OPINION:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be one of America’s loudest voices of socialism, but that hasn’t stopped her from exploiting the nation’s system of capitalism for personal advantage.
She’s out and about hawking her special brand of “Tax the Rich” T-shirts on her online store.
Ain’t the free market grand?
It allows even socialists the chance to profit. And profit big.
From Reuters: “Her campaign paid political merchandise firm Financial Innovations, which operates her online store and supplies merchandise, more than $1.4 million in the first six months of 2021 … That is more than many lawmakers spent on their entire re-election efforts during the period, and nearly double her payments made over the prior two years to Financial Innovations.”
In other words: Her political merchandising is proving profitable.
Ocasio-Cortez defends her venture of capitalism as — well, not capitalism, but rather “transactions.” Oh no she didn’t.
“Capitalism,” she tweeted to Sean Spicer, former Republican White House official-turned Newsmax news host, who pointed out the hypocrisy of a socialist delving deep into the free market for personal gain — “Capitalism,” she tweeted, “is a system that prioritizes profit at any & all human/enviro cost. But … our shop if unionized, doesn’t operate for profit & funds projects like free tutoring, food programs & local organizing.”
Skewed definition of capitalism aside, Ocasio-Cortez is deceptive on a different count, too: As Reuters makes clear, campaign dollars fund her online store, which in turn fund her socialist message on the streets, which in turn create quite a celebrity stir for her — which in turn leads to her own ambitious political boost in power, prestige and influence.
She’s winning big by selling her campaign-funded gear. And whether the cash she receives from her sweatshirts, T-shirts and other “AOC”-marked merchandise goes directly in her pockets, or into the causes of “free tutoring” and such — free, of course, meaning paid — doesn’t matter. She gains. She gains personally. She gains big. And she gains big because of this thing in America called capitalism.
Once again, socialism and all its inherent hypocrisies and deceptions are exposed.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Socialists Don’t Sleep: Christians Must Rise Or America Will Fall,” is available by clicking HERE.
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