We know we’ve covered Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a lot today already, but dammit, every time we think we’re out, lefty idiocy just pulls us back in.
While some liberal media outlets have tried to pump the brakes on deifying Ocasio-Cortez, the aspiring congresswoman can at least rest easy knowing that Slate hasn’t abandoned her just yet:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s gaffe is minor compared with the usual lies and ignorance in Congress: https://t.co/S0aANcqKWq pic.twitter.com/yAf9smy84u
— Slate (@Slate) July 19, 2018
Because of course. Jordan Weissmann writes:
It’s possible that this is what she meant all along: Unemployment is low, but everybody has two jobs. An exaggeration, perhaps, though not an outlandish one.
But let’s say Ocasio-Cortez really made a sincere mistake during her PBS appearance. So what?
On the one hand, it’s entirely reasonable for good-faith critics to call out her error. No matter how debased our politics become, we should expect people who run for office to get facts right. Given that she’s a far-left politician who wants to hasten the end of modern capitalism, it’s especially fair to ask that Ocasio-Cortez undertsand basic concepts about the economy, like the unemployment rate (doubly so given that she has an economics degree, and likes to tout it).On the other hand, the mistake also deserves its proper context, which is that the comment would barely be news if it were uttered by a Republican. GOP orthodoxy of course includes a series of big lies—climate change isn’t real, tax cuts will pay themselves, Obamacare is collapsing by itself, and so forth.
This would be an outlandish, false claim not merely an exaggeration. And that's already being generous with what she said. pic.twitter.com/E2M1QDkX43
— John Sexton (@verumserum) July 19, 2018
Also, “barely be news if it were uttered by a Republican”? How the hell did he type that with a straight face?
lolololololololololol
— harrison bergeron (@harrisonberger0) July 19, 2018
https://twitter.com/kebejay/status/1020022508530020352
https://twitter.com/michi83/status/1020022658182926337
Geez Louise.
Gaffe is a mistake. Not knowing something and speaking about it makes you ignorant.
— M Dot (@MDot82753496) July 19, 2018
Economic illiteracy & abject ignorance of basic geopolitics is a gaffe now pic.twitter.com/Qbbv7IPd2V
— George. (@jitotweets) July 19, 2018
What makes Weissmann’s take even more deliciously stupid is this:
Identical excuse used by Trump supporters. https://t.co/TGU9b5AsCl
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) July 19, 2018
Yep. Weissmann is engaging in classic whataboutism. He just can’t bring himself to admit that just because Donald Trump says stupid things doesn’t mean that Ocasio-Cortez — or any Democrat — can’t say something just as stupid.
Here’s what Weissmann tweeted earlier this week:
https://twitter.com/JHWeissmann/status/1019242651537813504
Newsflash: Stupid is stupid. And invoking Trump to defend Ocasio-Cortez is pretty damn stupid.
“Our new Marx BAE is just as inaccurate and inarticulate with unemployment numbers as Donald Trump” isn’t really the talking point I’d be fashioning but hey, full leeroy Jenkins. https://t.co/w2J2ytjYU7
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) July 17, 2018
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