Tipsheet

Wait–This Is Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Shut Down The Press At A Town Hall Event?

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  August 19, 2018 8:00 PM

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a rising star in the Democratic Party, but also its far left flank. Some have called her the future. You can take that as a bad thing, given that her agenda will cost us tens of trillions of dollars over the next decade; the three-decade projection soar into hundreds of trillions ($218 trillion to be exact), or view that as a sign of GOP wins for the next decade due to voters suffering from the sticker shock. Her inability to grasp basic economics also doesn’t work in her favor. Still, she gained prominence to clipping incumbent Democratic Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY). She’s earned her time in the sun. But like Icarus, she may already be flying too close to the sun. She recently shut out the press at recent town hall events. The reason her campaign gave was that they wanted to create a “safe space” (via Queens Chronicle) [emphasis mine]:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Monday that stops on her “listening tour” throughout the district, like the one held a day earlier in Corona, are “intended for lively, compassionate discourse with a diversity of viewpoints.”

According to the Democratic nominee in the 14th Congressional District, she and the dozens of area residents who attended the event “talked about race, immigration, healthcare, disability rights and housing.”

But unless you were in the room on Sunday, you won’t know what specific community problems were mentioned or how Ocasio-Cortez planned to address them once she is sworn in.

[…]

According to Ramos Rios and campaign spokesman Corbin Trent, that unwanted attention led to a press ban both for last Wednesday’s listening tour stop in the Bronx and Sunday’s in Corona.

“We wanted to help create a space where community members felt comfortable and open to express themselves without the distraction of cameras and press. These were the first set of events where the press has been excluded,” Trent said. “This is an outlier and will not be the norm. We’re still adjusting our logistics to fit Alexandria’s national profile.”

The candidate herself tweeted similar statements when criticized by the press. Ocasio-Cortez called the controversy a “non-story.” Oh, this is great. She’s a public figure. She’s running for office, but let’s have safe spaces and shut out the press—all of this while the national news media establishment thinks press freedom is under threat by President Trump. Trump will blast you on stage. He’ll mock the liberal media, but say what you will—he’s available. Even ABC News’ political director admitted that the Trump White House is more accessible than when Obama was in office. The Washington Post’s Seung Min Kim noted the lack of self-awareness here, while RNC spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany joked that a socialist shut down the press, which is in keeping with other far left authoritarian regimes tolerate media freedoms: they don’t. 

So, good luck people of the Queens. Ocasio-Cortez seems to have a constituent relations system that places some higher than others. Welcome to the new Democratic Party, where identity politics is supreme. Apparently, having the press around is a triggering action. So, who is worse, Ms. Cortez—Trump or the media? The irony in shutting down the press, besides her being a public figure, is that the reason the media is mobbing her is precisely because she’s anti-Trump. I think we’re watching a slow-mocking train wreck, folks. Pass the bourbon.