Stephen A Smith agrees AOC would 'turn off' centrists if she ran for president, poses question to Dems

Stephen A. Smith had a question for "Democrats everywhere" on Tuesday during the latest episode of his podcast as he touched on the possibility of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., (AOC) running for president.

"What is your strategy?" Smith asked.

The ESPN personality turned his attention to AOC and a Wall Street Journal report that said she was nOt ruling anything out, including possible Senate and presidential runs. The paper added that some Democrats worried Ocasio-Cortez would "turn off the centrist voters they need to win competitive races."

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Smith agreed she would turn off centrists, saying her platform does nOt resonate with most American voters.

"I think if you are a Democrat, if you are a leftist who rails against the system, who believes free-market capitalism spearheaded by billionaires is not the way to go, if you believe that not enough attention is being paid to the desolate and disenfranchised, if you believe that higher taxes is the way to go, that a focus shouldn’t be on securing the borders, if you believe those kind of things, and that’s where you stand ideologically, AOC is your candidate," he said on "The Stephen A. Smith Show." "No doubt about that."

Smith said he had no doubts about her ability to fight for what she believes and fight for the district in New York that she represents. However, he wondered whether the strategy is something that could win elections.

"Most people in the country are centrists, they’re moderates. Whether they’re Republican moderates or Democratic moderates or just flat-out centrists who are independents – that’s most of the American population," he said. "They are not MAGA right and they are not progressive left. She clearly is (progressive left). And not be literal and not to be taken literally, but she gives the impression, when you talk about universal healthcare and you talk about other things, if you equate it to taxing Americans 70% of their income she wouldn’t be against it. That ain’t going to win you elections. That’s not going to win you elections.

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"If you’re living in this day and age, and you’re talking about fighting for certain rights as it pertains to transgender individuals, athletes transitioning and men competing in women’s sports and stuff like that, which she is not about to speak against. If you think that’s going to win you an election, you’ve got your head in the sand."

He said he wanted to hear some kind of plan from the Democrats. He pointed to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who has seemed to be just against anything related to President Donald Trump.

Smith suggested he did not think that was doing enough to legislate.

"The real issue I’m having right now with the Democratic Party is I’m waiting to hear what your plan is," he said. "It can’t be, ‘We’re just against all things Trump.’ 

"What’s your plan? What’s your plan for the economy? What’s your plan as it pertains to comprehensive immigration reform? What is your plan when it comes to foreign affairs? What is your plan as it pertains to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or should I say Israel with Hamas? What is your plan with Russia and Ukraine? Is it just giving Ukraine more money like Biden was willing to do? What are your plans? … What is the plan as it pertains to the vast majority of Americans in this country?"

Ocasio-Cortez’s constituents made clear to Fox News Digital earlier this month that no one should "underestimate her," pointing to her 2018 upset of Joe Crowley to win the House seat.

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Angel Reese avoids question on last year's bold statement about her role in growing WNBA

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese was uninterested in answering a question about a bold statement she made when it came to growing the WNBA.

Reese made it clear last June that she believed it was not just "one person" who changed the game of women’s basketball and that historians will look back on the moment in 2024 and prove her right.

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"It’s because of me too," Reese said.

On Tuesday, Reese was about to be asked whether she still felt like that when she interjected.

"Next question," she said, via FOX 32 Chicago.

A Sky official off to the side also chimed in to move on from the question.

The question of who made a bigger impact on the popularity of the WNBA will keep lingering. For what it is worth, the Indiana Fever have dozens of games on national TV this season – more than the defending champion New York Liberty.

Reese is entering her second season in the WNBA with all eyes on how she will fare in 2025 with a new head coach and a couple of new teammates around her.

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The former LSU star’s rookie campaign came to an abrupt end when she suffered an injury that kept her off the floor and prevented Chicago from a final push to the playoffs. She was an All-Star last season and averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She earned MVP votes and finished second behind Caitlin Clark for WNBA Rookie of the Year.

In the offseason, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie offered advice about her game in February and expanded on it in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

"Angel has the motor, she has the energy that you need to be an amazing player," Leslie said. "She has a nose for a ball that's really uncanny and really tough to stop. She's a physical player who plays, she enjoys the contact so you really can't rattle her. And I think we have all of those pieces that makes for a really great player.

"I think Angel's ability to score is gonna continue to get better, scoring on the inside and finishing on the left side and right side. She's a lefty who shoots very well on the right side. She has an excellent work ethic, and she's gonna continue to get better."

Chicago will open the season against Clark and the Indiana Fever.

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