AOC Snaps at Congressman for Calling Her 'AOC' Even Though She Calls Herself 'AOC'
For Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the initials “AOC” are more than just shorthand.
It’s how her supporters refer to her and how many headline writers shorten that cumbersome hyphenated name, and it’s the handle — @AOC – she herself uses on Twitter.
But coming from a top House Republican? AOC sees an insult at work.
The New York Democrat – the most famous freshman in the current Congress – took issue Thursday with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader and a California Republican, for an apparent habit of referring to her as “CongreswomanAOC.”
In retweeting a comment by John Bresnahan of Politico, Ocasio-Cortez made her snit public.
*When you’re 7 months into your new job but that one guy still doesn’t know how to say your name* https://t.co/2lqkuRXbIi
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 25, 2019
Seriously? A woman who’s virtually trademarked her initials into a political brand is trying to raise a stink because a political opponent has the temerity to actually use them.
And if anyone’s wondering where McCarthy — and the rest of the world — might have gotten the idea that it was A-OK to call AOC “AOC,” maybe a March tweet from Ocasio-Cortez herself might give a clue.
For the curious, in Latinx culture children take *both* their parents‘ names.
It’s not a “progressive, new thing.” It’s just how some names work. PR hyphenates, others mark differently. Your last name = the families that came together to make you.
AOC is also fine though 🙂
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
And in case that wasn’t clear enough, here’s her chief of staff, the troubling Saikat Chakrabarti, using the initials during an interview with The Washington Post Magazine while discussing her upset win in the June primary over Rep. Joe Crowley.
According to Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez’s candidacy was supposed to be part of a sweeping movement for change called Brand New Congress, with the aim pretty much stated in the name.
Of 12 candidates, though, only one was successful: The notorious AOC.
“It was a total failure, but we also had no idea that one or two victories would have as much of an earth-shattering impact like AOC’s victory did,” Chakrabarti told the magazine (emphasis added).
(If anyone’s curious, the story is headlined “AOC’s chief of change.”)
The sheer gall behind the Ocasio-Cortez tweet about McCarthy was almost breathtaking. And naturally, it drew plenty of mockery on social media.
First her ego was all inflated that people refer to her with a three letter acronym AOC, just like JFK. Now she is feeling all deflated that someone only calls her AOC. Make up your mind, Congresswoman. Do you like to be called AOC or not?
— Bansi Sharma (@bansisharma) July 26, 2019
*when you suddenly realize that, despite the media attention, you’re not important enough for the ranking Congressmen to remember*
— Norman Young (@NormanGYoung) July 25, 2019
You’re on record saying it’s ok to call you “AOC.” Your own staff uses this moniker. What changed?
— Jason Hopkins (@thejasonhopkins) July 26, 2019
Sent from AOC account. No self-awareness, none at all
— BoiseFreedom (@BoiseFreedom) July 26, 2019
— Joyce Ellis (@joyell777) July 26, 2019
There’s no way to look into the heart of another, of course, so there’s no telling what could have really spurred such an apparently absurd-on-its-face complaint like the one Ocasio-Cortez made here.
But it could well be that the allure of being able to play the victim one more time — and the victim of a powerful Republican who has the added benefit of being a white male to boot — might have just been irresistible.
Regardless, AOC found out how much sympathy she was going to get — PDQ.
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