A conservative host tried to shade Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by posting a pic of her childhood home, and Twitter clapped back so hard
Having won the June 26th New York Democratic primary against 10-term veteran U.S. Representative Joe Crowley, 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and those who voted for her are currently riding a wave of hope. But conservative John Cardillo, host of Newsmax’s America Talks Live, tried to rain on Ocasio-Cortez’s parade by tweeting a photo of her childhood home, an attempt to undermine her credibility. But don’t fret — Ocasio-Cortez clapped back like a pro, and had the weight of the Twitterverse behind her, too.
Ocasio-Cortez, who spent her early years in the Bronx, ran her campaign on the fact that she knows what working families in the Bronx and Queens have to grapple with on a daily basis. Both her parents worked hard to support their family, and Ocasio-Cortez saw firsthand how rent hikes, minimal health care, and stagnant income strongly affect working-class families. Her parents did all they could to move Ocasio-Cortez and her brother out of the Bronx and into Yorktown Heights, a more middle-income neighborhood outside of N.Y.C., to better their educational opportunities.
And although all this information about Ocasio-Cortez’s background is available on her campaign site, Cardillo obviously didn’t care to do any research before sending the following tweet:
"This is the Yorktown Heights (very nice area) home @Ocasio2018 grew up in before going off to Ivy League Brown University. A far cry from the Bronx hood upbringing she’s selling."
This is the Yorktown Heights (very nice area) home @Ocasio2018 grew up in before going off to Ivy League Brown University.
A far cry from the Bronx hood upbringing she’s selling. pic.twitter.com/xyOtZzVJII
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) July 1, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez rightfully corrected Cardillo stating that, first of all, she didn’t go to Brown — she went to Boston University. She then reiterated that her parents worked extremely hard to stay in that house, and the move to Yorktown Heights from the Bronx made Ocasio-Cortez realize the harsh difference in opportunity between zip codes — the problem she’s hoping to fix if elected to Congress.
Hey John,
1. I didn’t go to Brown or the Ivy League. I went to BU. Try Google.
2. It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people. My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here & I grew up seeing how the zip code one is born in determines much of their opportunity.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2018
She then tweeted this, which gives us chills of excitement:
3. Your attempt to strip me of my family, my story, my home, and my identity is exemplary of how scared you are of the power of all four of those things.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2018
Cardillo acknowledged that he was wrong about Brown, but stood by his “argument.” Twitter took over from there. The big joke? That Ocasio-Cortez had the audacity to grow up in a house.
These damning hit pieces on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just keep coming: she had a co-worker who didn't like her, and she used to live in a house! https://t.co/pyDyUKfc5b
— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) July 2, 2018
I was a big supporter of Ocasio-Cortez but after the latest revelation that she grew up in a house, I can no longer support her in good conscience https://t.co/Ssywkyuqyz
— Wild Geerters (@steinkobbe) July 1, 2018
This is the Yorktown Heights home (very nice neighborhood) that @Ocasio2018 grew up in before leaving to go to an Ivy League school. A far cry from the Bronx upbringing she's selling. pic.twitter.com/RbywQC2bBz
— Joe Kassabian (@jkass99) July 1, 2018
This is the MOONBASE ALPHA (very nice area) home @Ocasio2018 grew up in before going off to Ivy League MOON UNIVERSITY.
A far cry from the Bronx hood upbringing she’s selling. pic.twitter.com/7Hq4OGzEoq
— pixelatedboat aka “mr tweets” (@pixelatedboat) July 2, 2018
My identity has been exposed. I am actually Captain Catherine Janeway of the USS Voyager
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 2, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez shouldn’t have to defend herself to those who are afraid of what her win means for politics. But when your clapback game is as strong as hers, who can resist? Get ’em, girlfriend.
