Let me try and save folks some time here.You cannot rein in Latinas. They rein you in. #YearOfTheLatina #FutureIsLatina.-civil rights lawyer Cristobal Alex
Last Friday morning, Politico reported “exasperated” Democratic leaders on the Hill were aiming to “rein in” Freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who frequently captures national attention with her social media posts.
AOC true to form, was having NONE of it!
The New York Democrat and social media star had tweeted a response to her 2 million-plus followers — by quoting a legendary anarchist of a cartoonist.
Ocasio-Cortez quoted Alan Moore’s Watchmen vigilante Rorschach tweeting: “To quote Alan Moore: ‘None of you understand. I’m not locked up in here with YOU. You’re locked up in here with ME.’ “
Myself being a Bronx native and huge Comic Book Geek, the already impressive freshman congresswoman had me cheering! Much geek cred for acrediting Moore, not just “Watchmen” and, most importantly, for so deftly taking control of the political narrative, but I’ll get back to why it wasn’t just cool, but calculated in a minute.
“Watchmen,” is arguably one of the greatest graphic novels ever created, published by DC Comics in the mid-1980s and a visually stunning Zack Snyder film in 2009.
“Watchmen” turned the traditional superhero trope on it’s head by deflating our dangerous, idealistic hero-worship for fallible, powerful beings with all too human frailties. Set in an alternate America going through massive discontent with the status quo and sociopolitical upheavals. (Sound familiar?)
The progressive freshman Democrat representing New York’s 14th District has already risen to become one of the most high-profile Democrats in the House. The 29-year-old congresswoman has 2.4 million followers on her campaign account. She frequently hits back at critics on the platform and when she does?
It goes viral.
She was criticized for an innocent video of her in college, gleefully dancing with moves from the 1985 film “The Breakfast Club.” . The poster of the clip described the congresswoman as a “clueless nitwit.”
Big mistake.
Ocasio-Cortez shot back at her critics by posting a video on Twitter of her dancing in front of her new congressional office with the caption,
“I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous. Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too!”
The video has garnered over 20.5 million views. And made her more appealing than ever to this child of the 80’s!
The Politico article quotes one unnamed House Democrat, who is described as being “in lockstep” with Ocasio-Cortez’s political agenda, yet thinks “She needs to decide: Does she want to be an effective legislator or just continue being a Twitter star?”
Ironically, congressional colleagues sought her out for a class today. Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives got taught a lesson on how to use Twitter in a more effective way.
Why hate her when you wish you WERE her?
I wonder if her anonymous hater was in attendance at Twitter class this morning?
Her “Watchmen” tweet has been “liked” more than 100,000 times. Inverse.com noted problematic optics of quoting a character like Rorschach. She’s taken heat from Progressive and Conservative pundits because Walter Kovacs is frankly a sociopath. But public servants idolizing Comic Book vigilantes is nothing new.
Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway, who shared the story of the Catlettsburg police department removing their ‘blue lives matter’ custom Punisher decals from their police cars on his twitter account.
Conway had much more to say about the subject and responded to a few questions from fans. Of course, the legions of #comicgate trolls got their hackles up to criticize him for stating the obvious –
Police shouldn’t emulate a comic book vigilante. Duh.
That’s FAR more problematic than AOC quoting a co-opted Alt-Right Comic Book Anti-Hero in this context. Comics fans like myself applauded. But for different reasons than just the “cool” factor. This tweet was much more than that.
I think it was a calculated, shrewd, well thought out political move on AOC’s part. A warning to friend and foe alike. Much like actor Jackie Earl Hailey’s Walter Kovacs/Rorschach proclaimed after a failed shanking in the prison cafeteria.
Politics and comic books are inseparable, always have been. I’ve written at length about it. AOC is on fire with over 2 million + followers and the envy of both a Republicans and Democrats that fear her star power and left-leaning agenda.
Some of her detractors have even criticized her for being a female Trump. AOC is the Anti-Trump if any comparison can be made. One fact is indisputable, Donald Trump uses Twitter as a means to stir up his base and push his agenda, such as it is and he’s applauded. Why is AOC criticized for the exact same thing? This reaction from people in her own party speaks volumes to the double standards and misogynistic head-winds powerful women of color are subject to in America 2019.
Democrats retook the majority in 2018. They’re in no mood to play ball with the Trump White House. Particularly with a tarnished President on the ropes with mushrooming legal woes. The fight over the border wall and the turmoil of the POTUS legitimacy and possible criminal activity have knocked Conservatives for a loop.
It’s not time to play nice. If half of the reports about Trump are true? We might as well have a POTUS Putin. This is a dangerous time for this nation. Democrats need a little Rorschach resolve right about now. Which is why AOC steel-spine response to both sides of the aisle as well as the leadership was brilliant.
When you’re “new fish” in prison? You take down the biggest guy in the yard so others think twice about challenging you. As Biggie Smalls famously said, “If ya don’t know, now ya know!” The House leadership can’t shut her down nor shut her up and that scares the crap out of them. AOC is a proud Boriqua from The Bronx. You come at her? She’s gonna clap right back!
”They are afraid of me, I’ve seen thier true face.” – Allan Moore’s Rorschach
We need AOC to hold Republicans accountable for enabling this Administration’s misdeeds AND hold Democrats’ feet to the fire for a Progressive agenda.
You can take the girl out of the Bronx, but you can’t take the Bronx out of the girl! You GO AOC! (If she wears a trench coat & fedora to the State of the Union? My head will EXPLODE!)
Si se Puede!
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Art Credit -Twitter/Wiki