Despite criticism about her public appearances, Queens Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not “staying in her lane” or “waiting her turn.”
Next to Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump, Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the most talked about political figures in the United States since she defeated former Congressman Joe Crowley during the Democratic primary in 2018. Since then, the legislator — whose 14th District includes much of northwest Queens and the Bronx — has made multiple television appearances, and not just those of the political variety.
In her second appearance on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday night, Jan. 21, Colbert started off the interview asking Ocasio-Cortez “on a scale of zero to some, how many f***s” did she give about criticism from Democrats and Republicans who are saying that she shouldn’t be making waves so early in her political career.
“I think it’s zero,” Ocasio-Cortez responded, holding her hand in the shape of a zero as she spoke. In the interview, Ocasio-Cortez went on to explain what her 70-percent marginal tax rate plan could mean for many voters.
Since the show aired, many media outlets reported on her interview on “The Late Show,” often headlining their articles with something to the effect of: “Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez says she gives “zero” f***s about pushback from other Democrats.” However, Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to set the record straight:
I actually didn’t say this, so while I know “brown women cursing” drives clicks, maybe you accurately quote the whole exchange instead of manipulating people into thinking I said this sentence instead of just the word “zero.” https://t.co/MrXIbALNP3
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 22, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez followed up this tweet, after reacting to similar headlines from Politico and the New York Post, stating that it “reinforces lazy tropes about women leaders in media.”
This reinforces lazy tropes about women leaders in media:
– Older + seasoned, but unlikeable
– Passionate, but angry
– Smart, but crazy
– Well-intentioned, but naive
– Attractive, but uninformed or gaffe-proneIt’s unoriginal, lazy, and men don’t get the same either/or coverage.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 22, 2019
Prior to her latest appearance on “The Late Show,” on Jan. 6, Ocasio-Cortez appeared on “60 Minutes,” where she sat down with Anderson Cooper to discuss how she felt her first few years in Congress would go.
Ultimately, Ocasio-Cortez stated that President Trump is only a symptom of the racism problem in the United States and that while she’s willing to compromise, she believes that the Democrats may have compromised too much already.
“I think that we have compromised things that we shouldn’t have compromised. Whether it’s judgeships, with Mitch McConnell, whether it’s compromising on climate change,” Ocasio-Cortez told Cooper. “I think there are some things that we have compromised a little bit too much on.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s likeness has also been taken into a place where few Queens representatives have gone before: “Saturday Night Live.” In December 2018, Ocasio-Cortez was played by cast member Melissa Villaseñor shortly after securing her seat in Congress. In the skit, while taking on Ocasio-Cortez’s optimism, Villaseñor took jabs at doubters of Ocasio-Cortez.
On the Jan. 19 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Villaseñor took on the role of Ocasio-Cortez once again in a “Deal or No Deal” skit, going up against Alec Baldwin’s President Trump about the government shutdown.
“Trump and the GOP are terrified of me because I’m under 100 and I know how to use Instagram,” Villaseñor’s Ocasio-Cortez said in the skit.
