OPINION:
The outgoing senator from Missouri, Democrat Claire McCaskill, went on CNN and told the host and listening national audience she was “confused” why the House’s newest soon-to-be-seated member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was “the thing,” given her all talk, no action state of reality.
Well, aren’t we all.
On one hand, Ocasio-Cortez is “the thing” because she’s an openly, unashamed, unabashed socialist in a land where socialists don’t belong. But on the other, McCaskill’s right: “She’s now talked about a lot [but] I’m not sure what she’s done yet to generate that kind of enthusiasm.”
Fact is, Ocasio-Cortez has talked so much, and about so much of which she obviously knows so little, that lists have been generated, headlines have been written, simply to highlight her latest eyebrow-raisers. And honestly, it’s tough keeping track.
“Ocasio-Cortez Makes Most Idiotic Statement Ever On Twitter,” the Daily Wire wrote, back in July, about her call-out of the Republican Party as weak on crime, equal rights, national security, and so forth and so on.
“VOTE On The Dumbest Thing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Ever Said,” the Daily Caller blasted also in July, while covering the then-candidate’s campaign for Congress.
“Will the media ever call out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ignorance?” the Washington Examiner wondered in a headline from August.
“25+ Best Alexandria OCasio-Cortez Quotes,” Quote Catalog cataloged.
“The Seven Craziest Things Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Said So Far,” blared Townhall in a headline from November, before writing: “[J]ust about everything that comes out of the young congresswoman-elect’s mouth is either patently untrue, ridiculously unworkable, unintentionally hilarious, or ripped straight from the pages of Das Kapital (in which case it’s all of the above).”
Google even supplies a provides a handy-dandy collection of “images for ocasio-cortez most stupid sayings.” Now that’s impressive.
But get the point?
Lists are being generated about Ocasio-Cortez’s rhetoric — and not in a good way.
And McCaskill is smart to take notice.
“I wish her well,” the exiting senator said, Breitbart noted. “I hope she hangs the moon. But I hope she also realizes that the parts of the country that are rejecting the Democratic Party, like a whole lot of white working-class voters, need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs, and how we can really stick to issues that we can actually accomplish something on.”
Now for the real zing: “The rhetoric is cheap,” McCaskill said. “Getting results is a lot harder.”
Precisely. And that’s where socialism fails.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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