How would you feel about working with people who hate you enough to hurt you? That's the problem facing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the lightning-rod progressive rep from New York.
On the day of the insurrection, AOC had a terrifying encounter that she will not detail in public. She says she didn't know if she was going to "make it to the end of that day alive." She said. "I didn't even feel safe around other members of Congress," and added, ""not knowing if an officer is there to help you or to harm you is also quite traumatizing.”
AOC spent inauguration day in New York City, where she lives, but again made remarks about not being able to trust colleagues in Congress.
This is a woman who doesn't scare easily. Remember when, last July, Ted Yoho (R-FL) tried to bully her on the Capitol steps by calling her a "f-ing bitch?" She spoke up and forced a non-apology, and he has since retired.
The 2021 crop of Republican politicians is unprecedented, emboldened by four years of Donald Trump's grandiosity, eager to bully others, and more than ready to flout Congress's rules on carrying guns inside the Capitol. Some actively helped the rioters, it seems. Friday's incident with Andy Craig (R-MD), who argued loudly about being asked to give up his gun in the House chamber, hardly inspires confidence.
Where are the Republicans who stand on principle and display personal integrity, like the election officials of Georgia? Can you find any of them in Congress?
It's almost impossible to watch the likes House and Senate Republicans, like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, continue to act as if Trump was their guiding star without wondering whether they've completely lost their sense of patriotism. When you read that Democrats represent 41 million more people than an equivalent number of Republicans, you wonder if they're an actual menace to all of us, and not just AOC, an outspoken, highly visible progressive.
Yes, a Texas man was arrested this week for threatening to kill her; when Ocasio-Cortez tweeted "Impeach" shortly after the insurrection attempt, the man allegedly responded, "Assassinate AOC." Scary, sure. But sadly enough, public figures do get death threats these days; and the man is in custody.
What threatens Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threatens all of us. Every one.
How do we address the problem of faithless Republican leaders? Should Chuck Schumer play hardball with Republicans in the Senate now, or give the Senate another chance to play nice? How can Republicans retain so much power when they represent a smaller number of citizens? Yes, gerrymandering, but what else?
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