Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) jumped to her fellow “Squad” member’s defense, condemning a PAC ad that featured an image of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) burning away to show scenes exposing the violent realities of socialism and calling it “horrifying.”
“This is horrifying to watch,” Omar tweeted. “When will the Republicans learn how to offer ideas and solutions without stroking fear and inciting violence?”
“Enough is enough. They need to pull this garbage off the air and issue an apology to @AOC,” she added:
Omar’s tweet follows Ocasio-Cortez’s sharp criticism of the 30-second ad from the New Faces of the GOP, which features narration from Elizabeth Heng, whose father narrowly escaped the horrors of socialism in Cambodia.
“This is the face of socialism and ignorance. Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know the horror of socialism?” Heng asked. At that point, an image of Ocasio-Cortez burns away to show a harrowing scene from the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia.
“My father was minutes from death in Cambodia before a forced marriage saved his life. That’s socialism. Forced obedience. Starvation. Mine is a face of freedom. My skin is not white. I’m not outrageous, racist or socialist. I’m a Republican,” Heng said.
The New York lawmaker lambasted the ad as racist, violent, and false.
“The mere act of burning her image is a display of violence,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) concurred. “Folks need to stick to facts & policy positions. They need to stop fear mongering & more importantly demonizing members of Congress”:
Heng responded to the criticism, questioning Ocasio-Cortez’s accusations of racism.
“Are you really calling me a racist @aoc? I’m calling all Democrats out for supporting an evil ideology. Or are you just in Congress to hang out with celebrities and tweet out ridiculous ideas like the green new deal?” she asked:
Heng said Ocasio-Cortez’s response represented “Democratic party in a nutshell,” committing to feelings over policy:
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