Ocasio-Cortez takes aim at GOP over ‘classism’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took aim at the GOP on Sunday in a string of tweets accusing the party of “classism” for some Republicans’ views of people with working-class jobs.

“As always, I‘m proud of my work in restaurants,” tweeted Ocasio-Cortez, who worked as a bartender in New York before launching her successful 2018 campaign for Congress.

“I also worked for Sen. Ted Kennedy, piloted literacy projects in the South Bronx, studied Development Economics in W Africa, served as an Educational Director & won international science competitions before I ran for office, too.”

The freshman lawmaker argued that Republicans “dismiss” working-class people for working jobs like waitressing.{mosads}

“Working people that GOP dismiss as ‘just a waitress/cook/etc’ contain multitudes, & are just as capable & intelligent as anyone. Classism – judging someone’s character by their income – is disappointing to see from them,” she continued. “What is so appalling to GOP about having an honest job?”

As always, I‘m proud of my work in restaurants.

I also worked for Sen. Ted Kennedy, piloted literacy projects in the South Bronx, studied Development Economics in W Africa, served as an Educational Director & won international science competitions before I ran for office, too.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2019

Working people that GOP dismiss as “just a waitress/cook/etc” contain multitudes, & are just as capable & intelligent as anyone.

Classism – judging someone’s character by their income – is disappointing to see from them.

What is so appalling to GOP about having an honest job?

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez did not point to specific criticism from Republican lawmakers, but the congresswoman faced backlash earlier Sunday for lambasting President Trump for bringing his daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump to the Group of 20 (G-20) summit. Conservative critics also have knocked the New York lawmaker repeatedly for working as a bartender prior to becoming a congresswoman.

“It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Saturday following this year’s summit in Japan. “It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on.”

“The US needs our President working the G20. Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either,” she added.

Conservative commentator Piers Morgan retweeted Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism of Ivanka Trump, taking a shot at her by writing, “could be worse… Ivanka could have been a bar-tender 18 months ago.”

“Imagine if more people in power spent years of their lives actually working for a living. We’d probably have healthcare and living wages by now,” she responded.

Ocasio-Cortez has touted her less-than-traditional path to becoming a member of Congress as a boon in helping her connect with her community and better understand the lives of working-class Americans.

Ocasio-Cortez admonished Republicans in a final tweet Sunday, writing that those who criticize her history as a waitress “can take their classism to the trash.”

“Republicans who criticize my being a waitress as evidence of lacking skill can take their classism to the trash,” she wrote. “You are insulting the capacities and potential of virtually every working person in America (&the [world]) for having experience that’s earned, not bought.”

In other words, Republicans who criticize my being a waitress as evidence of lacking skill can take their classism to the trash.

You are insulting the capacities and potential of virtually every working person in America (&the ) for having experience that’s earned, not bought.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2019