Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized MSNBC Wednesday for not asking the right questions during the first night of Democratic debates, saying the moderators didn’t correctly approach a “broad, systemic issue.”
The questions ranged from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee being asked whether his climate plan will “save Miami,” asking former HUD Secretary Julián Castro “who pays for the mitigation of climate change,” and asking former Rep. Beto O’Rourke how he would respond to a voter who values freedom from government and sees climate change as “ordering him how to live.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal advocate for addressing climate change, said these questions do not handle the topic correctly.
“I don’t think we are discussing climate change the way we need to be discussing climate change. It is such a huge, broad, systemic issue, and you can’t just say, ’Is Miami going to exist in 50 years? We need to say: ’What are you going to do about this,’ ” the New York Democrat said on CBS’ “The Late Show” Wednesday.
“I know there’s a lot of folks, a lot of young people that have been mobilizing for an entire climate debate in the Democratic caucus. I think it’s a good idea because when it comes to climate change, is an infrastructure issue. It’s a jobs issue. It’s an energy issue. It’s a foreign policy issue. And we can’t just talk about the Copacabana,” she said.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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