Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) won’t accept vague euphemisms to describe the outrageous remarks made this week by her Republican colleague Rep. Steve King (R-IA) questioning when the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” became offensive.
The progressive firebrand was compelled to correct the softened description of Rep. King’s comments offered by the senior political correspondent of the DC Examiner and CNN political analyst David M. Drucker, who referred to the extreme right-wing congressman’s remarks as “racially-tinged” in a tweet yesterday.
NEWS: @SteveKingIA said he "initiated" a convo today w/ @SteveScalise to inform them he would speak on floor to address his racially-tinged remarks. Said GOP leadership hasn't indicated any intention to censure in any way. Story TK.
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) January 11, 2019
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez quickly corrected the reporter’s spelling when retweeting his message.
You spelled “racist” wrong. https://t.co/GZOYbERSIi
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 12, 2019
She followed her initial reply with an explanation of her sensitivity to the implications of the choice of certain descriptive terms over others.
At this point those who use the terms “racially tinged” or “racially charged” to describe white supremacy should be prepared to explain why they chose to employ those terms instead of “racist”/“racism.”
If the answer is their own discomfort, they’re protecting the wrong people.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 12, 2019
Drucker was a receptive audience for Ocasio-Cortez’s linguistic criticism, tweeting back that he appreciated the edit. The congresswoman replied by responding “Thank you for being open. It’s time we call it what it is.”
The freshman representative has been making her presence known on Capitol Hill as a staunch advocate for progressive policies through her active social media presence and hopefully will be as effective in helping to move legislation reflecting her agenda forward in Congress as she is in calling out the moral failures of the Republican party’s most heinous members.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Tom Porter at Newsweek.
