Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was on “The Daily Show” this week and tried to explain her plan to fund socialist utopia. Ocasio-Cortez’s attempted explanation was incredibly cringe-worthy.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes tried to offer her an assist with this lesson in progressive economics:
I think a good answer for "How will you pay for your agenda?" is "We're a very rich country. We'll figure it out."
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 27, 2018
After 9/11 we found literally trillions of dollars for war, massive increases in domestic security (an entirely new agency!), and a Medicare drug benefit. No one spelled out "how to pay for it" ahead of time and yet somehow it got paid for.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 27, 2018
Hayes went on to try and explain how it works — or doesn’t work as it were:
https://twitter.com/esaagar/status/1023010806911381504
I mean: the money got spent! Turns out there was money for it!
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 28, 2018
Not only that there were trillions in tax cuts, two rounds. Deficits went up, but inflation and interest rates both remained totally manageable throughout.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 28, 2018
We didn’t pay for it. We just racked up more debt. https://t.co/nioifi72jP
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) July 28, 2018
That’s wrong. We *did* pay for it. The checks cleared. Same way you pay for your house when you take out a mortgage to buy it. You pay for it with borrowed money
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 28, 2018
Try telling the bank it’s “paid for.”
Not surprisingly, there were many who had to pick their jaws up off the floor over that Hayes-onomics lesson:
Chris, no one asked ahead of time because no one knew 9/11 was coming. Moments of emergency allow for a "we'll figure it out" policy (though the way we did do it was obviously bad). Some person running for office on a huge spending agenda should know how they will pay for it.
— Nathan Hall (@LupusFerros) July 28, 2018
No you didn't, yet another reason we're 21 trillion in debt, cause we actually haven't paid for anything
— astroglide (@Astroglide13) July 28, 2018
Alexa, what's a national debt? pic.twitter.com/PTieoF7CmE
— neontaster (@neontaster) July 28, 2018
"I borrowed money to pay off my car and now my car is paid off!"
"But your loan isn't"
"My what?"— neontaster (@neontaster) July 28, 2018
The best part is the scare quotes around “how to pay for it”. Like that’s some esoteric supply side jargon with no meaning in plain English.
— John Toogood (@toog416) July 28, 2018
It is literally the fed’s job to protect the borders and the people. It is literally not the fed’s job to send people to college or pay for their medical care.
Just stop. https://t.co/pARkc1Xz0D
— The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) July 28, 2018
This is the kind of answer that should make you immediately disqualify someone. Also? We’re $21 T in debt. https://t.co/HbxXIMq49R
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) July 28, 2018
“How’d you get that Bugatti, Chris? You hotwire it?”
“Hah! It’s all paid for. I used credit cards!”
“You know, you have to pay the credit card firms back, right? You didn’t pay for it, you just delayed paying for it.”
“Yeah . . . but . . . um . . . “ https://t.co/LbBgAWvyu0
— Strahan Cadell (@Sartor1836) July 28, 2018
Narrator: This was not a good answer. https://t.co/WFWvBIMnj9
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 28, 2018
Socialism is a philosophy of failure. At one time, Venezuela was the world's 4th largest wealthiest nation per capita.
Come and take it, Chris. https://t.co/HYlXach4gW
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) July 28, 2018
My God the level of stupid in this Tweet burns. It’s Tweets like yours that reinforces the idea that we need IQ tests to determine voter eligibility.
— Common Sense (@Paine_1776) July 28, 2018
? Yes, they really are this dumb and think their viewers are worse and will buy this nonsense. Okay, on that 2nd point they may be right. https://t.co/ZRLqNgC75B
— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) July 28, 2018
We're already $21 trillion in debt *not including* tens of trillions in unfunded Medicare & Social Security liabilities, soooo maybe this is sarcasm? No? https://t.co/KKSMdJzR2x
— Jason Hart (@jasonahart) July 28, 2018
It’s hard to tell anymore.
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Related:
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Chris Hayes gets honest about why MSNBC doesn’t cover global warming
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