Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked for tweet honoring the late John McCain

[RandySF]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s base erupted last night after she praised the late John McCain’s “decency.” She tweeted:

John McCain’s legacy represents an unparalleled example of human decency and American service. As an intern, I learned a lot about the power of humanity in government through his deep friendship with Sen. Kennedy. He meant so much, to so many. My prayers are with his family.

There’s a heaping pile of “wtfs” and trash GIFs in here, but the intermittent critiques mainly pinpoint her choice to praise McCain’s political record rather than offering a simple condolence. “I still support you, and I’m sure most of the people criticizing you also do as well, but it is disappointing for you to lay praise on such an awful man. You could have just sympathized for his family, said nothing etc.,” one follower tweeted. Others accuse her of pandering and drifting from her own hardline principles, while defenders and conservatives jumped in to attack the critics for vitriol.


https://jezebel.com/these-3-600-comments-are-none-too-pleased-with-alexandr-1828611560

[pangaia]

1. If I were to make just one comment,

it would be " unparalleled example of human decency " ?

Not to judge McCain's exhibited level of human decency, great or small, but "unparalleled?"

I don't think so,.

[pnwmom]

6. I bet she was referring to his decision to stay with his men in Vietnam

though he was given the chance to leave without them, years earlier.

[Hortensis]

2. Ex-presidents speaking at the funeral have to say this

stuff, also other top national leaders required to speak during the various ceremonies. Perhaps she felt that theirs as an appropriate style for her to adopt as a new national figure (and she does see herself that way).

I'm among those who feel these ceremonial statements are not appropriate for those who are not required to produce them or are not strong economic conservative believers.

For instance, those last would be supporters of this below that hurts every present and future worker in America:

May 21, 2018: The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to the rights of workers on Monday by allowing companies to require them to sign away their ability to bring class-action claims against management, agreements already in place for about 25 million employees.

Yes, it was conservative-majority SCOTUS that delivered a final blow for Senator McCain and his party to workers fighting forced arbitration AND elimination of our right to fight through joint class action suits. But Senator McCain voted many times over the years for the transfer of rights from employees to employers, in this way and many others. In fact, one of his very last votes in the senate was to strip the right to sue employers in court from a group of government workers whose rights were still protected.

One of the other last 3 was for the senate version of the Tax Heist (his vote for the final bill was not needed, so he didn't attend).

Barak Obama, end to eulogy: That's perhaps how we honor him best, by recognizing that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power, that the things that are worth risking everything for, principles that are eternal, truths that are abiding. At his best, John showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt.

That "at his best" is a phrase to memorize. At his best, John McCain was very decent and served his nation well.

[comradebillyboy]

3. I don't think I want to criticize OAC for being gracious.

It's one of her good qualities.

[MineralMan]

4. Then her base is very brittle, indeed.

If that's all it takes to knock them off-track, then it does not bode well.

She was just trying to be gracious in her statement. It's a funeral, after all. Lots of people are praising John McCain right now. It's what's done for funerals of prominent people. OAC is very inexperienced, politically. She's going to make multiple mistakes before November.

Her "base" needs to step back and let that statement slide. Fickle purists can't be counted on. They will disappear at the first deviation from the pure line.

[JHan]

9. well said, I couldn't put it better.

[beachbum bob]

11. We all have radicals in our democratic circles, we see everyday here in DU

[MineralMan]

12. Radicals are almost always very brittle people.

They're easily angered, even if they don't know why. I don't find them very reliable supporters, really.

For AOC, whose win in the primary was due to a small group of supporters, that must make her a little uneasy. What if they get annoyed with her and simply don't show up in November?

She's having to walk a very narrow path on the way to the House. One misstep could send her tumbling, I'm afraid. Not shoes I'd want to be walking in, really.

[melman]

15. You sound terribly concerned

And so very sincere.

[MineralMan]

18. Thanks.

I very much want her to win. I hope those who are attacking her now vote for her in November. Perhaps they will, but some may not.

[melman]

19. Why the stealth bashing then

if you very much want her to win? Seems odd.

[MineralMan]

20. Stealth? Bashing?

I am pointing out the fickleness of some on the left. Sadly, they often fail to vote if things aren't just so. AOC is fine. She'll learn how to be a House member on the job. Her colleagues will help. First, though, though, she must win. I can't vote for her. Others must do so.

[melman]

21. Well not very stealth really

I agree.

But this here..

"For AOC, whose win in the primary was due to a small group of supporters, that must make her a little uneasy. What if they get annoyed with her and simply don't show up in November? "


She didn't win because a small group of (supposedly easily angered far left) supporters voted for her. She won because the people who live in her district voted for her.

and then this

"she'll learn how to be a House member on the job"


You are trying to belittle her and her win and it's obvious.

[ismnotwasm]

25. Hey! it's You!

[RandySF]

28. I'm not stealthy at all.

Some people on the left are unhinged.

[Hortensis]

17. Unfortunately, this was such an unnecessary slip.

Ms. Ocasio-Diaz was not invited to the funeral or any of the televised events, much less as a participant, so no need for this banana peel of a eulogizing statement.

It's possible she isn't aware of Senator McCain's record as a strong economic conservative who's been a leader in the GOP's efforts to roll back most of the 20th century's progressive economic advances. If she were, she could have targeted her admiration to what was admirable. Since entering office in 1983, he had done many things worth praising.

[Hekate]

13. Sad, but true.

Every word.

She's going to need a lot of strength of character of her own to carry on and build a political career once the cheering stops -- and it may have just stopped. How dare she deviate from the One True Path, etc etc. For her sake, and that of the party that needs her seat in Congress, I hope her base and the rest of the voters turn out for her in November.

[uponit7771]

22. +1

[oberliner]

23. Her base is us

[PatrickforO]

27. Indeed.

If somebody refuses to vote for her because they got upset at her comment regarding McCain, then they are fairweather friends anyway and probably would not have voted.

She really does need some better advice, though. It is one thing for someone inexperienced to say something that can be misinterpreted, but there's no reason that ANY written material coming from Ocasio-Cortez shouldn't be proof-read by someone a bit more experienced. Seriously.

[RandySF]

29. I winder if this is what some progressives mean when they say we need to "fight"

Some people believe the secret to electoral success is to be as crude as the depolorables.

[EllieBC]

5. She has more class and grace than her base. That's true for many

politicians. With the exception of that giant talking yam, most politicians have to behave better than the general populace.

[RandySF]

14. Reminds me of the Michigan primary

I tried to engage one of El-Sayed's supporters on social media whose only reply was "fuck off".

[LAS14]

7. Oh, for crying out loud! nt

[Tipperary]

8. We eat our own. I will never understand it.

Smh.

[MustLoveBeagles]

10. While she's made some mistakes

While she's made some mistakes, I don't think this is is one of them. I found her statement very gracious. She doesn't deserve to be attacked over this.

[4now]

16. So many small people

[NurseJackie]

24. Unsurprising.

[drray23]

26. Not surprising.

We have a few of these her on DU.

[Oneironaut]

30. So, is this the latest outrage of Twitter's resident narcissist blowhards?

I've come to the conclusion that they really don't care about what they're whining about - it's about satisfying their odd, narcissistic need for attention. Twitter is a the latest venue that caters to adults with the emotional intelligence of a 5-year-old and a constant need for validation.

They're performance artists begging for likes, retweets, and followers. Don't acknowledge the brats screaming for attention.