Post by nighttimer on May 31, 2019 7:41:40 GMT -5
What a weird week to be AOC. It started off this way.
The popular California based raisin brand Sun-Maid have pulled their sponsorship deal with minor league baseball team Fresno Grizzlies after it aired a video at their stadium which equated New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Kim Jong Un and Fidel Castro.
The Grizzlies, a Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, was heavily criticized after it aired the three-and-a-half-minute video as part of its Memorial Day tribute on its scoreboard at Chukchansi Park between games.
During the video, excerpts from former President Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural speech were played. At the point where Reagan talks about “enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries,” an image of Ocasio-Cortez is shown alongside the North Korean dictator and the former president of Cuba.
The team apologized for the incident which it said occurred because no one watched the full video which was “carelessly taken from YouTube” before it was shown at the stadium.
In a statement, the Grizzlies said it has apologized to Ocasio-Cortez for the incident and that the employee responsible for finding and viewing the video has been reprimanded.
“What was supposed to be a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country was overshadowed by a grievous error for which we are truly sorry,” the statement said. “The criticism we have received is deserved.
“We understand the dangers and ramifications of what was shown. We have publicly apologized to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. Regardless of your political viewpoint, we believe that all people who dedicate their lives to public service deserve respect.
“We fully acknowledge that nothing we say at this point can take back the harm and pain that this has caused. We have implemented new internal protocols to ensure that this never happens again.”
In a series of tweets, Ocasio-Cortez said the video which essentially described her as an enemy of the country is another example of actions which result in her receiving death threats.
“What was supposed to be a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country was overshadowed by a grievous error for which we are truly sorry,” the statement said. “The criticism we have received is deserved.
“We understand the dangers and ramifications of what was shown. We have publicly apologized to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. Regardless of your political viewpoint, we believe that all people who dedicate their lives to public service deserve respect.
“We fully acknowledge that nothing we say at this point can take back the harm and pain that this has caused. We have implemented new internal protocols to ensure that this never happens again.”
In a series of tweets, Ocasio-Cortez said the video which essentially described her as an enemy of the country is another example of actions which result in her receiving death threats.
“What people don’t (maybe do) realize is when orgs air these hateful messages, my life changes bc of the flood of death threats they inspire,” she tweeted.
“I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. It happens whenever Fox gets particularly aggressive + hateful, too. Young interns have to constantly hear hateful messages (far beyond disagreement) from ppl we don’t even rep. All of this is to say that words matter, and can have consequences for safety," Ocasio-Cortez said.
“I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. It happens whenever Fox gets particularly aggressive + hateful, too. Young interns have to constantly hear hateful messages (far beyond disagreement) from ppl we don’t even rep. All of this is to say that words matter, and can have consequences for safety," Ocasio-Cortez said.
How many first-term representatives have to take precautions and employ security to protect themselves from pissed-off partisans? Not that many I would guess. Ocasio-Cortez's weird week ended with two of the most uncommon politicians on Capitol Hill finding what appears to be some common ground.
Politics doesn't make much odder couples than this — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ted Cruz struck a deal on Twitter on Thursday to work together on an anti-lobbying bill to stop the infamous revolving door.
Ocasio-Cortez, the self-described democratic socialist from New York, and Cruz, the staunch conservative Republican from Texas, found common ground after the Democrat tweeted out a Public Citizen article on the large number of recently retired Congress people who've taken lobbying or policy-influencing jobs.
"If you are a member of Congress + leave, you shouldn’t be allowed to turn right around&leverage your service for a lobbyist check," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "At minimum there should be a long wait period."
A short time later, former Republican presidential candidate Cruz tweeted, "Here’s something I don’t say often: on this point, I AGREE with @aoc Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation?"
The freshman Democrat replied "if you're serious about a clean bill, then I'm down. Let's make a deal."
She said if they can agree to legislation "with no partisan snuck-in clauses" then "I'll co-lead the bill with you."
"You're on," Cruz replied.
The unlikely pair quickly lined up co-sponsors on Twitter as well — Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, will team up with Cruz on the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, will team with Ocasio-Cortez in the House. "And that’s just in a few hours — there will surely be more from both parties to sign on. Nice," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Cruz has worked across the aisle before — he co-sponsored a bill with another New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, aimed at reforming how the military handles sexual assault — but is also one of many Republicans who've mocked Ocasio-Cortez.
The pair sparred on Twitter in April, after she tweeted about having to pay $7 for a croissant at the airport while workers are being paid less than $15 an hour.
"Oh the humanity! Here's the answer: government-mandated FREE CROISSANTS FOR ALL. And we'll just force the bakers to give all of their time for free. #SocialistLogic #AprilFools," Cruz wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez responded with a tweet that didn't mention Cruz directly: "It’s not an argument against the price of a croissant — it’s about the value of human worth. But I guess that idea is foreign to them since their policies treat people as disposable anyway."
"If you are a member of Congress + leave, you shouldn’t be allowed to turn right around&leverage your service for a lobbyist check," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "At minimum there should be a long wait period."
A short time later, former Republican presidential candidate Cruz tweeted, "Here’s something I don’t say often: on this point, I AGREE with @aoc Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation?"
The freshman Democrat replied "if you're serious about a clean bill, then I'm down. Let's make a deal."
She said if they can agree to legislation "with no partisan snuck-in clauses" then "I'll co-lead the bill with you."
"You're on," Cruz replied.
The unlikely pair quickly lined up co-sponsors on Twitter as well — Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, will team up with Cruz on the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, will team with Ocasio-Cortez in the House. "And that’s just in a few hours — there will surely be more from both parties to sign on. Nice," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Cruz has worked across the aisle before — he co-sponsored a bill with another New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, aimed at reforming how the military handles sexual assault — but is also one of many Republicans who've mocked Ocasio-Cortez.
The pair sparred on Twitter in April, after she tweeted about having to pay $7 for a croissant at the airport while workers are being paid less than $15 an hour.
"Oh the humanity! Here's the answer: government-mandated FREE CROISSANTS FOR ALL. And we'll just force the bakers to give all of their time for free. #SocialistLogic #AprilFools," Cruz wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez responded with a tweet that didn't mention Cruz directly: "It’s not an argument against the price of a croissant — it’s about the value of human worth. But I guess that idea is foreign to them since their policies treat people as disposable anyway."