<p class="p1"><span class="s1">What do Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) and former Secretary of State John Kerry (D) have in common? They have both been named by presumptive nominee Joe Biden to co-chair a new climate change task force as part of a partnership between Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The task force is one of six joint policy committees designed to forge unity between the moderate and progressive arms of the Democratic Party.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“In the midst of the unprecedented economic and pandemic crises we face, the Democratic Party must think big, act boldly, and fight to change the direction of this country,” said Mr. Sanders. “I commend Joe Biden for working together with my campaign to assemble a group of leading thinkers and activists who can and will unify our party in a transformation and progressive direction.”</span></p>
<p>The five other task forces will address <span class="s1">criminal justice reform, economy, education, healthcare, and immigration. </span><span class="s1">AOC, who has yet to endorse Mr. Biden, will serve on the climate policy team as a direct representative of Mr. Sanders. All six task forces will meet ahead of the Democratic National Convention to make recommendations to the DNC Platform Committee as well as to Biden directly. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">AOC is a strong proponent of the “Green New Deal,&#8221; a harebrained proposal to transition the US to 100% renewable energy while guaranteeing every citizen access to gainful employment, free college, healthcare, clean water, and housing. </span><span class="s1"><strong>By some estimates, the GND would cost each American household up to $65,000 per year.</strong> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Joe Biden’s campaign website describes the GND as a “crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face” that “powerfully captures two basic truths…(1) the US urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The six task forces are a bold attempt to unify Democratic voters ahead of the November election, but is Biden really so senile that he doesn’t understand the broader ramifications of bringing an extremist like AOC into his inner circle?</span></p>