April 2019 - We may not agree with everything that freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has to say, but she is one sharp Millennial, who isn't afraid to call out the GOP's lies and hypocrisy. And that's something we'll wholeheartedly support her on.

She also comes from a working class background and is foursquare in her support for workers and the middle class. Which, from a Kentucky coal country perspective, means she supports expanding healthcare benefits for miners, strengthening Social Security, providing educational assistance to help re-train miners who have lost their coal jobs, and defending the United Mine Workers Union as they fight for miners' rights and safety. None of which the GOP ever has, or currently is, advocating.

Which may be why the Kentucky GOP is rescinding an invitation they made to Ms. Cortez to visit the coal-producing areas of eastern Kentucky. Because, like the cowards most of the far right have proven themselves to be, the GOP loves to use AOC as their latest whipping boy, but only when she isn't there to defend herself. They certainly don't want to argue any substance with her face to face.

(image from currentaffairs.org)

The details on this Kentucky story provide the latest evidence of the GOP's cowardice when it comes to taking on the Dems in a fair fight:

Garland "Andy" Barr, the Republican Congressman from Lexington, Kentucky, probably thought he could get some cheap publicity and make a name for himself in the right-wing media by not just stating his opposition to AOC's "Green New Deal" (while using the far right's usual name-calling and distortions in the process), but by challenging Congresswoman Cortez to visit the coal-producing areas of eastern Kentucky and meet with coal miners "who will tell you what the Green New Deal would mean for their families, their paychecks." Congressman Barr's interpretation of AOC's Green New Deal is that it would wreak havoc in the fossil fuel industry.

AOC's response? She would be "happy" to go, reminding Mr. Barr that the Green New Deal included funding of coal-miner pensions. "We want a just transition to make sure we are investing in jobs across those swaths of the country," she said.

Uh-oh. Now what does the GOP do? If Congressman Barr really didn't think AOC would call his bluff, he is even more ignorant about Congresswoman Cortez and her policy positions than he first seemed. As James Comer, another Kentucky Republican said: "I think a lot of 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" and he didn't "see any upside" to having her come to Kentucky.

(image from medium.com)

Well, what the GOP decided to do after Ms. Cortez called their bluff was to have Congressman Barr add conditions to his invitation: AOC first must apologize to Texas GOP Congressman Dan Crenshaw for AOC having called out distortions that Congressman Crenshaw made on terrorism and reminding him that "You refuse to co-sponsor the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund, yet have the audacity to drum resentment towards {Congresswoman} Ilhan {Omar} w/completely out-of-context quotes. In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost ALL US domestic terrorist killings. Why don't you go do something about that?"

Hmm. Since when does telling the truth require an apology, or are we missing something here?

As to visiting eastern Kentucky, we hope AOC goes ahead and schedules a trip there. As her spokesman, Corbin Trent, stated after the GOP began to walk back it's invitation: "Luckily, we still have open borders with Kentucky. We don't need Congressman Barr to meet with coal miners and have a town hall, though we'd love his participation if we do."

Home About Us Contact Us