Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., challenged Republicans in an Instagram Live broadcast where she also put together furniture, saying they prioritize short-term gains against long-term consequences, such as climate change and emissions reduction.
“The reason Republicans hate me so much is because I confront them directly,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “Their lack of moral grounding on so many issues and, not just that, but the reason they’re so upset and act like that girl in ‘The Exorcist’ that’s vomiting pea soup, that’s them and negativity. The reason that they do that is because they need to fiercely protect a paradigm and way of thinking that says short-term gains are more important, no matter how marginal, than any long-term loss and any long-term cost. And I’m here to tell you that maybe Q2 profits are not more important than our grandchildren.”
While eating popcorn seasoned with ground pepper and assembling a new IKEA stool and desk, among other items, the freshman congresswoman addressed topics such as Puerto Rico and the topic of statehood for the United States territory, criticizing the label “territory” as a colonizing term. Other answers from Ocasio-Cortez included being against the death penalty, insisting on a 12-year deadline on cutting emissions by 50%, and that if the U.S. were to have a draft, she would support women and people of all genders being drafted into the United States military.
When asked, she pointed out that the Internet documents everything and said some people can hide the fact that they have family members that fought against equal rights during the civil rights movement, but the next generation wouldn’t be able to hide that their families on the Internet now who are making fun of or delaying the debate surrounding climate change.
At one point, Ocasio-Cortez ran into a piece of furniture that required a screwdriver to put together, which she called a “bad sign.” Lacking a screwdriver, she it left to the will of her viewers whether she should attempt construction without one. They voted yes, so she continued trying to put together the desk.
