Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as part of a series of social-media messages over the weekend, defined the group she wants to see pay more in taxes as “nesting-doll yacht rich. For-profit prison rich. Betsy DeVos, student-loan-shark rich. Trick-the-country-into-war rich. Subsidizing-workforce-w-food-stamps rich.”
The New York Democrat’s tweet-storm included thoughts on this now-deleted post from Chase JPM, -0.01% earlier in the week, in which the bank implied people who spend money at coffee shops and restaurants deserved to be broke:
Twitter
“It’s the idea that if you choose to have any expense beyond mere animalistic survival — an iced coffee, a cab after a 18hr shift on your feet — you deserve suffering, eviction, or skipped medicine,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote, explaining to her 4.2 million Twitter followers why it was such a bad tweet.
She has been pushing for a marginal income tax rate of 70% on income over $10 million — an idea drawing support from many on the left.
Such wealth “is simply not good for society, and it’s like 10 people,” she wrote Saturday. While Ocasio-Cortez says she was merely using “dry humor + sarcasm” to a make point about wealth inequality, her detractors seized on her word choice.
If it’s only 10 people, name them. Name only 10 people that you think can cover the cost of healthcare for all if we tax them.
You can’t do it because you’re a liar.
— Paul Curtman (@paulcurtman) May 12, 2019
She didn’t shy away from the mounting abuse on Twitter TWTR, -0.88% , firing back at the fact-checkers who took her “10 people” comment literally as having the “social intelligence of a sea sponge.”
She added that “the GOP is basically Dwight from ‘The Office’ so who knows,” referencing the paper salesman played by Rainn Wilson:
Max Kennerly, a Philly-based lawyer, defended her “10 people” take:
“The the richest Americans are worth $730 billion. The 14 richest American families (excluding the Koch brothers, so no double-counting) are worth $511 billion,” he wrote in a tweet Ocasio-Cortez highlighted. “Together they’re worth more than 60% of Americans combined.”
