J.D. Vance’s D.C. Suburb Is Only ‘Hate-Free’ If You Agree With Democrat Authoritarians
Del Ray leftists aren't alone in their authoritarian tactics — or in their inability to recognize their authoritarianism.Del Ray leftists aren't alone in their authoritarian tactics — or in their inability to recognize their authoritarianism.Ocasio-Cortez is upset at parody account 'going viral' and 'gaining speed' after being boosted by Elon Musk
Socialist Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York warned her followers about a parody account that was going viral and "gaining speed" after interacting with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
She tweeted about it on Tuesday.
"FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread," she wrote.
\u201cFYI there\u2019s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.\n\nIt is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.\n\nI am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1685468114
"I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see," she added.
The congresswoman's complaints mirrored predictions from critics that parody accounts would cause chaos on Twitter after Musk changed the policies on verification marks for official Twitter accounts.
Among those who lashed out at Musk over the new policies was actress Alyssa Milano.
"So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bulls***. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?" Milano tweeted angrily at the time.
The focus of Ocasio-Cortez's ire was apparently the "AOCpress" account that is clearly labeled "parody" in accordance with the Twitter terms of service. The parody account has 181k followers while the account for Ocasio-Cortez has more than 13.4 million followers, which diminishes the chance anyone could mistake the parody account for the real account.
The account made light of the congresswoman's tweet.
"I can’t believe someone would do that to us," the parody responded.
"After brainstorming with my staff - I’m going to push Congress to make it illegal to joke, laugh, or make fun of me," the parody tweeted later.
\u201cAfter brainstorming with my staff - I\u2019m going to push Congress to make it illegal to joke, laugh, or make fun of me. \n\nParody should be illegal.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)) 1685470671
"Parody should be illegal," the parody account added.
Musk responded to a joke from the parody account on Monday with a "fire emoji" which is what angered Ocasio-Cortez.
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Ted Cruz makes AOC regret snarky comment about history of US political parties: 'Dem party founded the KKK'
Rep. Alexandria Ocaiso-Cortez (D-N.Y.) received more than she bargained for on Tuesday after prompting Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with a snarky remark about the history of political parties in the United States.
What is the background?
On Sunday, Cruz tweeted his belief that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be "ashamed" of the modern-day NAACP for having "lost their way." Cruz was responding to the NAACP's advisory warning against travel to Florida.
In response, political scientist Norman Ornstein charged that Cruz "would’ve been first in line to filibuster" the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act.
"Nonsense. That shameful filibuster was led by Democrats—your party," Cruz fired back. "My party—the Republicans—proudly voted for the Civil Rights Act in much higher percentages than the racist Dems."
What did AOC say?
The New York congresswoman inserted herself into the dialogue by prompting Cruz to explain what allegedly happened to the landscape of U.S. political parties in the mid-20th century.
"Why don't you go ahead and tell people what happened to the parties after that, Ted," she snarked.
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you go ahead and tell people what happened to the parties after that, Ted\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1684847215
So that's exactly what Cruz did. "Sure," he obliged, before going on to provide a historical survey of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
"First, the Dem party founded the KKK. Then the Dem party wrote Jim Crow laws. Then the Dem party filibustered the Civil Rights Act," Cruz explained.
"Today, the Dem part filibusters school choice—trapping millions of Black kids in failing schools. Today, the Dem party pushes abolishing the police, which results in many more Black lives murdered. Today, every Dem senator voted against my bill to stop DC from throwing 40% of Black kids out of schools bc of vax mandate," he continued.
\u201c2/x - Today, the Dem part filibusters school choice\u2014trapping millions of Black kids in failing schools.\n\n- Today, the Dem party pushes abolishing the police, which results in many more Black lives murdered.\n\n- Today, every Dem senator voted against my bill to stop DC from\u2026\u201d— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1684857027
The history of the Republican Party, on the other hand, looks much different.
"The Republican Party was founded to oppose slavery. Our first Republican President was Abraham Lincoln, who won the Civil War and ended slavery," Cruz noted. "It was Republicans who voted for the Civil Rights Act in a much higher percentage than racist Dems."
"Today, we produced the lowest African-American unemployment EVER, under the Trump economic boom," he continued. "Today, we produced the lowest African-American poverty levels EVER, under the Trump economic boom."
To make matters worse for Democrats, Cruz pointed to former Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's racist yearbook controversy and the eulogy that then-Vice President Joe Biden gave at the funeral of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), a former KKK member.
Is there truth in what AOC suggested?
