Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has divided Twitter after dunking on the credentials and quality of witnesses called by GOP lawmakers to testify before Congress, describing their presence as a source of embarrassment.
The young, left-leaning star of the Democratic Party said that she was “genuinely surprised” by the “sheer mediocrity” of many of the experts enlisted by her colleagues across the aisle at the House Education and Labor Committee hearing on Wednesday.
“I honestly thought GOP witnesses would be well-prepared, w/ sophisticated arguments for the opposing view – evil-genius lobbyist types. But they’re often sloppy + reaching (not all though).”
“I think if everyday GOP voters saw the witnesses called on their behalf, they’d be upset.”
I honestly thought GOP witnesses would be well-prepared, w/ sophisticated arguments for the opposing view – evil-genius lobbyist types.
But they’re often sloppy + reaching (not all though). I think if everyday GOP voters saw the witnesses called on their behalf, they’d be upset.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 2, 2019
As an example, the New York Democrat claimed that Republicans had “brought in a guy [with] a polka dot bowtie backed by oil lobbyists arguing that fossil fuels are ‘healthy’. HEALTHY.”
The shoddy quality of GOP-backed experts is “embarrassing,” the freshman lawmaker added.
Ocasio-Cortez earlier weighed in on an exchange between Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Democratic Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood at the House Education and Labor Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Unimpressed by Acosta’s apparent lack of knowledge about women’s health and contraception issues, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “The mediocrity is astounding.”
The mediocrity is astounding.
How would these guys like it if Gov was 80% female, constantly looking for ways to limit or outlaw condoms + vasectomies, yet had little/no medical context?
Sounds crazy? The flipside is what women & LGBTQ+ people have to deal w/ ALL the time. 🤦🏽♀️ https://t.co/6GfysHlNFD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 2, 2019
Her criticism received mixed reviews on social media, with some applauding the lawmaker for her brash honesty, while others claimed that her youth and inexperience was similar to the cause of her disdain for the GOP’s “embarrassing” experts.
“Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight! We’re with you!” one supporter tweeted at her.
Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight! We’re with you!
— Michelle Olmstead (@MichelleOlmste8) May 3, 2019
Others took swings at Ocasio-Cortez’s age – at 29, she is the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress – saying that she simply doesn’t understand what the “adults” are talking about.
“It’s hard for adults to prepare to speak in front of a room full of adults and prepare a separate speech for the millennial so she can understand what they were saying. Adding the words ‘like’ and ‘um’ are difficult for grown ups,” one of her anonymous social media critics said.
It’s hard for adults to prepare to speak in front of a room full of adults and prepare a separate speech for the millennial so she can understand what they were saying. Adding the words “like” and “um” are difficult for grown ups.
— chris williams (@chriswil72) May 3, 2019
A handful of netizens took a slightly different approach, accusing the whole of Congress of being a national disgrace.
The whole government is embarrassing.
— Tory Olson (@ToryOlson) May 3, 2019
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