Conservative host Sean Hannity tried to give Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez new nicknames this week, proposing "O-socially...O-socialist-o" in a radio segment yesterday.
Hannity, of Fox fame, was discussing the politician on Premiere Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show, alongside his executive producer Lynda McLaughlin. The pair played a segment of Ocasio-Cortez's recent assertion that climate change may destroy Earth in 12 years.
Read more: Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismisses Ocasio-Cortez climate warning
Just prior, the pair complained that Ocasio-Cortez is also known by her initials. "By the way, it's not cool to call her Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, you got to call her A.O.C.," Hannity said, sparking McLaughlin's suggestion that they should brainstorm some fresh nicknames.
"We might have to boycott the 'A.O.C.' You know why? Because all these leaders in our past like J.F.K., L.B.J.— I just don't know if I want her in acronym space yet. I don't think she deserves it. I'm going to call her 'Ocasio,' or maybe 'O-scary-o,' or 'O-crazy-o,'" McLaughlin said.
"I like 'O-scary-o,'" Hannity responded, adding his own ideas: "O-socially...O-socialist-o." The producer added: "Maybe we'll put a poll on Hannity.com. What should we call her?" The 5-minute long radio segment was clipped and published this week by Media Matters for America.
Democrat Ocasio-Cortez has captured public's attention for her savvy use of social media and her passionate approach to political issues. Only this week, she appeared on a Twitch stream. Her Twitter game is so good she recently led a class to help school her Democrat colleagues.
On Fox News this week, Hannity asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the official position on Ocasio-Cortez's comments on climate change, made Monday.
Sanders hit back: "I don't think we're going to listen to her on much of anything, particularly not on matters we're gonna leave in the hands of a much, much higher authority, and certainly not listen to the freshman congresswoman on when the world may end. We're focused on what's happening in the world right now. We wish that Democrats, like herself, would engage in that conversation, help us fix some of the current problems that we know exist."
Ocasio-Cortez's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez defended herself from critics of the comments about climate change "For some reason GOP seems to think this is a gaffe, but it's actually a generational difference," she tweeted. "Young people understand that climate change is an existential threat: 3,000 Americans died in Hurricane María. The U.N. says we've got 12 years left to fix it."
The United Nations report in question—released last year—concluded: "Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require 'rapid and far-reaching' transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050."
"Limiting warming to 1.5°C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes," the U.N group's co-chair, Jim Skea, asserted at the time.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jason Murdock is a staff reporter for Newsweek.
Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
