As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continues to speak truth to power, she’s only further confirming how much we need more women like her at the forefront of politics. The latest proof comes in the form of her impassioned speech delivered on climate change after the Senate blocked a motion to take up the Green New Deal, the climate change plan outlined by the Democrats.
“This is not an elitist issue, this is a quality of life issue,” congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said, addressing the comments made by a Republican representative, Sean Duffy, who said the environmental proposals were elitist. “You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist? Tell that to the kids of the South Bronx who are suffering from the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country. Tell that to the families in Flint, whose kids have their blood ascending in lead levels; their brains are damaged for the rest of their lives. Call them elitist. People are dying … This is serious. This should not be a partisan issue.”
The Green New Deal addresses climate change and economic inequality by calling for the elimination of greenhouse gases by 2030. Scientists have warned that the emissions from greenhouse gases are responsible for global warming. In opposition, the Republicans claim that the deal, if passed, would lead to an increase in taxes and economic issues for the country. Before the vote, Republican Mike Lee showed his feelings toward the deal by displaying pictures of dinosaurs, babies and cartoon characters on the Senate floor.
The video has been widely shared across social media platforms, with people praising Ocasio-Cortez’s angry and impassioned delivery.
Ocasio-Cortz has since taken to Twitter to hit home on her point that tackling climate change requires strong leadership: “3,000 Americans died in Hurricane María. The Midwest is drowning as we speak. 100s of Flint families were pumped with poisoned water and our water infrastructure is imperiled across the country. GOP [Republican Party] thinks this is a joke. They choose to laugh and delay. We choose to lead.”
If Ocasio-Cortez speech is anything to go by it’s that “nasty, difficult women” – to quote Donald Trump’s famous referral to Hillary Clinton – is who we need leading today’s conversation in the ever-changing political arena.
