Presumptive Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly fumbled attempts to defend her nonsensical policy proposals following an upset victory over establishment Democrat Rep. Joseph Crowley in New York’s June primary.
The self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” has struggled to explain how the government would pay for her proposed $40 trillion Medicare for all plan, fumbled basic questions about foreign policy, and claimed Puerto Rico is “still a colony of the U.S.” in friendly media interviews.
Now, her Republican challenger – accomplished St. John’s University economics professor Dr. Anthony Pappas – plans to demolish the 28-year-old socialist darling’s “bizarre economic ideas” during an upcoming debate.
“On Thursday, September 21, 2018, our campaign manager was contacted by QueensLatino news publisher, Javier Castano, to confirm a debate between the two major party candidates in New York’s 14th congressional district,” the Pappas campaign wrote in a prepared statement.
“We were assured that Ocasio-Cortez had already accepted his invitation, and we quickly agreed,” the statement read. “A school auditorium was tentatively announced as a location with the date and time to be arranged. We will keep you abreast of this development as we call on the Ocasio-Cortez campaign to accept our request for three more debates in other parts of the district during October.”
If Ocasio-Cortez’s television appearances are any indication, the debates will make for great entertainment.
In September, CNN’s Jake Trapper confronted Ocasio-Cortez over the astronomical costs of her proposed socialist policies and “the New York soon-to-be congresswoman didn’t have any answers. Like, none,” according to the news site.
“According to nonpartisan and left-leaning studies friendly to your cause, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities or the Tax Policy Center, the overall price tag is more than $40 trillion in the next decade,” Trapper said. “You recently said in an interview that increasing taxes on the very wealthy, plus an increased corporate tax rate, would make $2 trillion over the next 10 years.
“So, where is the other $38 trillion going to come from?”
Ocasio-Cortez couldn’t come up with a coherent answer, instead arguing that other developed countries have single-payer healthcare, and the government would save money by wresting control from private companies.
“Currently, we pay – much of these costs go into the private sector. So what we see is, for example, a year ago, I was working downtown in a restaurant. I went around and I asked, how many of you folks have health insurance?” she said, dodging the question. “Not a single person did, because these – they were paying – they would have had to pay $200 a month for – for a payment for insurance that had a $8,000 deductible.”
“The truth that Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t want to acknowledge is that the only — or at least the most likely — way that she fills the gap between cost savings and the actual cost of the programs she is proposing is to raise taxes,” CNN opined. “Yes, on the wealthy, but also, if we’re being honest, on more than just the wealthy.”
Ocasio-Cortez was also forced to admit she doesn’t know what she’s talking about in regards to the Israel-Palestine conflict during a different interview in July.
Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacks Israel, calls them the occupiers of Palestine.
When pressed on what she meant she struggled to give an answer and then admitted she does not know what she is talking about. pic.twitter.com/e3Uq1eupD3
— Ryan Saavedra 🇺🇸 (@RealSaavedra) July 16, 2018
“You use the term the ‘occupation of Palestine,’” a reporter pointed out. “What did you mean by that?”
“Oh, um. I think what I meant is like the (Israeli) settlements that are increasing in some of these areas and places where Palestinians are experiencing difficulty in access to their housing and homes,” she said.
When pressed to expand on her thoughts, Ocasio-Cortez withered.
“I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue,” she said.
She’s also not an expert on a lot of other things.
In another recent example, Ocasio-Cortez delved into her thoughts on Puerto Rico, and it was obvious they are not well-informed.
Today marks 1 year since Hurricane María.
A year later, Puerto Rico is still in shambles.
Some things to advocate today:
1. PR is still a colony of the United States. The island deserves real self-determination. We must say that to fix it.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) September 20, 2018
“Today marks 1 year since Hurricane Maria. A year later, Puerto Rico is still in shambles. Some things to advocate today: … PR is still a colony of the United States. The island deserves real self-determination,” she posted to Twitter. “We must say that to fix it.”
Ocasio-Cortez is expected to win the general election in a landslide, as Democrats vastly outnumber conservatives in the 14th congressional district. Regardless, it’s clear Pappas relishes the opportunity to school his young socialist opponent about the economic realities of her proposed policies, and to explain to constituents why those policies are worthless.
“You deserve better, much better, and the answer is Dr. Anthony Pappas, a moderate, independent Republican with a motto of producing ‘sensible solutions for a kinder, caring world.’ Dr. Pappas has a Ph.D. from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science degree from MIT,” according to the Pappas campaign site. “For decades now, he has been a professor of economics at St. John’s University.
“In short, the campaign for Congress in New York’s 14th District may be likened to a contest between professor and student.”
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