New York City’s former bartender and current congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is one of those people who can be relied upon to say something stupid every time she opens her mouth. Now she has incurred the wrath of Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, who is advising her to mind her own yard before criticizing Teamsters members who favor former President Donald Trump.
.@Teamsters President Sean O’Brien responds to @AOC Attacking the Teamsters for refusing to endorse Kamala: She should perhaps go to her district, where the Teamsters in her district voted overwhelmingly for President Trump.
So maybe she would rather concentrate on her work than on mine. pic.twitter.com/5jTNukaE7i
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) 19 September 2024
As Mr. O’Brien points out, AOC’s district voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump – that is, the Teamsters union members in her district voted for Donald Trump, and why do you think that is? Maybe because of runaway inflation under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Maybe because of jobs being shipped overseas? Maybe because of the Biden/Harris administrations’ hostility to fossil fuel development, which (adversely) affects gasoline and diesel prices, which (adversely) affects Teamsters jobs?
See also: Has Kamala Harris lost the Teamsters union?
Teamsters members voted overwhelmingly for Trump, but the leadership caved in
AOC, of course, doesn’t know any of this and doesn’t care. She’s an ideologue, and the interests of her constituents are simply not at the top of her priority list.
And now comes the fun part. Mr. O’Brien gave AOC some advice:
If I have a problem at a construction site and there is criticism, I immediately go there and find out what the problem is. Well, in our polls, Republicans in her district overwhelmingly supported former President Trump. Maybe she should focus on her job rather than mine.
Zing!
But let’s be forthright: AOC’s district will vote a lot for Kamala Harris. The Teamsters in this district may support Donald Trump, and it is certainly in their best interest to do so. But the district as a whole will, to exploit a phrase from the Teamsters president, vote overwhelmingly Democratic. That is this district. That is what it was, and that is what it will be for the foreseeable future.
The Teamsters are, of course, generally disappointed with the Democrats, and Mr. O’Brien is no exception. He is reportedly still upset that he was not given a speaking opportunity at this year’s Democratic convention, even though union leaders are usually granted such opportunities. The Teamsters were granted such a space at the Republican convention.
.@Teamsters President Sean O’Brien says Democrats never said why they didn’t give him the opportunity to speak at the DNC after he spoke at the RNC a month earlier.
“I’m not upset about it, but I can tell you this: My rank-and-file members who have been lifelong Democrats … pic.twitter.com/7mM2mTzyI9
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) 1 September 2024
If, as reports show, Teamsters President O’Brien’s members voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, why has the union failed to express support in line with its members’ preferences for the first time in many years? Perhaps Mr. O’Brien’s adherence to principles is more compatible with AOC’s than one might think at first glance.
