Following the video released by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talking about her harrowing, and as it turns out life-threatening experience during the January 6th, insurrection, right-wingers, aggravated me to no end. Self-styled civil libertarian Glenn Greenwald, in a profanity-laced tirade, as if to make a point, particularly annoyed me. I am not coming to this as an insufferable or insulting chivalric man defending the honor of a woman. Representative Ocasio-Cortez is brilliant, accomplished, and markedly capable of warding off the hordes, just ask GOP Senator Ted Cruz. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez rebuffed an effort by Mr. Cruz, in what the press described as an “ olive branch” with a stern reply on Twitter, "I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there's common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out,” wrote Cortez.
A lot was made of Greenwald mocking the voice and demeanor of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Political impersonations for the sake of satire and derision are part and parcel of the job. No one, I know, can resist talking about the former president without making the okay circles with their hands and speaking in a Neanderthal-like New York rasp. My problem with Mr. Greenwald was not the mocking of her voice but the mocking of her fear. He dismissed her confession to fellow Congressperson Katie Porter (D-CA) that she may never be a mom, as they awaited their fate, as a self-serving excuse to insult Mr. Cruz. Greenwald accused Ms. Cortez of just wanting to ‘attack Republicans and fortify the Democratic Party.’ This willful absurdity and distortion of the facts dismiss the idea that Mr. Cruz’s actions endangered not only her life but hundreds of their shared colleagues, to fortify the GOP election denial.
According to an account by the HuffPost, here is how Rep. Porter described the scene, “The thing that will always stay with me was when I was saying; Well, don’t worry, I’m a mom, I’m calm, I’ve got everything here we need, we could live for like a month in this office,” Porter said. To which Rep. Ocasio-Cortez replied “I just hope I get to be a mom. I hope I don’t die today.” The swirling and flushing mocking commentary of the political class have become an expected knee-jerk reaction. Are we now to accept that the media chattering class has become so uncivil that a young woman confessing her fears of not living long enough to enjoy motherhood—if she were killed, is now fair game for political expediency. Is Glenn Greenwald under some delusion that Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley or the 147 House Republicans who voted to not certify an American election were not trying to fortify their party position?
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was not angry with Ted Cruz because he derided the Green New Deal or made fun of her dance moves, she feared for her life. In her own retelling of the story, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez visibly held back tears and managed her fears. Describing how she heard the screams from the marauding crowd and shouts of “where is she?”
The opposition fears effectiveness; Rep. Cortez, in my opinion, is justified in not wanting to unify with her would-be assassins.
Continue to Vote for Change.