I’m not buying it. You probably shouldn’t either.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) went on an impassioned rant on Thursday in defense of her fellow far-left “Squad” pal, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), after House Republicans voted to remove the Minnesota Congresswoman from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In her 60-second speech addressing the House, AOC appeared more like a preacher than a lawmaker. She pulled on emotion rather than reason and pinned the blame on… racism, sexism, and Islamophobia. Of course.
According to AOC, the move had absolutely nothing to do with Rep. Omar’s repeated antisemitic comments paired with her staunch anti-Israel stance, or her bizarre statements on terrorism like commenting on how people say “al Qaeda” and her infamous “some people did something” in reference to the 9/11 terror attacks.
No, it’s just because America — the global leader in tolerance and diversity — is racist, sexist, and Islamophobic.
Here’s her rant:
AOC on Republicans removing Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Cmte: "One of the disgusting legacies of 9-11 has been the targeting and racism against Muslim Americans and this is an extension of that legacy… Racism and incitement of violence against women of color." pic.twitter.com/zHrE0VutTn
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 2, 2023
AOC probably believes every single word that she says in that speech, but here’s why I’m not buying it…
She was all about personal responsibility when a fellow Congressman posted a meme.
She even referenced it in her brief rant — she called it a threat on her life.
Do you remember back in 2021 when Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) posted an edited video meme using clips of the popular anime, “Attack on Titan”?
“Any anime fans out there?” Gosar wrote in the post accompanying the 92-second video, which also splices in footage of migrants at the border.
In one scene, Gosar’s face is pasted to an animated figure that jumps in the air and stabs a larger character with AOC’s face. Later, the Gosar character jumps at a giant Biden with two swords ready to strike.
Source: New York Post
It’s a meme — it’s not meant to be taken literally.
Was it a bit of a weird choice? Yes. Was it in poor taste? Arguably. Did it get engagement? Heck, yeah. Just like so many of AOC’s polemic posts on Instagram do. Was it calling for the murder of AOC? Absolutely not.
It was a meme, and as we have learned, a large swath of the Left doesn’t seem to be able either make or understand memes very well.
Instead of saying “that was a dumb meme” or “that was a bit much, bro” Libs went nuts.
From the allegedly “straight news” CNN…
Republican former Rep. Francis Rooney says Rep. Paul Gosar should be censured for tweeting that anime video of him killing AOC and that in a normal workplace Gosar would likely lose his job. pic.twitter.com/aqou669nIm
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) November 10, 2021
…to comedy that thinks it’s news…
Rep. Paul Gosar claims his anime threat against AOC was “symbolic”? Get the f**k outta here, man. pic.twitter.com/DGeQRKwTjQ
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) November 11, 2021
…to news that doesn’t realize that it’s actually comedy…
Joy Reid compares Paul Gosar and his anime video about AOC to John Wilkes Booth assassinating JFK.
She & Matt Dowd then say Republicans can never be allowed to take over the House again b/c they will never give up power and put down any and all opposition. pic.twitter.com/sVs0CPtk6h
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 18, 2021
…there was outrage everywhere.
The meme also seemed to really trigger AOC. She went out on the House Floor and made a much more sedate yet equally passionate and theatrical speech where she insisted that the censure of Rep. Gosar and yanking from all committee assignments is about “what we’re willing to accept” from Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
WATCH: Complete remarks by @RepAOC @AOC during U.S. House Debate on Resolution to Censure Rep. Paul Gosar.
"What is so hard, what is so hard about saying that this is wrong? This is not about me. This is not about Rep. Gosar. But, this is about what we are willing to accept." pic.twitter.com/nqV8ElU3d3
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 17, 2021
In this speech as well, AOC invokes the idea that the meme was really just an indicator of “racial misogyny” and not mocking her for her open border advocacy after all the faux outrage she displayed in her tearful photo shoot in an empty parking lot because of all the children being separated at the border by the Trump administration — while her policies promote the continuation of that very thing.
Here is Rep. Gosar’s lengthy explanation of the meme:
Rep. Paul Gosar says ahead of censure vote that it was "not my purpose to make anyone upset" when he posted anime video showing him killing AOC and he took it down because "some thought it was" a threat: "Out of compassion for those who generally felt offense, I self-censored" pic.twitter.com/g4U0oijHL2
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 17, 2021
It would seem that AOC’s outrage is selective and her demand for better conduct by House Representatives is dependent on party affiliation.
But here’s another why I don’t really believe AOC…
The outrage over Gosar’s meme was clearly a political move.
She has accused Gosar of essentially calling for her death, and after all that pearl-clutching… she was able to sit and chat with him during the House vote for the new Speaker in the very next session. It was even caught on camera.
Paul Gosar and AOC engage in a civilized chat ahead of the Second Round vote for House Speaker…pic.twitter.com/0Jg7WMYuM7
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 3, 2023
That amicable little tête-a-tête even made a Bad Lip Reading clip.
WATCH: Bad Lip Reading Of 118th Congress During Stalled Speaker Voting Is Comedy GOLD
So, AOC can smack the lectern and wring her hands in outrage all she wants, but I call B.S. because, as a former drama teacher, this sure does look like acting to me.
Source:
Lungariello, Mark. “Rep. Gosar posts ‘anime’ video of him attacking AOC, Biden.” New York Post November 9, 2021. https://nypost.com/2021/11/09/rep-paul-gosar-posts-anime-video-of-him-attacking-aoc-biden/
