In case you missed it, Democratic gamesmanship managed do something we thought was impossible: get a rise out of Susan Collins:
Passions are high on the Senate floor. The ordinarily calm @SenatorCollins is railing against Dems for delaying consideration of coronavirus package: "This is disgraceful."
“We don’t have another day! We don’t have another hour. We don’t have another minute to delay acting.”
— Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) March 23, 2020
But AOC, for what it’s worth, thinks Collins should shove it. Because Collins is responsible in part for the COVID19 crisis:
.@SenatorCollins can keep her crocodile tears.
She voted & fought HARD to strip pandemic prep funding. She helped drive the lack of preparation that we had leading up to this.
What’s actually disgraceful is her “I’m a Moderate Lady” dance to cover up brutal policies and votes. https://t.co/sY2Iv4y3fT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 23, 2020
Info on the pandemic funding:https://t.co/mw1J4xDYjn
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 23, 2020
Are you sure you know what you’re talking about, AOC?
This is a lie. https://t.co/tABIBF1WIe
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) March 23, 2020
— Dodd (@Amuk3) March 23, 2020
Why do you lie so much?
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2020
Why are you lying?
— Phillygirl74 (@Phillygirl741) March 23, 2020
Collins voted yes on the 2009 pandemic response bill. So this is bending the truth. To say the least. https://t.co/W7WKPQNVCE
— Emily Zanotti (@emzanotti) March 23, 2020
This is an absolute lie.
Someone ask AOC to show her work, just ONE TIME please.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 23, 2020
AOC is gaslighting here, per usual.
Collins didn't "strip" pandemic prep funding, she took pandemic prep funding out of the 2009 stimulus (because it was not germane) and put into into regular appropriations bill so they could pass 10 times as much. ($7.6 instead of $800M.) https://t.co/CUYHWUAd5R
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 23, 2020
Not only is @AOC lying, here's the proof. In 2009 the Senate passed $7.6B for pandemic flu response. Collins voted for it. https://t.co/SLiMYTRnsp pic.twitter.com/uVp5CgluVe
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 23, 2020
From the Daily Beast article that AOC links to:
In response to criticism now about Collins’ 2009 vote, her communications director, Annie Clark, pushed back on Twitter, arguing that the pandemic funding did not belong in the stimulus bill since it was not emergency economic assistance. The money was redirected to community health centers, and funds for flu preparedness later passed as part of the regular appropriations process in a June omnibus spending bill that Collins voted for. She had flexed her muscle on that bill as well, initially voting against it in a cloture vote because it failed to spend funds “carefully and effectively.”
Oh well. Maybe this will persuade you that AOC’s right about Collins:
Collins voted for the GOP tax scam.
She voted to appoint Kavanaugh.
She’s defending an utterly corrupt bill to shower public money on friends and donors.Susan Collins is not a moderate. She just plays one on TV.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 23, 2020
Tax cuts and Brett Kavanaugh have exactly nothing to do with the COVID19 epidemic. But AOC gonna AOC.
$7.6B over $800M is a huge difference. @AOC should delete this, apologize, then delete her account. https://t.co/SLiMYTRnsp pic.twitter.com/rvGWr51Uug
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 23, 2020
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