Since bursting onto the political scene in 2018, Democratic New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made a name for herself for bluntly and forcefully clapping back at politicians, especially conservative ones.
And when Republican Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert's called for an end to all government benefits at this weekend's CPAC, Ocasio-Cortez shut her all the way down for her ignorant hypocrisy.
Quote-tweeting a video clip of Boebert's speech, seen below, AOC ripped the mask off Boebert's and other conservatives' thinly veiled motives for railing against America's barely-there public safety net.
In her much lauded speech at the recent Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) event, Boebert inveighed against government benefits like welfare and free vaccines.
"We're here to tell government: 'We don't want your benefits. We don't want your welfare, don't come to us with your Fauci ouchie. Leave us the hell alone!"
The hypocrisy was real.
Hey @laurenboebert, did you forget about \u201ccoming from welfare and waiting in line for government cheese\u201d when you were telling CPAC you don\u2019t want government benefits pic.twitter.com/RqlgRbiL1c— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@Wu-Tang Is For The Children) 1626107116
Boebert also seemed unaware of the fact she is the government, but whatever.
Ocasio-Cortez wasn't about to let this speech slide, laying into Boebert for what she called "good ol' conservative values."
"Tell 'em loud and proud girl! GOP will strip your unemployment protections and dismantle any semblance of a public safety net we have left! Then make working people pay way more for everything on low wages while Wall St gets a meal ticket!"
Ocasio-Cortez was kind enough not to point out Boebert's own history with public benefits: The freshman lawmaker has spoken openly and proudly in the past about her rise from a recipient of welfare—you know, one of the programs she wants to destroy—to a member of Congress.
But in response, Boebert didn't show AOC the same restraint, firing off a below-the-belt reply to AOC's tweet.
In it, Boebert derisively called Ocasio-Cortez "Sandy" and mocked her sick grandmother, who, as AOC recently tweeted, is still awaiting the government assistance her tax dollars pay for following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Oh please, Sandy. Ask Abuela how that government reliance is going.\n\nNobody is taking safety nets away. \n\nGrowing up in a Democrat household, I stood in line for bread and government cheese. I want more for your grandma, just as I did for me. \n\nDon\u2019t limit the American dream.https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1414014730843344896\u00a0\u2026— Lauren Boebert (@Lauren Boebert) 1625976835
Ocasio-Cortez was ready with a searing clapback for this, too.
Thank you for proving to the world that today\u2019s version of \u201cconservative role model\u201d is a person who mocks other people\u2019s ill grandparents on the internet.\n\nI can promise you I will treat your family better than you do mine. And I\u2019ll fight for your constituents more, too. https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1414075454844198918\u00a0\u2026— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1626032671
On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez's takedown of Boebert had people's support.
@AOC burning #KarenBoebert while showing class is what I live for.— Angela Belcamino (@Angela Belcamino) 1626033620
\u201cGrowing up in a Democrat household, I stood in line for bread and government cheese\u201d\n\nGovernment cheese was nominally removed in the 1990s when the dairy market stabilized.\n\nMaybe she\u2019s thinks blue cheese is like a liberal cheese or something?— Look here, Jack (@Look here, Jack) 1626033488
Smarter, better, more compassionate, more qualified, able to work with other and just a more beautiful person. Thank you @AOC for being a patriot.— Sleeping Dogs make me smile (@Sleeping Dogs make me smile) 1626034310
She was born in 1986. She never stood in line for government cheese.— World Citizen (@World Citizen) 1626033556
So much for being followers of Christ!pic.twitter.com/EMuILWtNb1— Otto Topci \ud83e\ude90- that\u2019s me \ud83d\udd1c (@Otto Topci \ud83e\ude90- that\u2019s me \ud83d\udd1c) 1625962560
Red states are socialist. They balance their budget from the federal government as they are poor and unable to pay their bills. The rest of us pay for them and they call us socialist. Stop paying them.— p.endicott (@p.endicott) 1625963346
BOEBERT in an earlier interview: \u201cI\u2019m living the American dream. I came up from welfare, standing in line waiting for government cheese, to now running for Congress.\u201d\n\nThe perverted irony is sickening.— Bruce Robert (@Bruce Robert) 1625963496
As one of Lauren\u2019s constituents I would trade for AOC in a literal heartbeat— houseguest choice (@houseguest choice) 1626033844
Wish I was in your district instead of hers.— Sheri Lynn (@Sheri Lynn) 1626034180
Ocasio-Cortez has frequently clashed with Boebert, who ran her 2020 congressional campaign in part on a promise to "take on AOC."