The suggestion implicit in Ocasio-Cortez's response is the claim that Republicans and Democrats essentially "switched" parties in the 1960s, with Republicans embracing racism to win the South while Democrats eschewed it.
But that is a myth.
The truth is that Republicans were electorally competitive in the South for decades before the civil rights movement; only one of the 21 Democratic senators who opposed the Civil Rights Act ever became a Republican; and it took two generations after the Civil Rights Act — until 1994 — before Republicans held a majority of congressional seats in the South.
Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican? www.youtube.com
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Congress says increasing salary would lessen 'polarization' as new reimbursement system for House members kicks in
Without a pay raise since 2009, U.S. House members are set to take advantage of new reimbursement rules that will allow them to write off living expenses while in Washington, D.C.
Lawmakers gave some rather interesting reasoning behind their rule changes, first announced in the end-of-2022 report.
"The personal benefits of winning a seat in Congress have also decreased," the justification began. "Members of Congress last received a pay increase in January 2009, when their salary was increased 2.8% to $174,000. While $174,000 is much more than the median household income, members must also maintain homes in both their districts and in Washington, D.C, which ranks in the top ten most expensive U.S. cities for renters," it continued.
As the New York Post pointed out, that salary is more than triple the average salary in the United States and higher than what 93% of Americans earn. In 2023, there will be 117 working days in session.
House members are able to claim reimbursement of $258 per night for lodging and $79 per day for meals in D.C.
"Unlike their counterparts in the executive branch and private sector, members do not receive a per diem or reimbursement for their out-of-pocket living expenses when they are at work in Washington," the congressional report added.
The report then argued that by making political office more profitable, it could decrease "polarization."
"While members are understandably reluctant to raise their own salaries, there is some evidence to suggest that paying lawmakers better salaries has the effect of decreasing polarization in legislatures," the report attempted to explain. "For example, a study focused on state legislatures found that when lawmaker salaries are raised, 'there is a corresponding decrease in how polarized the set of people who run for office is.' More candidates are willing to run for office if they see public service as an economically viable career."
\u201cBeen there. This is one of many ways Congress structures itself to exclude and push out the few working class people who *do* get elected.\n\nThese systems are built for people who can lean on wealth. It\u2019s shocking how detached from reality a lot of the details are - but I got you!\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1670625449
The reported cited a 2019 Washington Post article reviewing a book that argued raising congressional salaries would lessen polarization because "extreme people" are more likely to run for office.
"A moderate candidate might look at the opposition and say, gosh, I don’t particularly like what this person stands for, but running is super hard and I’d rather not quit my job. A more extreme person might look at the same opposition and say, wow, that person is anathema to me, I can’t bear the thought of being represented by that person. Even though it’s hard for me to run, I have to do it," author Andrew Hall wrote.
The report used the same graph from Hall's book to indicate falling salaries.
While the New York Post reported that the new rules will not require the submission of receipts, Fox News reported more recently that receipts are indeed required.
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Dem Mayor Eric Adams rebukes AOC for calling Jordan Neely's death a 'public murder': 'I don't think that's very responsible'
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) publicly rebuked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday for describing the death of Jordan Neely as a "murder."
What happened?
Neely was choked to death Monday while riding a subway train. Witnesses allege Neely was acting in a "hostile" and "erratic" manner while screaming, WABC-TV reported. That's when a 24-year-old Marine veteran, whose name has not been released, placed Neely in a chokehold. Tragically, Neely died from the restraint.
It's not clear if Neely had threatened violence, but he did not assault anyone.
The medical examiner ruled Neely's death a "homicide," finding he died from "compression of neck." The Marine who put Neely in a chokehold was questioned and released by police.
What did AOC say?
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating the incident, but he has not yet filed any criminal charges. But the lack of any criminal charges did not stop Ocasio-Cortez from describing Neely's death as a "murder."
"Jordan Neely was murdered," Ocasio-Cortez declared on Wednesday.
\u201cJordan Neely was murdered.\n\nBut bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges.\n\nIt\u2019s disgusting.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1683150734
The progressive lawmaker also took specific issue with Adams' statement about the incident. Adams described Neely's death as "tragic" but refrained from offering specific comments about it because "there's a lot we don't know about what happened here." Adams also made note of Neely's alleged struggles with mental health.
In response, Ocasio-Cortez called Adams' statement a "new low."
"This honestly feels like a new low: not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem 'too low' to care about," she said.
How did Adams respond?
The mayor contended that Ocasio-Cortez was speaking irresponsibly because the investigation remains ongoing.
"I don’t think that’s very responsible at the time when we’re still investigating the situation," Adams said of her declaration, the New York Sun reported.
