Republicans don’t appear as though they’re suddenly about to start feeling okay with taking criticism anytime soon. This week, Sen. Ted. Cruz (R-Texas), who went from Trump opponent to Trump shill, mocked prominent progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for speaking out against Vice President Mike Pence’s appointment as lead response coordinator for the Coronavirus situation. After all, Ocasio-Cortez pointed out, Pence “does not believe in science,” which applies to issues like climate change, LGBTQ people, and more. Cruz mockingly rattled off a laundry list of conservative talking points in response — and the Congresswoman poignantly responded by pointing out that Cruz doesn’t exactly seem to believe in science either.
Duly documented science shouldn’t be an area where people can “disagree,” yet here we are. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted:
‘Sen. Cruz, while I understand you judge people’s intelligence by the lowest income they’ve had, I hold awards from MIT Lincoln Lab &others for accomplishments in microbiology. Secondly, I’m surprised you’re asking about chromosomes given that you don’t even believe in evolution.’
Sen. Cruz, while I understand you judge people’s intelligence by the lowest income they’ve had, I hold awards from MIT Lincoln Lab &others for accomplishments in microbiology.
Secondly, I’m surprised you’re asking about chromosomes given that you don’t even believe in evolution. https://t.co/vOIwJhpl7q
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 28, 2020
Cruz’s list of questions in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s alarm about Pence included a reference to the supposed real nature of the chromosomes that determine someone’s biological sex. Socially expressed gender isn’t the same thing as biological sex — and even our determinants of biological sex operate according to socially expressed boundaries. It’s not that complicated.
Cruz and other Republicans have often derided Ocasio-Cortez, with some pointing out her past as a bartender — but in response to the Texas Senator this week, the New York Congresswoman pointed out that she’s also “an Intel global finalist, a fmr multi-year intern for Sen. Kennedy, a cum laude dual major in Economics & International Relations, a fmr Educational Director for national organization, Who to you is “just a bartender,” And also your colleague.”
Sincerely,
an Intel global finalist,
a fmr multi-year intern for Sen. Kennedy,
a cum laude dual major in Economics & International Relations,
a fmr Educational Director for national organization,
Who to you is “just a bartender,”
And also your colleague.https://t.co/9ktAgXFXDE— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 28, 2020
Meanwhile, no matter how feverishly that Republican trolls try to freak out — what are Pence’s qualifications to lead a Coronavirus response? While he was governor of Indiana, where he worked to roll back public health infrastructure, the state suffered an HIV outbreak. That’s not exactly reassuring.
Check out Twitter’s response below…
