years* off Biden's previous target for 100% clean energy," the New York Democrat tweeted.
While the 30-year old congresswoman can boast of a brief moment in the coveted convention spotlight, other members of "the Squad" appear to be missing from the roster. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib will be speaking at a joint delegation meeting but is not on the keynote speaker list, according to her spokesman. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota also didn't make the cut of publicly released speakers.
Biden's efforts to unite progressives after a splintered presidential primary will remain in the forefront in the final weeks of his campaign, even as the country grapples with a deadly pandemic. And Ocasio-Cortez and other key progressives have vowed to keep up the pressure.
But COVID-19 and the push to unite Democrats against President Trump have dampened the internal angst that was on full display at the party's 2016 convention in Philadelphia. There, tensions between supporters of Sanders and Hillary Clinton were uncomfortably high amid policy disputes over the fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and WikiLeaks' release of stolen emails that showed the party brass undermined Sanders' White House bid while helping Clinton's run.
Democrats won't have much of a chance to voice displeasure at next week's tightly organized virtual convention - except on social media sites like Twitter. In 2016, the Philadelphia convention was marred with chants for "Bernie" even as the Vermont senator praised Clinton and called for unity.
Beginning Monday, the downscaled convention will feature two hours of primetime events on four consecutive nights. Notable speakers include former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Sanders, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and newly announced vice-presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris, among others.
Pete Buttigieg, a Biden rival in 2020, will deliver his speech live from a city landmark in South Bend, Ind., his spokesman said. Buttigieg, the former South Bend mayor who has since served as a surrogate for Biden in campaigning and fundraising, will deliver his address ahead of Biden's acceptance speech. Biden will speak alongside his family from Delaware.
There is a general understanding that a virtual convention means less speaking slots - but not all are happy with the current schedule. Andrew Yang, another former Biden rival from 2020, made his dissent known Tuesday on Twitter.
"I've got to be honest I kind of expected to speak," Yang tweeted.
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