"Let the DA conduct his investigation with the law enforcement officials," he added. "To really interfere with that is not the right thing to do, and I'm going to be responsible and allow them to do their job."
Murder is generally defined as killing someone (a homicide) with intent or without legal justification. Manslaughter, on the other hand, is killing someone without intent.
While the Marine veteran has not yet been charged with any crime, the New York Daily News reported Thursday that investigators are weighing charges or presenting evidence to a grand jury to determine if there is sufficient evidence for charges.
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AOC ridiculed for celebrating Carlson's ousting and saying 'deplatforming works'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to social media Monday to celebrate Fox News' ousting of Tucker Carlson, just days after she suggested that the government should clamp down on the news network.
Critics online have roundly ridiculed the Democratic lawmaker over her comments, highlighting her apparent affinity for shutting down opposing views, this time by corporate means and possibly with the help of statist pressure.
"Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News," the democratic socialist said gleefully in the video. "Couldn't have happened to a better guy."
Ocasio-Cortez indicated she was "very glad" that Fox News gave Carlson the boot, repeating the claim that he was "arguably responsible" for "driving some of the most, uh, amounts of death threats and violent threats, not just to my office but to plenty of people across the country."
While delighted by this turn of events, Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged that Carlson's days of calling her out are likely far from over.
"Um, I also kind of feel like I'm like waiting for the cut scene at the end of a Marvel movie, after all the credits have rolled, and then you see like the villain's like hand re-emerge out to grip over like the end of a building or something," she said.
The democratic socialist held off on her more controversial statement until the end of the video, where she stated, "Deplatforming works and it is important and um, there you go. Good things can happen."
\u201c.@AOC on @TuckerCarlson: \u201cDeplatforming works and it is important.\u201d\u201d— Donna, Independent \ud83c\udf3a\ud83d\uddfd\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u23f3 (@Donna, Independent \ud83c\udf3a\ud83d\uddfd\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u23f3) 1682381765
Independent journalist Kyle Becker responded to the video, tweeting, "This is the only way the radical left can defeat its political opposition. Terrorism, censorship, guerilla warfare, purging its ideological opposition."
Alex Lorusso, an executive producer at Newsmax, wrote, "The Democratic Party is the Party of Censorship."
One Twitter user branded Ocasio-Cortez "The Bronx Bolshevik."
Another argued, "Deplatforming does work in most cases (it won't in Carlson's case) but it is also the tool of people whose ideas either can't stand scrutiny or debate and/or those with totalitarian impulses."
Whereas Ocasio-Cortez had been more suggestive, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was explicit last week when he called on Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch to deplatform Carlson:
\u201cJust weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Rupert Murdoch to take Tucker Carlson off the air.\u201d— Charlie Kirk (@Charlie Kirk) 1682355857
Like Schumer, this was not the first time Ocasio-Cortez took aim at independent-minded journalists.
The New York Post reported that in 2021, Ocasio-Cortez had mulled over ways to help "rein in" the free press and combat undesirable information.
"It’s one thing to have differentiating opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false," she said. "So that’s something that we’re looking into."
Whereas Ocasio-Cortez is "very glad" to see her critics deplatformed, she has spoken out in the past when those who share her views have lost their jobs at corporate news outlets.
In 2018, Temple Hill professor Marc Lamont Hill got fired from CNN, where he was a contributor, for making statements widely interpreted to be a call for the ruination of Israel.
The National Council of Young Israel said, "With his racist views and unabashed denigration of Israel, Dr. Hill does not deserve to be given any sort of platform that facilitates the dissemination of his bigotry, whether it be on Cable TV or in a classroom," reported The Hill.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Ocasio-Cortez bemoaned Hill's termination by CNN, saying, "There was no discussion about it, no engagement, no thoughtful discourse over it, just pure accusation."
Ocasio-Cortez later attempted to define cancel culture in 2020, noting that "the term 'cancel culture' comes from entitlement - as though the person complaining has the right to a large, captive audience,& one is a victim if people choose to tune them out. Odds are you're not actually cancelled, you're just being challenged, held accountable, or unliked."
According to the Democratic lawmaker, the people who are actually canceled include Palestinian human rights advocates, abolitionists, anti-capitalists, and anti-imperialists, "not spicy 'contrarians' who want to play devils advocate w/ your basic rights."
