Hannity’s attempt to smear Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backfires hilariously

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took the country by surprise on Tuesday when she won the Democratic congressional primary in New York’s 14th District, defeating the fourth most powerful Democrat in the House and becoming an overnight sensation in the process.

As a woman, a minority, and a progressive champion who is likely to win the general election in November, Ocasio-Cortez is also the worst nightmare of the folks at Fox News.

Naturally, the right-wing outrage machine has already turned its attention to the progressive firebrand, with Fox’s Sean Hannity leading the charge Wednesday night.

But in his attempt to attack Ocasio-Cortez, Hannity accidentally ended up making the case to vote for the Democratic candidate.

“This is the future, this is your modern Democratic party,” Hannity said as he displayed Ocasio-Cortez’s platform on the screen.

“She is pushing for single payer universal health care, universal jobs, government subsided housing for everybody, tuition — free college, she wants to abolish ICE, and of course — impeach President Trump,” he warned without a hint of irony.

Also on the list of no good, very bad things? Proposals to mobilize against climate change, get rid of dark money through campaign finance reform, promote women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights, support senior citizens, and bring back a regulation to prohibit Wall Street bankers from putting taxpayers on the hook when high-risk trading practices fail.

Apparently, Hannity was under the impression that these proposals — health care, jobs, looking out for grandma — would send people running in horror.

Instead, it prompted hilarious responses like these, pointing out that Hannity’s attack on Ocasio-Cortez may end up earning her some new supporters:

Sean Hannity just presented this agenda as a negative pic.twitter.com/mYoByIRyr5

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) June 28, 2018

https://twitter.com/MillenPolitics/status/1012154544606863360

https://twitter.com/lampsofgold/status/1012162802868465670

Hannity wasn’t the only one who went on the attack after Ocasio-Cortez’s surprise victory.

In a laughable attempt at fear-mongering, NRA-TV posted a clip online warning that “left-wing socialists have infiltrated our nation and want to fundamentally change the country we love.”

“The socialist movement in America is real. It is dangerous. And it is more powerful than you may think,” NRA-TV host Grant Stinchfield said, going on to claim that Ocasio-Cortez “openly despises the very system that makes America the greatest country in the world.” 

Clearly, right-wing extremists are terrified of what the 28-year-old Bronx native represents: a young, energized, and growing progressive movement.

And they should be frightened — not by the candidates pushing for health care and housing and human rights, but by the popular support behind these candidates.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.