AOC 'Literally Ran' from Opponent Who Tried To Discuss Issues with Her on the Street: Report
A potential Republican challenger to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez found out during Sunday’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City that the freshman lawmaker apparently isn’t interested in taking time to defend her stance on her perceived merits of socialism.
As the New York Post reported, Rich Valdes, a “Mark Levin Show” associate producer who was marching in the parade, spotted Ocasio-Cortez greeting spectators and thought it would be an opportune and very public time for a classic capitalism vs. socialism debate.
But according to Valdes and other witnesses, Ocasio-Cortez, who was also marching in the parade, was not having that debate.
She reportedly “ran” away from Valdes to avoid it.
After he introduced himself and asked if she wanted to debate, Valdes said, Ocasio-Cortez “cut her handshaking short, jerked her hand back and jetted to the other side of the street.”
“She literally ran!” he told the Post.
“I thought this was a good time to try and get a response but I honestly only saw the back of her head as she trotted across the street.”
Guardian Angels founder and radio host Curtis Sliwa told the Post he saw the entire exchange and AOC’s retreat.
“As soon as she saw him, she did a pirouette — a spin — and she ran north on Fifth Avenue, ahead of her delegation, just to get away from Rich,” he said.
In the spirit of “todos juntos” I tried to politely introduce myself to @RepAOC at the Puerto Rican parade where we we both marching, hoping to invite her to debate the issues, but she ran away. ??♂️#NationalPuertoRicanDayParade #NYC ???? https://t.co/URvkoG4uUu
— Rich Valdes ?? (@RichValdes) June 9, 2019
“I heard Rich yelling after her, ‘OK, AOC. You can run — but you can’t hide!’”
Sliwa’s wife, Nancy Sliwa, also reported that AOC high-tailed out of the situation as soon as she was confronted by Valdes.
A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, Corbin Trent, denied that she intentionally ran from Valdes and stated that the only way she’ll debate him is if he officially runs for office.
“She kept walking! The parade moved! It’s a procession! Give me a break,” he told the Post.
According to the Post, Valdes told members of Queens Village Republican Club recently that he’s willing to move to Ocasio-Cortez’s district, which includes part of Queens and the Bronx, to run against her in a future election.
To be completely fair to Ocasio-Cortez, Valdes isn’t exactly a household name, so she certainly could have other reasons for not wanting to debate what might have otherwise been a total stranger to her.
That would be a common move for essentially any lawmaker, as they typically don’t stop and put everything aside to debate every person that approaches them, including reasons of security.
On the other hand, it’s also not uncommon for liberals to react in such a fashion when given the opportunity to attempt to defend their positions. After all, running away is a heck of a lot easier than facing an intelligent opponent and risking utter embarrassment.
And let’s be honest: Ocasio-Cortez has undoubtedly had her fair share of extremely embarrassing moments when asked questions she didn’t know how to answer — or even know how to fake an answer for.
If this is any indication of how 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez will face future opponents — which there will undoubtedly be, whether it’s Valdes or someone else — it appears as if she might have a difficult time holding on to that seat.
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