\u201cMany of the people actually \u201ccancelled\u201d are those long denied a fair hearing of their ideas to begin w/:\n\nPalestinian human rights advocates\nAbolitionists\nAnticapitalists\nAnti-imperialists\n\nNot spicy \u201ccontrarians\u201d who want to play devils advocate w/ your basic rights in the NYT\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1594341837
While Ocasio-Cortez is evidently sensitive to the possibility that the same tactics she now celebrates could be wielded against her, on Twitter for instance, Elon Musk intimated Monday night that it is a bad road to take.
Musk tweeted, "If we lose freedom of speech, it's never coming back."
The Twitter CEO was responding to a video wherein South African venture capitalist David Sacks discussed an "illiberal agenda" that "involves censorship, and de-platforming, including economic de-platforming, and this collusion between state power and the security state and these tech monopolies and the media. This idea that we have all the right answers. This is fundamentally an illiberal agenda."
\u201c.@DavidSacks: "Well, on @elonmusk criticizing the woke mind virus, what he's really criticizing is this intolerant agenda that involves censorship, and de-platforming, including economic de-platforming, and this collusion between state power and the security state and these tech\u2026\u201d— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) 1682375681
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'Elon took my blue check away!' Reactions pour in as Twitter yanks legacy verification badges
Media figures, celebrities, and others lost their legacy Twitter verification badges on Thursday.
The social media platform previously provided the badges for free to people like journalists and celebrities, but now with Elon Musk at the helm, the company provides verification badges to people who pay to subscribe to Twitter Blue. Organizations can pay for verification as well. Government figures and entities now get gray verification badges.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York sounded the alarm, claiming that the new checkmark system lays the groundwork for "major potential harm" to result due to confusion about which accounts are real and which are fake.
"Jokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real. Not long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
The congresswoman was retweeting someone who shared a screenshot of a fake New York account claiming to be the city's official account.
"This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government," the real account tweeted on Thursday.
"No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government," a fake account replied.
The fake account has been suspended and a gray verification badge currently appears on the city's official account.
\u201cJokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real.\n\nNot long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1682027688
Outspoken left-wing celebrity Bette Midler referred to Musk as a "worm," tweeting, "Elon took my blue check away! I'm unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!"
"So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bull****. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?" Alyssa Milano asked.
Even Elmo, a character from the children's program Seasame Street, lamented the loss of the verification badge.
"Elmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don’t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo!" the character's account tweeted.
\u201cElmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don\u2019t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo! \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— Elmo (@Elmo) 1682030939
Elon Musk indicated that he is personally paying for Twitter Blue subscriptions for NBA player LeBron James, actor William Shatner, and author Stephen King.
\u201c@PopBase Just Shatner, LeBron and King\u201d— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1682034691
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Business tycoon Kevin O'Leary goes on CNN, gives brutally honest assessment of AOC: 'Great at killing jobs'
"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary bestowed a new title upon Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday, recalling her sharp opposition to Amazon.
During an interview on "CNN This Morning," O'Leary said he is prepared to debate any Democrat who believes heavy-handed government regulations foster a productive business environment.
Specifically, he said would like to debate Ocasio-Cortez.
"I'll debate them any time of the day you want, particularly AOC," O'Leary said. "She's great at killing jobs. She kills jobs by the thousands."
"Where did Amazon take their jobs? They took them away from her. She threatened to sue them if they created jobs. I mean, this is a reality," he added.
\u201cHow strong is the job market really? The number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 190,000 last week.\n\n@kevinolearytv is here to discuss\u201d— CNN This Morning (@CNN This Morning) 1677848966
O'Leary was referring to Amazon's decision to withdraw plans for opening a second headquarters in New York City.
Ocasio-Cortez was the loudest opponent of the plan because New York City and the state of New York had offered Amazon about $3 billion in incentives in exchange for 25,000 jobs. Amazon later said it would open HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia, near the nation's capital.
Earlier in his interview, O'Leary explained he believes that "blue states," those controlled by Democrats, are "uninvestable" because those states are "punishing people if they're successful."
"I don't put companies here in New York anymore, or in Massachusetts, or in New Jersey, or in California. Those states are uninvestable. The policy here is insane, the taxes are too high," O'Leary said.
"The regulatory environment is punitive," he explained. "I had a project in Upstate New York behind the grid in Niagara Falls for electricity — a global data center we were building. Eventually, it got so bad with the politicians in the local region and the state policy we moved it to Norway and all the jobs. Norway has it now. Thousands of jobs coming out of that."
Anything else?
Ironically, Ocasio-Cortez took a victory lap on Friday over her opposition to Amazon's HQ2 plans in New York City. She was responding to news that Amazon is pausing construction on HQ2.
