Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined “The View” Wednesday and was blasted by both Meghan McCain and Whoopi Goldberg for her involvement in the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and her perceived lack of respect for high-ranking members of Congress.
Like many on the political right, McCain has been subjected to hateful rhetoric and threats from the so-called “Bernie Bros” online and says Sanders does not do enough to curtail his supporters. McCain asked Ocasio-Cortez whether the New York congresswoman thinks Sanders should do more to rein them in.
“One thing that connects women on the left and women on the right … is the abuse that we have all been subjected to by ‘Bernie Bros.’ It is by far, of anything I’ve ever done in my entire life, the most violent, the most misogynistic, the most sexist, the most harmful. … [Sanders] has a real problem. And I don’t think he’s doing enough to tamper it down,” McCain said. “How do you feel that he’s attached to this deeply misogynistic, and I would go so far to say violent, sector of people?”
Ocasio-Cortez agreed politicians must always reject hate and “denounce that kind of behavior” but then pivoted, blaming anonymous Twitter users.
“I think that to a certain extent we have to always reject hate, reject vitriol,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We also know the amount of anonymous activity that happens on the internet, and that simply is difficult, it is difficult to control.”
Goldberg interjected, saying Sanders should do more to tame his supporters.
Meghan McCain calls on AOC to denounce the so-called "Bernie Bros" because "my mother has cried over photos that the Bernie Bros have sent" pic.twitter.com/3mFEEHCNNP
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) February 19, 2020
Goldberg also attacked Ocasio-Cortez for her behavior while in Congress. Goldberg said initially she liked Ocasio-Cortez but was turned off by her comments about older people being problematic for the political left.
“I was very happy when you were elected because I thought it was a great step in a good direction. And then you lost me because it felt like you were saying to people like me that I was too old and didn’t do enough,” Goldberg said. “That has bothered me because I feel like I love young people — I was once one. But you’re on my shoulders, and we have carried this fight — people like Nancy Pelosi.”
https://twitter.com/johnrobertgage/status/1230185479586361346
Ocasio-Cortez has criticized some senior congresswomen, once saying Pelosi was “outright disrespectful” for “explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.” Ocasio-Cortez also ripped into Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., for dismissing children who confronted the senator over climate change. Feinstein told the children that in her 30 years of service, she knew how to handle the situation.
“The [climate change] issue has gotten worse. So I don’t think that working on an issue for 30 years alone is what qualifies as, as what makes someone qualified to solve an issue,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a clear response to Feinstein.
