Did AOC Tweet About Wanting to Keep the Economy Closed to Hurt Trump?

No.

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In a since-deleted viral tweet, Florida congressional candidate Jessi Melton shared a screenshot that appeared to depict a tweet from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling to keep the economy shut down so as to hinder Donald Trump’s re-election chances.

Though she has deleted her original tweet, Melton doubled down, saying, “We don’t know for sure if she really tweeted it.”

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  1. Avatar photo
    Scarlette Tarte

    Its easy to tell she didn't write it...it is not in her voice at all. That is not how she writes. Lesson...when you are going to try to copy someone, learn their "voice". Their style. Otherwise, we can all tell its not true just by reading it.

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  2. Mrobertchase1

    AOC is not the issue here. The issure is Jessi Melton running a dishonest campaign.

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  3. El Kabong

    What was AOC's or her staff's response to a request for comment?

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  4. Avatar photo
    Visibly

    Why do we pay attention to AOC? Why do so many right wing media (TD not included), pay attention to an outlier in her party? She is young, with strong opinions, but she is hardly main stream Democratic. Her role these days is not to represent the Democratic Party overall, but to present younger people’s views and wishes for the future. Her role is to make the establishment and older people at least consider about younger people’s concerns.
    To right wing media: Let AOC speak with younger Americans. And to right wing America: Find ways to reach better solutions for all younger Americans.

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    1. Avatar photo
      DougCLE

      Personally, I like AOC stories because they’re often funny - she’s one of the few politicians who actually knows less about how the world works than the president. But I don’t bear her any malice; she’s like an episode of “Kids Say The Darndest Things”.

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    2. Nathan

      Remember where you were and when you said this. We are not taking her serious and it will bite us in the ass. Her popularity is growing and her message is permeating. She is going to be a force that will cause us problems. The GOP needs to take her positions seriously as if they make sense and publicly force her to debate the issues. Writing her off as a crackpot or a silly little girl is the dumbest thing we can do. Look at polling of millennials and the socialism agenda - they actually believe it. It is dangerous and one day millennials will be the major voting bloc.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Visibly

        But she is not a force now! Gop, by their focus on her, make her seriously!

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    3. Luke Thompson

      Because she is one of the most prominent members of her party. And that's due to her own promotion and the media's initial promotion of her. The average person would struggle to name more than five members of the House (it's harder than it sounds), and she'd be one of them.

      Also, the claim that she's presenting young people's views and wishes is strained, at best. But if she is, then one of the things right-wing America needs to do is attack and debunk the nonsense she's constantly spouting, so that the people she's speaking for can learn.

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      1. Mary Stine

        Learn what? That there is no climate change? No polluted water in Flint? No people of color being harassed just because they are people of color? AOC may be idealistic, but that should be the right and the job of the young. She is not wrong about everything, but she is probably always irritating to the right, mostly due to her ideas about fixing problems. If the right or even moderates were half as passionate about their philosophy as she is, or had better ideas about dealing with the problems that matter to young people, this discussion would not be happening.

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        1. Luke Thompson

          That there's not a workable solution to climate change at this point, but we should expect that the market will provide one on its own. (It's done far better than government control so far.) That the polluted water in Flint is a result of Democrat policies and not a national issue (also far less of an issue than people are acting like it is). That racism is far less of an issue in the US than otherwise.

          The problem with trying to cater to young people is that you're either fighting imaginary problems (like income inequality) or have to exaggerate your position in order to sound like you're taking them seriously.

          None of her major issues are in a top twenty list of problems facing the US. And all of her solutions would make them worse, not better.

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          1. Mary Stine

            There are some very reasoned workable serious ameliorations to climate change, such as carbon sequestion in soil, to name one, that could be a very important part of a real solution. That there is no one magic bullet for climate change simply reflects the complexity of the problem and the need for more voices on the right to be heard.
            Polluted water is just one of the water issues facing the entire
            US. One of my most conservative friends, who is a water engineer for an international firm, is adamant that we need to quit ignoring our water issues.
            The situation in Flint is the canary in the mine shaft, according to him.
            Racism might not seem like a major issue to many white people, but white people DO NOT get to decide that alone. I am sure that Jonah Goldberg would take great offense if I , a Christian, decided to proclaim that anti
            -Semitism was no longer an issue or far less than whenever. I don't get to decide that--Jewish people do.
            As for "catering" to young people, no, I do not believe in catering to anyone, toddlers included. But I do believe in respectfully hearing and listening and
            replying honestly.
            In that vein, I would be interested to see your list of the top twenty problems.
            We might agree on more than you think.

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      2. Avatar photo
        JohnF

        Alternatively, perhaps right-wing America could come up with a platform that would appeal to younger voters. Anything other than just "fear the left!" might be compelling.

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    4. John Cheyney

      Because everyone needs an enemy. Conservative Republicans in the MAGA orbit have staked everything on the FUD they can generate (fear, uncertainty, distrust). When you have nothing to run for you have to have something to run against.

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        DougCLE

        Republicans “in the MAGA orbit” are not conservatives. Like so much that is bad in today’s GOP, Trump came over from the Democrats. Recall that you are posting to a conservative magazine founded by former editors of NR and TWS, respectively - conservatives actually have ideas we run for.

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      2. Avatar photo
        Visibly

        But a fresher?? Many GOP men appear to be microd..ks, needing military style weapons and attacks on an politically outsider young woman, to feel like men.

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  5. Avatar photo
    Ray Salemi

    I love the subhead answer.

    Are the fact checks behind the paywall?

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  6. Jay S

    It's exceptionally easy to edit web pages inline with an HTML editor. In fact, every modern web browser has an HTML editor built into its developer console, which you can generally access by pressing the F12 button. Somebody just took a garden variety AOC tweet and edited the text content with something of their own.

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    1. Avatar photo
      CynthiaW

      Wow, who knew? (Probably everyone but me. *sigh*)

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  7. Avatar photo
    CynthiaW

    Maybe the whole campaign-on-Twitter thing is not that hot a concept.

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  8. Avatar photo
    Tom B.

    Never let a little thing like the truth stop you from scoring political points, am I right or am I right?

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    1. NateQueso

      Lol. Even if you were wrong just double tweet it and it becomes truth.

      Facts.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Angie

        You know, when I read your screen name in my head I always read it as "peanut tree" even though that isn't what it really says...lol...and I picture a peanut tree...and smile

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