Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is a noted ignoramus.
She is also a shameless liar.
This is nothing new for a politician of any political party.
Yet, there’s something cheap and ridiculous about the kinds of lies and exaggerations that AOC makes up to further her insane political agenda (or to promote herself).
The most recent comes in the form of her claim that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces—which had at least 100,000 people listening—was nowhere near as big as her 400,000 listeners who tuned into when she and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) played a video game together and broadcast it.
Of course, 400,000 is larger than 100,000. And the media, which is clearly threatened by the Ron DeSantis campaign (which is why Politico is currently on the warpath against DeSantis), is more than happy to spread AOC’s lie.
Lies and AOC
What neither AOC nor the media are saying, though, is that the initial claim by investor David Sacks (who co-hosted DeSantis’ announcement on Twitter) that the DeSantis announcement had the largest audience in the history of Twitter Spaces was accurate.
AOC’s comparison between her time playing a video game and broadcasting it to 400,000 people and DeSantis’ announcement is wrong because she did the broadcast on Twitch, not Twitter Spaces.
Twitch is a streaming platform that was initially designed to stream users playing their favorite video games. So, the audience there was already attenuated to that content. What’s more, AOC and Rep. Omar both have huge social media followings.
They were able to galvanize their followers to tune in along with the usual video game watching audience of Twitch. It’s an apples-to-oranges comparison that is so idiotic that it begs the question as to why the news media would have unquestioningly run with it if not for the fact that the news media is against DeSantis.
The fact of the matter is that Ron DeSantis represents a new generation of American politicians on the Right. He has effectively combined the MAGA ethos on the Right without the emotional instability and legal as well as political baggage of Donald Trump.
DeSantis is younger than his opponent, too. He’s also more articulate and educated. What’s more, DeSantis has a lifetime of public service compared to Trump.
While Republican candidates traditionally do poorly with independent voters, some do better than others. DeSantis plays much better in the polls with these voters than does Trump. These polls are being conducted before the campaign even really gets going.
The closer we move toward election day, I believe that DeSantis’ support among independents would only increase whereas, if Trump were the GOP nominee, they would either remain stagnant or decline—giving Joe Biden a clear advantage over the Republicans.
This is the point behind AOC’s scurrilous lies and misrepresentations. To undermine and demean DeSantis. If the Florida governor was this joke that his enemies—including fellow Republican, former President Donald Trump—insist that he is, then they wouldn’t waste their time on attacking him.
They’d just let DeSantis implode. But these career politicians always tip their hand. DeSantis scares them all.
DeSantis is the Most Dynamic
The fact that DeSantis was even willing to make a presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces was glorious.
The reason that so many politicos are ripping him for having done so, outside of the fact that they likely have loyalties to other politicians and parties, is the fact that by going through Twitter Spaces, DeSantis completely cut out the gatekeepers in the media and the mostly useless political consulting class.
For the latter group, which is feverishly attacking the Florida governor for the announcement, he essentially cut them out of a big payday.
DeSantis is a disruptor in the truest sense. Unlike Trump, who was also a disruptor, DeSantis has proven with his time in the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, that he has married his disruptive style with success.
Florida is markedly better off since he became governor than before he was the state’s chief executive. AOC’s pathetic attempts to diminish his early moves in the presidential campaign of 2024 should be ignored. She’s a know-nothing.
DeSantis is going to mix things up. It’s going to be a fun election season.
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A 19FortyFive Senior Editor, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (Encounter Books), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
