Democratic-Socialist Congresswoman Alexandria used 2001 internet vibes in response to a poll that suggests many Republican-supporting voters back her proposal to impose high tax rates on the super-wealthy.
A champion of policies such as single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal, Ocasio-Cortez has suggested taxing incomes over $10 million at 70 percent. She has often referred to the high tax rates between the 1960s and 1980s, a period in that, according to Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman, saw periods of sustained economic growth.
Read more: James Woods claims Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is "the most dangerous person in America right now'
This week a poll by Hill–HarrisX found that 59 percent of voters favored a 70 percent tax rate for income of over $10 million a year.
The poll found that 71 percent of Democratic voters supported the idea, 60 percent of independents backed and even 45 percent of Republicans were on board.
Apparently in reference to the extent of Republican support for her plan, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a link to the New York Magazine that reported the poll, with the words "All your base (are) belong to us," with an 80s-style emoji of an alien monster.
The expression was a popular early 2000s Internet meme based on a phrase from the 1992 Mega Drive port of the 1989 arcade video game Zero Wing.
AOC has divided opinion among many. Even Fox News host Laura Ingraham, whom Ocasio-Cortez often criticizes, has expressed admiration for the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
TV host Meghan McCain has compared Ocasio-Cortez's use of Twitter with President Donald Trump's and that people should be equally uneasy with how she uses social media.
"I think she doesn't care, does whatever she wants, says whatever she wants and it's two sides of the same coin," McCain said on The View.
This week, the actor James Woods described her in a tweet as "the most dangerous person in America right now. Ignore her at your peril."
His criticism of her and her agenda was not just about tax, he said that: "I think Democrats will engineer massive voter fraud to retake the government.
"They will tax American citizens to death, to fund further illegal alien invasions, in turn guaranteeing more voter fraud. This vicious cycle will end in serious civil unrest by disenfranchised citizens."
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
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
