Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw in a fiery tweet on Saturday after he was caught on tape mocking her former food-service job.
Crenshaw, a Texas congressman and former Navy SEAL, was recorded making fun of the New York lawmaker’s waitressing background, stating that she “believes the biggest hardship in life” was deciding between serving still or sparkling water.
“These people are nuts. It’s not just Chuck Schumer. Chuck Schumer is controlled by people like AOC, who believes the biggest hardship in life was figuring out whether it was still or sparkling, and you don’t know hardship until you’ve cried in the back,” Crenshaw said.
He then went on to sarcastically add: “I’m so glad I didn’t have to do that in my former career. That was our biggest problems in the mountains of Afghanistan was figuring out, do we offer them still or sparkling? And what if they don’t like it? Rough out there, man.”
In response, Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th district in the House, hit back at Crenshaw on Twitter by writing, “The GOP acts like they care, but behind closed doors, this is what they actually say about the working class.”
“Good to know how little you truly think of food workers, @DanCrenshawTX. I wonder: did you have catering while bonding w/ wealthy donors over your disdain for the poor?” she tweeted.
The GOP acts like they care, but behind closed doors, this is what they actually say about the working class.
Good to know how little you truly think of food workers, @DanCrenshawTX.
I wonder: did you have catering while bonding w/ wealthy donors over your disdain for the poor? https://t.co/qrZShdTbME
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 5, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez has been a vehement defender of her working-class background since being elected into Congress in 2018. Prior to becoming a lawmaker, she worked at restaurants and bars in the city.
As a progressive and outspoken Democrat in Congress, Ocasio-Cortez frequently faces criticism from GOP officials seeking to disparage her past positions.
In 2019, Piers Morgan scorned Ocasio-Cortez for being a former bartender after she criticized Ivanka Trump during the G20 summit in Japan.
“It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote then. “It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on. The U.S. needs our President working the G20. Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either.”
In response, Morgan fired back at Ocasio-Crotez by writing, “Could be worse…Ivanka could have been a bar-tender 18 months ago.”
But the New York representative stood firm, responding, “Working people that GOP dismiss as ‘just a waitress/cook/etc’ contain multitudes, & are just as capable & intelligent as anyone. Classism—judging someone’s character by their income—is disappointing to see from them.”
On Saturday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back at Congressman Dan Crenshaw for mocking her former food service jobs. In this photo, Ocasio-Cortez endorses Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at a campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019. Kena Betancur/Getty
On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Republicans like to make fun of the fact that I used to be a waitress, but we all know if they ever had to do a double they’d be the ones found crying in the walk-in fridge halfway through their first shift bc someone yelled at them for bringing seltzer when they wanted sparkling.”
The message prompted criticism from conservatives who tweeted their own stories of working service industry positions before entering politics.
“This is wrong,” Kasey Lovett, spokesperson for Dr. Ben Carson, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, wrote on Twitter. “I was a waitress for 5+ years throughout high school and college. I am a Republican and I cried in walk-in fridges just like you. The difference between us? I don’t expect the gvt to provide for me. I make my own $ and provide for myself.”
In response to those criticisms, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “These Republicans who are defensively rage-tweeting ‘But you’re wrong! I worked my way to pay through college!!” don’t realize they sound like folks who speak of the days when Hershey bars were 5¢ at the general store.”
