I know and agree with your points, but the time wasn’t ripe then. There are always people ahead of the curve and AOC is one. When she got there the Dem machine was still too powerful and too early to change it but now things have changed. People are now demanding that the old guard Dems either stand up and fight or get out and make room. AOC will be a leader in that.

The last election was a mortal wound to the old Dem party–not dead yet but dying and its infrastructure is there and ready to be taken over and appropriated for a new purpose.

Remember the TEA party is how the right started their movement. It took several election cycles but eventually every old guard Repub either joined them or got kicked out. They won because they had a significant movement of regular people behind them and then a charasmatic leader appeared and took the lead. That needs to happen on the left.