"When I opposed this Amazon project coming to New York bc it was a scam of public funds, the whole power establishment came after us. Billboards went up in Times Sq denouncing me. Powerful pols promised revenge. Op-Eds & CEOs insulted my intelligence. In the end, we were right," she said.
"I know I’ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it," she gloated.
\u201cI know I\u2019ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it.\n\nWe protected NYers from a scam deal to drain public dollars from schools & infrastructure in exchange for empty promises of \u201cAmazon jobs\u201d w/ 0 guarantees or guardrails. Sadly, cities who took it are suffering.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1677864163
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AOC is big mad over Jesus-centered Super Bowl ads that encourage Americans to love one another: 'Make fascism look benign'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) went viral on Sunday for criticizing Christian ads that aired during the Super Bowl.
What were the ads about?
The "He Gets Us" campaign spent $20 million to air two commercials during the Super Bowl.
One of the ads showed people from different background engaged in fights and arguments over politics, religion, and justice issues. "Jesus loved the people we hate," the ad says at the end.
The other ad showed various pictures of children displaying kindness and compassion. "Back in Jesus' day, children weren't regarded the same way they are today. This made his teachings around the value of being childlike countercultural," a description of the ad reads.
"Jesus didn't want us to act like adults," the ad declares.
What did AOC say?
Toward the end of the Super Bowl, Ocasio-Cortez condemned the advertisements and claimed that Jesus would not approve of spending such a large sum of money "to make fascism look benign."
"Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign," she said.
\u201cSomething tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1676257301
The New York Democrat, however, did not explain how the advertisements whitewash fascism or how the commercials in any way approved of fascism or promoted it.
The tweet had received nearly 10 million views by Monday morning. While some people agreed with Ocasio-Cortez's sentiment — that spending money on Super Bowl ads is perhaps not the best use of money — many others observed that her response demonstrated a lack of self-awareness, thus making her the perfect audience for the ad.
Moreover, as controversial as the "He Gets Us" campaign has been in some circles, the mission of the organization is clear — and it has nothing to do with promoting whatever Ocasio-Cortez postured herself as opposing.
"We simply want everyone to understand the authentic Jesus as he’s depicted in the Bible — the Jesus of radical forgiveness, compassion, and love," the organization explains on its website.
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AOC tries to lecture Elon Musk, tells him to put down his phone. Musk silences her with three-word response.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused Elon Musk of "proto-fascism" on Thursday after he suspended journalists from Twitter for sharing private information about his plane travels.
What is the background?
Musk angered Democrats and the media after Twitter suspended several journalists for sharing private information about his plane travels. They were suspending for "doxxing." The problem is that Musk legally masks his plane data for his safety, which means that anyone sharing locatio movements that Musk seeks to keep private are, by definition, guilty of "doxxing."
"Same doxxing rules apply to 'journalists' as to everyone else," Musk said. "They posted my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service."
What did AOC say?
The New York Democrat instructed Musk to put down his phone and stop his "abuse of power" over the social media platform that he owns outright.
"You’re a public figure. An extremely controversial and powerful one," Ocasio-Cortez began. "I get feeling unsafe, but descending into abuse of power + erratically banning journalists only increases the intensity around you.
"Take a beat and lay off the proto-fascism. Maybe try putting down your phone," she lectured.
\u201cYou\u2019re a public figure. An extremely controversial and powerful one.\n\nI get feeling unsafe, but descending into abuse of power + erratically banning journalists only increases the intensity around you.\n\nTake a beat and lay off the proto-fascism. Maybe try putting down your phone.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1671164331
In a follow up tweet, Ocasio-Cortez admitted she empathizes with feeling unsafe, but told Musk he should "disconnect."
"As someone who has been subject to real + dangerous plots, I do get it. I didn’t have security and have experienced many scary incidents," she said. "At a certain point you gotta disconnect."
How did Musk respond?
The second-richest person in the world fired back with a three-word response.
"You first lol," Musk wrote back, making light of Ocasio-Cortez's frequent use of Twitter.
\u201c@AOC You first lol\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1671164331
The incident proves what Musk and other free speech advocates have been saying.
Democrats and the media generally approved of how the previous leadership at Twitter moderated content. Twitter, they argued, is not subject to the First Amendment like the government. Free speech advocates, on the other hand, sharply disagreed with Twitter's content moderation policies, arguing that Twitter is a "digital town square" and therefore should not be allowed to regulate who gets a voice on the platform and who does not.
If the media actually believe the suspensions will have a "chilling impact" on journalism (i.e., the First Amendment), then they are inadvertently agreeing with free speech absolutists about the nature of social media platforms.
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