Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked the New York Post Sunday over a cover story labeling her a hypocrite with regard to green energy.
“ECO-TRIP,” the headline blared in all capital letters, and the sub-headline was equally damning. “Gas-guzzling car rides expose AOC’s green hypocrisy,” it read. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Tries To Raid Pentagon’s ‘Undocumented’ Funds To Cover Medicare For All)
Ocasio-Cortez fired back on Twitter, saying, “The Post put the fact that I get into cars (while proposing a plan to invest in better car technology) on their front page. Pack it up folks, the Pulitzer’s been decided. No one can rival this kind of hard-hitting journalism.”
The Post put the fact that I get into cars (while proposing a plan to invest in better car technology) on their front page ????
Pack it up folks, the Pulitzer’s been decided. No one can rival this kind of hard-hitting journalism https://t.co/007iOcpyz2
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 3, 2019
But for those who looked past the headline and read the article, it was clear that the Post was not simply attacking the freshman congresswoman for using fossil fuels. Rather, the article was making the point that she was eschewing greener options to do so.
https://t.co/SA78nUjx9l pic.twitter.com/zVh2XVRr5d
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) March 3, 2019
Since declaring her candidacy in May 2017, Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign heavily relied on those combustible-engine cars — even though a subway station was just 138 feet from her Elmhurst campaign office.
She listed 1,049 transactions for Uber, Lyft, Juno and other car services, federal filings show. The campaign had 505 Uber expenses alone.
In all, Ocasio-Cortez spent $29,365.70 on those emissions-spewing vehicles, along with car and van rentals — even though her Queens HQ was a one-minute walk to the 7 train.
Ocasio-Cortez attempted to justify her less-than-green existence by claiming that she was just “living in the world as it is,” and that was not “an argument against working toward a better future.” (RELATED: Pelosi, Ocasio-Cortez Join Forces To Threaten Dems Tempted To Vote With GOP)
I also fly ✈️ & use A/C
Living in the world as it is isn’t an argument against working towards a better future.
The Green New Deal is about putting a LOT of people to work in developing new technologies, building new infrastructure, and getting us to 100% renewable energy. https://t.co/DZGE1WwLbn
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 3, 2019
However, if the Green New Deal is adopted entirely as it was originally introduced, that “better future” would include a Hawaii with virtually no access to the mainland United States, much less the rest of the world. And that’s just the beginning.