They’re both gaffe-prone, they feign expertise on how things work, and they’ve become powerful beyond everyone’s expectations.
You could almost say that Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and President Trump are two sides of the same coin.
In June 2015 when Trump announced he was running for president, the Washington Post fact-checked 13 of his statements, none of which included his comment about Mexico “not sending their best.”
Three years later in June 2018, Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world after she upset House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., in the Democratic primary. She became a star for the party overnight, and has been on a media blitz ever since her primary win. The Washington Post fact-checked five statements she made after making the media rounds.
Over the past few months, however, Ocasio-Cortez’s critics, specifically conservatives, have latched themselves onto every word that has come out of her mouth. While she’s made a valid point about how Amazon could worsen the housing crisis in New York and the D.C. metro area after the company announced it would split construction of its second headquarters, there are times where she just gets basic facts wrong.
In a video call over the weekend with Justice Democrats that was posted to Facebook, Ocasio-Cortez incorrectly called the three branches of the federal government “chambers,” referring to the presidency, House, and Senate.
Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress — Uh, rather, all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House.”
The 3 branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial. pic.twitter.com/8rPSpzottE
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 19, 2018
It seems to be an honest misstatement on her part. While it might bring up questions about how well she knows basic civics, there’s certainly little rationale to incessantly pile on her. Yet, there were plenty of conservatives online who wouldn’t let a golden opportunity go to waste. Here’s one example:
What is a chamber of government, @Ocasio2018? 🤔🧐 https://t.co/DNAQWIlbzm
— Rep. Niraj Antani (@NirajAntani) November 19, 2018
As enjoyable as it may be to expose an elected official for not understanding aspects of our government, it has become apparent that conservatives are doing to Ocasio-Cortez what the left has been doing to Trump for the last three and a half years: concentrating on every misstatement as a way to highlight how out of place they are in D.C. politics.
And conservatives are doing themselves no favors here. They’re underestimating her. Liberals lowered their guard when Trump ran for president because his gaffes were so frequently mocked that few of his political opponents saw him as a legitimate threat to power.
If the question still comes up in your head as to how Trump became a political juggernaut (and won the presidency), it starts with what’s happening to Ocasio-Cortez right now. Conservatives are risking a lot by only focusing on her gaffes, which in turn is solidifying her power among the Democratic base. To use an old adage, even bad publicity is good publicity.
