Earlier this month, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez railed against evil, monopolistic Facebook.
It’s almost as if Facebook’s monopolistic mission to either own, copy, or destroy any competing platform has incredibly destructive effects on free society and democracy 🧐
Remember: WhatsApp wasn’t created by Facebook. It was an independent success. FB got scared & bought it 💬 https://t.co/dGVwza9leR
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 4, 2021
If Facebook’s monopolistic behavior was checked back when it should’ve been (perhaps around the time it started acquiring competitors like Instagram), the continents of people who depend on WhatsApp & IG for either communication or commerce would be fine right now. Break them up.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 4, 2021
As fed up as she is with Facebook, though, she’s still a big fan of Instagram … which is owned by Facebook.
Awkward.
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Well anyway, AOC continues to maintain that she is very, very anti-Facebook (or Meta now, technically):
Meta as in “we are a cancer to democracy metastasizing into a global surveillance and propaganda machine for boosting authoritarian regimes and destroying civil society… for profit!” https://t.co/jzOcCFaWkJ
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 28, 2021
For profit! That’s pretty much the worst thing in AOC’s book. Only the greediest, most bastardy greedy bastards care about profit.
Although there are exceptions, of course:
Where does she think the profit comes from? pic.twitter.com/0UHbMjR8kk
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
Turns out a healthy chunk of it comes from AOC herself:
Ocasio-Cortez, who has one of the safest seats in Congress, has spent over $870,000 on Facebook ads in calendar 2021 while excoriating the company for destroying democracy. What ads does she run? Fundraising appeals! Her campaign is just a Facebook profit center with extra steps. pic.twitter.com/PjUvOjSX2j
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
So, she contributes to Facebook’s profits and raises money for herself in the process. But … but she said …
I also think Facebook is evil, which is why I don't give them money.
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
Who else doesn't pay Facebook hundreds of thousands of dollars? The other members of the Squad. So just maybe it's politically possible to cling to one's D+25 district without adding to Zuckerberg's mountain of money with the very donations you solicit nonstop on his website. pic.twitter.com/AEibHzJrMY
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
If you want a better sense of how bizarre AOC's runaway cycle of fundraising and spending is, take a look at the equally safe districts adjoining hers. All these numbers are for 2021, when no one is up for election. She could stop writing giant checks to Facebook tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/0kRtrp1JDK
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
I understand the argument that you have to play by the dirty, bad rules in politics if you want a chance to reform them. But Ocasio-Cortez's circular Facebook spending on fundraising ads is in fact very unusual. I'm struggling to find any other members of Congress who do this.
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez in 2020 raised so much she wound up with $4.3 million she wasn't able to spend. That's more than an entire budget for many House races. So I encourage the people defending her Facebook largesse as "participating in society" to be a little more honest with themselves
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 29, 2021
Hey, man. That’s $4.3 million she can spend on Facebook ads, so this little system of hers actually works out pretty well for her.
