U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez issued a confusing tweet last week accusing a male CNN journalist of sexist reporting on a story that was actually penned by a pair of women.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, popularly known as “AOC” by her followers and critics alike, replied to a tweet by CNN reporter Andrew Kaczyknski. The tweet linked to an article about U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren which revealed that the Democratic presidential candidate staged a lucrative side career as an attorney during her pre-Senate career as a Harvard law professor.
AOC took this as an offense. In a bizarre reply, the progressive lawmaker suggested that this was not only worth reporting on all, but to do so was akin to sexism. She also included jabs at Wall Street and Big Pharma, in line with her progressive persona.
BREAKING NEWS: Lady Had A Job, Got Paid More Than Me
Nice work. Now do the amount of Wall Street, Big Pharma, & Fossil Fuel 💰 presidential candidates accepted over their careers & how much they’re taking now. https://t.co/PI7xh1eQOE
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 23, 2019
The tweet here suggests that Kaczynski is simply upset that Warren, a woman, made more money than him. The senator was reportedly making around $675 per hour with her legal work during her tenured career at Harvard.
Apparently, the New York native overlooked a couple of things. First, the article in question was penned not by Kaczynski, but rather by two female researchers writing for the Washington Post. Elise Viebeck and Annie Linskey found that Warren dealt with at least 50 legal matters at the time.
The original story in question undercuts Warren’s image as some sort of working class champion. Like AOC, Warren is typically perceived to be among the Democratic Party’s hard-left wing. This doesn’t stack up well considering Warren’s career as both an elite Ivy League professor as well as a very prolific attorney.
Obviously, there really isn’t anything sexist happening here — either by the Washington Post’s writers or by the CNN reporter. But, it portrays a far-left female politician in a negative light, and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez can’t have that. Shooting past the clear conclusion that Warren’s credentials as a pure progressive may be less than genuine, AOC is claiming that a sexist male is jut trying to downplay a strong woman’s accomplishments.
This isn’t the first time Ocasio-Cortez enthusiastically pulled the “sexism” card where no sexist behavior took place. Earlier in her political career — which followed a bartending gig — the then-candidate for Congress accused conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro of “catcalling” her by challenging her to an on-air debate. Of course, the prospective representative would have had every right to simply say “no”, but she had to take it a step further.
Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions.
And also like catcalling, for some reason they feel entitled to one. pic.twitter.com/rsD17Oq9qe
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 10, 2018
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez remains a favorite among American progressive circles. Her proposed “Green New Deal”, which included far-reaching goals to rebuild every single building in the United States as well as ban air travel, has been embraced by Democratic Party ideologues and presidential candidates, including Elizabeth Warren.
~ Liberty Planet
