These are 6 of the most outrageous, hysterical right-wing attacks on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - so far
Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is still half a month away from taking over Rep. Joe Crowley’s (D-NY) seat in the House of Representatives, but the far right is obsessed with her every move—and anyone who watches Fox News or reads right-wing websites on a regular basis can see how hysterical and over-the-top much of the criticism has been.
Like her mentor, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a “democratic socialist” but is essentially a New Deal/Great Society liberal; her political heritage is President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President Lyndon B. Johnson and the modern governments of countries like Sweden and Denmark—not Che Guevara or Fidel Castro. But the far right is terrified of her, and as 2019 draws closer, the attacks on Ocasio-Cortez are becoming increasingly hysterical.
Here are six of the most outrageous far-right attacks on Ocasio-Cortez.
1. Donald Trump Jr. claims that Ocasio-Cortez’ policies would lead to Americans eating dogs
On Instagram, Donald Trump, Jr. posted a photo of Ocasio-Cortez alongside the question, “Why are you so afraid of a socialist economy?” Trump Jr.’s answer: “because Americans want to walk their dogs, not eat them.” The president’s son was implying that the liberal/progressive policies Ocasio-Cortez favors would lead to the type of economic crisis that is plaguing Venezuela, which has been suffering from severe food shortages. But the Venezuela analogy is ridiculous fear-mongering on Trump Jr.’s part. The types of policies that Ocasio-Cortez proposes are considered no-brainers in European countries like Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden—all of which have some of the highest standards of living in the developed world.
2.Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavendra argues that Ocasio-Cortez ‘wants to destroy capitalism’
True Marxist-Leninists detest FDR because they believe that he saved capitalism in the United States. FDR and his modern-day admirers—from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to economist Robert Reich—have often stressed that while capitalism is a good system, it can degenerate into chaos and anarchy when it isn’t properly regulated. Managing capitalism and trying to destroy it are two very different things, and for Ocasio-Cortez, part of a regulated capitalism is transitioning from fossil fuels to a green economy. Ocasio-Cortez has cited a Green New Deal as a “vehicle to truly deliver and establish economic, social, and racial justice in the United States of America”—and the Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavendra, quoting her on Twitter, posted, “Translation: she wants to destroy capitalism.”
Saavendra equates job creation and technological advances with a desire to destroy capitalism, which is idiotic even for a Daily Wire contributor.
3. Fox News’ Liz Peeks insists that Ocasio-Cortez’ green energy proposals would ‘cripple our economy’
To Liz Peeks, one of the many climate change deniers at Fox News, Ocasio-Cortez’ ideas for green energy are incompatible with a strong economy—and her “proposal would cripple our economy and hurt our poorest citizens.” But the horrors of climate change are terrible for the U.S. economy and terrible for the United States’ poorest citizens, and Ocasio-Cortez is smart enough to realize that climate change is not only an environmental issue—it is also an economic issue and a class issue.
4. Mike Huckabee claims that Ocasio-Cortez compared her election victory to Apollo 11
Change isn’t easy. Ocasio-Cortez has said that transitioning from fossil fuels to a Green New Deal “will take a level of ambition + innovation on the scale of the moon landing.” Her point: although the transition won’t be easy, it’s doable. But to hear former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tell it, Ocasio-Cortez is comparing herself to the astronauts of Apollo 11. On December 2, Huckabee tweeted, “Ocasio-Cortez compares her election to moon landing. Huh? Big difference. Moon landing was LUNAR, not LOONEY.” And Ocasio-Cortez responded with a tweet of her own: “Leave the false statements to Sarah Huckabee. She’s much better at it.” Ouch!
5. Fox News ridicules Ocasio-Cortez for noting How unaffordable rent is in Washington, DC
In June 2017, former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz argued that because rents are so high in Washington, DC, Congress members should receive $30,000 a year for their rent—at the taxpayers’ expense. Not surprisingly, the far-right media didn’t take offense at Chaffetz’ insistence that taxpayers pay his rent. But when Ocasio-Cortez commented on how high DC rents are after her victory in the 2018 midterms, Fox New’ commentators went after her with a vengeance. Ocasio-Cortez’ response on Twitter: “It’s been very revealing to see how gleefully Fox News hosts crack jokes about working-class people. It reveals what they actually think about us.”
Unlike Chaffetz—who Fox News adores—Ocasio-Cortez never asked taxpayers for $30,000 a year for her rent. But the minute Ocasio-Cortez even mentions how unaffordable housing is in the nation’s capital, Fox News becomes hysterical.
6. John Cardillo argues that the electoral college is needed to protect the U.S. from Ocasio-Cortez’ voters
In 2018, Newsmax extremist John Cardillo has not only demonstrated that he doesn’t take domestic terrorism seriously—he has also expressed his utter contempt for democracy. When Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sen. Cory Booker and other prominent Democrats were being mailed pipe bombs in October, Cardillo claimed that the whole thing was a Democrat-driven hoax (obviously, the FBI didn’t see it that way). And his offensive comments continued after the midterms when he tweeted, “@Ocasio2018 is a perfect example of why the Electoral College is so important. Without it, the people who voted for her would make decisions for (all) of us.”
Cardillo carries his tribalism to a twisted extreme. When Democrats become victims of domestic terrorism, he isn’t concerned—and when they win elections by a landslide like Ocasio-Cortez did in Queens and the Bronx, Cardillo believes that those who voted for them shouldn’t count.
