They absolutely don't see them as a threat, none of these fucking ghouls see any of their "opposition" as a threat. AOC and Bernie don't even exist for these people, they only exist as an idea. Just like Al Qaeda or Saddam or bathroom sickos or whatever. The idea of Bernie and AOC as the screeching college kid loving communists coming to shout at you for being mean to your gardener allows them to leverage themselves more power. That's it. All this means is that the idea of AOC is more powerful as a heel to these people than the idea of Schumer or Pelosi is. Make of that what you will, but it's utterly irrelevant from a leftist perspective on their individual efficacy.