After democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez upset ten-term incumbent Democrat Congressman Joseph Crowley in the New York primary she instantly became a media darling. (Can I say that now or will Facebook ban me?)
Exposure has not been particularly helpful to Miss Hyphen. For someone who graduated from Boston University with a double major, she is remarkably ignorant. Her current grasp of economics and tax policy in the U.S. would just about qualify her to operate a lemonade stand.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has noticed.
Fox News reports Shapiro has challenged her to a debate. Shapiro framed his challenge as accepting an earlier challenge from Ocasio-Cortez, “You’ve noted that you think Republicans are afraid to debate you or talk to you or discuss the issues with you,” Shapiro said. “Not only am I eager to discuss the issues with you, I’m willing to offer $10,000 to your campaign, today, for you to come on our Sunday special.”
Shapiro’s offer didn’t meet with a cool reception. It met with no reception.
It took a tweet (ugh!) from another individual to generate a response. The O-C replied, “Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions.”
Certainly, Shapiro thinks he will win the debate, but I’m not sure that qualifies as “bad intentions.” It’s a rare public figure who will initiate a debate that he thinks he has no chance of winning. And the challenge itself is certainly not a “catcall.”
Shapiro then cranked up his Faux Outrage Generator and replied (tweets away!), “Discussion and debate are not 'bad intentions.' Slandering someone as a sexist catcaller without reason or evidence does demonstrate cowardice and bad intent, however.”
And there it stands. Ocasio-Cortez will continue her nationwide Share-the-Ignorance Tour as she attempts to grapple with the economics of paying for her pie-in-the-sky socialism and Shapiro will have to book another guest.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump may have summed up the Ocasio-Cortez boomlet and her resulting fame in a single tweet, “OMG this is insane and yet the liberal campaign to make her the rockstar face of the left will continue... let’s face it, I guess they don’t have much else. It’s amazing the illusions libs can create with the MSM in their back pocket. #walkaway.”
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.