Politicians clash in first committee meeting of 2023
It's no secret that there's no love lost between Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene, and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but on February 2 the latest episode in their ongoing feud, exploded on Twitter.
The clash followed exchanges in the House of Representatives, and later on broadcast news after Ocasio-Cortez expressed how challenging she found it to serve with a politician like MTG who has a record of stirring hate and divisiveness on social media.
AOC was referring to Taylor-Greene being stripped of all committee assignments in 2021 after all Democrats and 11 Republicans voted in favor of this action after she openly advocated for violence against certain members of the senate. She has subsequently been reinstated to a number of committees including one that the New York Democrat Ocasio-Cortez also serves upon.
Spoiling for a fight (or debate)?
The latest episode in their feud appears to have begun after MTG objected to AOC commenting on her past-history, claiming that it was "uncomfortable serving with people" who incite violence towards others. The Georgia Republican accused AOC of cowardice and avoiding debate with her.
AOC responded to Taylor-Greene's comments, pointing out that they had debated earlier this week during a committee meeting. It was a meeting that Taylor-Greene had apparently only attended for a short period of time, and in the process of doing so had made the inaccurate statement that a single elementary school in Chicago had been given $5 billion of federal funds to teach Critical Race Theory.
Video of MTG's outburst has since gone viral online, specifically because of the stark inaccuracies of her statements in Congress.
Ongoing beef between the two
There's a clear history of antagonism between the Georgia Republican and the New York Democrat that goes way back. Most recently, AOC taunted Taylor-Greene for the landslide defeat suffered by an amendment she'd introduced. MTG's amendment had received just 14 votes in favor with 418 votes against.
AOC was keen to point out that an amendment she'd proposed relating to the loosening of restrictions around the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin got more votes in favor than MTG's bill.
Their issues go way back
While MTG appears to be keen on a one-on-one public debate, there's a sense that this won't clear the air between the two politicians given that they are from the opposite extremes of the political spectrum.
Perhaps the most famous conflict between the two came a year ago, when MTG confronted AOC outside the chamber of the House of Representatives. Taylor-Greene chased-down AOC and confronted her about the Green New Deal, before then accusing her of supporting terrorist groups.
The issue between the two may just come down to a personality clash but it is undoubtedly also a reflection of differing political views and priorities.
Certainly of late, MTG has seemed more focused on building her personal profile, potentially in preparation to campaign as Donald Trump's running-mate in the 2024 election, rather than being focused on serving the people of Georgia who appointed her.
Whether the beef between MTG and AOC will ever be healed, remains to be seen but it looks unlikely at this stage.
Do you think that the disagreements and discord between Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are a distraction from elected officials serving the best interests of American citizens? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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