Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez locked horns with New York Times columnist David Brooks after he accused of her of being dangerous to the Democratic Party because of her 'performative populism.'
Brooks also took aim at AOC's legislative opus, the Green New Deal, while stating his belief that the poor performance of Trump's selected candidates in the midterm elections showed that Americans had moved on from populist politics.
In his column, titled The Fever is Breaking, Brooks noted: 'Nearly 60 percent of voters [in the midterms] said they had an unfavorable view of Trump.' He describes Trump and AOC's successes as being an example of 'populist fury' that is prevalent on both sides of the aisle.ABrooks also wrote: 'The Green New Deal was not a legislative package but a cotton candy media concoction.'
The Canadian-born writer continued: 'Slogans like 'Abolish ICE' and 'Defund the police' were not practical policies, just cool catchphrases to put on posters.'
AOC shot back at Brooks on Saturday via Twitter. The Bronx congresswoman wrote: 'Perhaps David Brooks should actually read the legislation he's insulting before referring to it as "cotton candy."'
She continued: 'The Green New Deal was thoughtfully constricted alongside a coalition of scientists, academics, frontline communities,& more. He wants me to be Trump, but I’m not.'
AOC shot back at Brooks on Saturday via Twitter. The Bronx congresswoman wrote: 'Perhaps David Brooks should actually read the legislation he's insulting before referring to it as "cotton candy"'
In terms of his personal politics, David Brooks has been difficult to pin down over the years. In 2017, he said in an interview that his politics were that of a 'moderate' Republican
AOC added in her tweet: 'He wants me to be Trump, but I'm not'
Brooks wrote of Trump: 'He ushered in an age of performance politics — an age in which leaders put more emphasis on attention-grabbing postures than on practical change.'
In terms of his personal politics, Brooks has been difficult to pin down over the years.
In 2017, he said in an interview that his politics were that of a 'moderate' Republican.
More recently, in December 2021, he wrote that he was 'on the rightward edge of the leftward tendency- in the more promising soil of the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.'
He has also said of his personal politics: 'If you define by support for the Republican candidate or the belief that tax cuts are the correct answer to all problems, I guess I don't fit that agenda.'
This most recent column is no the first time that Brooks has mentioned AOC.
In October 2020, Brooks wrote that it was concerning that most readers knew the name of leftist Democrats such as AOC and not the names of more moderate members of the party such as Derek Kilmer.
The same month, Brooks wrote a column titled: Dems, Please Don't Drive Me Away, citing the prominence of more left-wing Democrats as having the potential to drive away centrist voters.
In contrast, also in October 2020, Brooks cited Vice President Kamala Harris' support of the Green New Deal as being one of the many reasons that she was an electable candidate for most Americans.
In a recent interview, AOC spoke about safety saying: 'When I wake up in the morning, I hesitate to walk my dog. It means when I come home, I have to ask my fiancé to come out to where my car is to walk me just from my car to my front door'
Rarely out of the news, AOC's interview with CNN host Chris Wallace on his new show Who's Talking to Chris Wallace is due to air on Sunday.
In the show, AOC spoke about concerns for her safety in the modern political climate.
She said: 'It is a very real dynamic and very unfortunately and tragically we’ve seen political violence play out.'
The Bronx-native continued: 'When I wake up in the morning, I hesitate to walk my dog. It means when I come home, I have to ask my fiancé to come out to where my car is to walk me just from my car to my front door.'
She went on: 'It means that there’s just – a general disposition where you kind of feel like there’s almost a static electricity around you.'
Despite the threats, AOC said: 'I don’t want to take the time I have for granted. I don’t know if I’m going to be there to see us achieve guaranteed health care in the United States. So I need to advocate it in a very fully throated way right now.'
'Similar to a full path to citizenship for millions of people in this country. I just have to be out and say it and at least leave a roadmap should I not be there,' Ocasio-Cortez added.
She concluded: 'I think that and I hope that what we’ve seen, whether people think it’s too left or too right, or up or down or whatever, it may be that we shift in a direction where the leadership of the Democratic Party is less reliant on large and corporate donors and sponsorship, because that does have a shaping effect of our legislative priorities.'
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