AOC Taunts Republicans For Trying to Keep Her From Coming to Coal Country
New York Congresswoman and Democratic media star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taunting Kentucky Republicans for getting cold feet after she accepted an invitation to visit coal country.
On Tuesday, the congresswoman who has championed the Green New Deal dunked on her colleagues from the Bluegrass State who are no longer so keen to have her visit. “GOP’s getting scared that up close, their constituents will realize I’m fighting harder for their healthcare than their own Reps,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
GOP’s getting scared that up close, their constituents will realize I’m fighting harder for their healthcare than their own Reps ? https://t.co/TVSafpJWEd
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 16, 2019
And she continued today:
GOP thought they could catch us with a bluff.
Now we’ve got ‘em on their back foot stutter-stepping ??♀️ #TooLate https://t.co/DY15KPy9Tv
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 17, 2019
You know what’s interesting?
Last month I invited @RepAndyBarr to come visit us in the Bronx and offer perspective in our MSNBC Climate Town Hall.
He said no, because UK had an NCAA game that night. Fair.
So I offered to fly him home in time for the game.
He still said no. ??♀️ https://t.co/ZP2ltnEBc4
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 17, 2019
The flap over the invitation began at a House Financial Services Committee hearing several weeks ago. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) responded to AOC’s fiery viral defense of the Green New Deal by inviting her “to come to Eastern Kentucky where thousands of coal miners no longer have paychecks” so she could hear their concerns about the proposal.
AOC told Barr, “I’d be happy to. In fact, when I first started my campaign, the first place I went was Kentucky.”
She added that “I’d also like to note that in the Green New Deal, one of the things that I advocate for is fully funding the pensions of coal miners in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia because we want a just transition to make sure we’re investing in jobs across those swaths of the country.”
But last week, Barr sent a letter to Ocasio-Cortez withdrawing the invitation unless she apologized to Rep. Dan Crenshaw over a Twitter beef involving Crenshaw’s attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MI). A spokesman for AOC told the local “Luckily, Kentucky has open borders,” and indicated she could go with or without the invite.
And then on Monday, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) seemed to accept Hey Kentucky! host Matt Jones‘ suggestion that the feud with Crenshaw was simply a pretext to avoid having the visit backfire.
Comer said that there was no “upside” to bringing AOC to Kentucky, and added that “Republicans are making a mistake picking on her. I think we need to be very prepared when we debate her on issues that we’re having a hard time with.”
Comer repeatedly praised AOC for being “intelligent” and “prepared,” and said Republicans need to make sure that we’re debating the right people.
Watch Barr’s invitation to AOC above, via the House Financial Services Committee.
