Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez once again demonstrated that the Marxist crowd is actually very accepting of conservative ideals – as long as they can use them to promote an ideology that would eliminate right-leaning views from the face of the Earth. Despite being a vocal opponent of free markets and the idea that people should make their own way instead of being reliant on Daddy Gubment, the lawmaker has shown she is more than willing to swim a few laps in the pool of capitalism when it strikes her fancy.
Liberty Nation’s James Fite explained the situation in a recent piece:
Ocasio-Cortez is back to the fundraising game again, but this time she’s doing it for herself. See how quickly capitalism can corrupt? Since the beginning of the year, she has invested more than $1.4 million of her campaign funding in an online political merchandise store. Want social justice? Just shop AOC! A T-shirt that reads “TAX THE RICH” will set you back $27, as will a pride tee. But that sweet “Social Economic & Racial Justice” hoodie is a whopping $65. Whom is she marketing to, the 1%? You can rock the “Abolish ICE” hat for $28 or “Drink Water” and “Don’t Be Racist” socks for a smooth $15. Like social welfare programs with your java? Drink your morning brew out of a “Green New Deal” coffee mug for $27.
Fite also points out that while AOC raked in $200,000 for charity during a live stream in December to benefit those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, she managed to make a whopping $6.9 million for her campaign. This is the type of story that makes me wonder if I’m in the right line of business – apparently the socialism grift is more lucrative than it seems.
But this is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has used a conservative principle to advance her Marxist agenda. Remember back in February when Texas was on ice? While Texans like myself were turning into patriotic icicles and Sen. Ted Cruz was trying to sneak away to Cancun, AOC and other Democrats in blue states were raising money to send to people in need. It was yet another situation where Democrats managed to make the Republican Party look foolish.
However, it was also a notable departure from the usual socialist fare. Normally, folks like AOC would emphasize a reliance on the government to make sure people survived the disaster. But in this instance, they sought the help of private citizens to donate some of their hard-earned cash to provide for people in a red state. It was a politically smart move and plenty of Texans benefited from it.
Of course, we would be remiss to overlook Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who has amassed a considerable level of wealth after writing and selling books. Indeed, the senator is worth a little under $2 million and owns several houses. To be fair, Sanders’ wealth is relatively new. Nevertheless, the lawmaker’s rants against the rich seemed to decrease after he became a millionaire.
One might be tempted to point out the brazen hypocrisy involved in this. However, it may not be quite as hypocritical as it seems. Leaders claiming to be for the people while enjoying lives of luxury is nothing new in the realm of Marxist thought. Communist dictators like Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin, and others each owned several beautiful homes and lived lives that would make most wealthy Americans jealous. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un lives an exceedingly lavish lifestyle – he owns several homes, a private jet, luxury cars, and yachts.
If the socialist crowd gets what it wants, the rational outcome will be what we have seen throughout history. People like Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez will live high on the hog while the rest of us peons will be equally destitute. After all, “some animals are more equal than others,” right?
