New York’s own ex-bartender, now Congresscritter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), is utterly reliable in one respect: Every time she opens her mouth, something dumb comes out. Now she has invoked the ire of Teamster’s Union President Sean O’Brien, who is advising her to mind her own yard before criticizing the Teamster’s members favoring former President Donald Trump.
.@Teamsters President Sean O’Brien reacts to @AOC attacking Teamsters for refusing to endorse Kamala: She should maybe get into her district — where Teamsters in her district voted overwhelmingly to support President Trump.
So, she may want to focus on her job instead of mine. pic.twitter.com/5jTNukaE7i
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 19, 2024
AOC’s district, as Mr. O’Brien points out, voted heavily in favor of Donald Trump — that is to say, Teamster’s Union members in her district — voted their support for Donald Trump, and why do you suppose that is? Maybe because of the runaway inflation under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Maybe because of the exporting of jobs overseas? Maybe because of the Biden/Harris administrations’ hostility towards fossil fuel development, which affects (adversely) gasoline and diesel fuel prices, which affects (adversely) Teamster’s jobs?
See Related: Has Kamala Harris Lost the Teamsters’ Union?
Teamsters Members Overwhelmingly Voted to Endorse Trump, But Leadership Wimped Out
AOC, of course, neither knows nor cares about any of this. She’s an ideologue, and the best interests of her constituents, well, they just aren’t way up there on her priority list.
Here’s the fun bit. Mr. O’Brien offered AOC some advice:
When I have a problem in a worksite, and there is, uh, criticism, I get right in there and find out what the problem is. Well, in our polling, her district, voted overwhelmingly Republican, in support for former President Trump. She might want to focus on her job instead of mine.
Zing!
Let’s be real about one thing, though: AOC’s district will vote en masse for Kamala Harris. The Teamsters in that district may be supporting Donald Trump, and it’s certainly in their best interests to do so. But the district as a whole will, to borrow a turn of phrase from the Teamsters’ president, vote overwhelmingly Democrat. That’s what that district is. That’s what it has been, and that’s what it will be for the foreseeable future.
The Teamsters are disenchanted with the Democrats in general, of course, and Mr. O’Brien is no exception; he is reportedly still miffed about being denied a speaking slot at this year’s Democratic National Convention, an event where union leaders are generally granted such opportunities. The Teamsters were given such a slot at the Republican convention.
.@Teamsters President Sean O’Brien says the Democrats never said why they didn’t give him a chance to speak at the DNC, after he had addressed the RNC one month before.
“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) September 1, 2024
Now, with all that said, if, as Teamsters’ President O’Brien’s members voted as overwhelmingly in favor of Donald Trump as reports indicate, then why did the union, for the first time in many years, not issue an endorsement following their members’ preferences? Maybe Mr. O’Brien’s commitment to principle is more aligned with AOC’s than one might think at first glance.
