Yesterday, Florida Rep. Ted Yoho delivered an unenthusiastic apology for verbally accosting New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who he called “disgusting” and a “f-cking bitch.” The apology (if you can even call it that) failed to mention AOC by name, and showed zero remorse or cognizance of his offense.
Today, AOC delivered a scathing 8-minute rebuttal where she called out not only Yoho, but the systemic misogyny that is deeply entrenched in every aspect of our culture. In her speech, AOC connected the vitriolic language to our misogynist-in-chief Donald Trump, and a culture that celebrates men for behaving abhorrently.
Here is my full response regarding Mr. Yoho and the culture of misogyny that inspired his actions.
I am deeply appreciative of my colleagues and everyone speaking up and out against the rampant mistreatment of women both in Congress and across the country. ⬇️ https://t.co/nFfxy5UdmP
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 23, 2020
AOC began her speech by noting that women everywhere have “had to deal with this, in some form, some way, some shape, at some point in our lives … this is not new, and that is the problem.” She continued, “it is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that.”
Ocasio-Cortez called out the toxic language she has received from fellow representatives, members of the Republican party, and finally the president, who told her to “go home to another country” in a racist tirade. AOC said she was ready to move on from Yoho’s comments, but realized that she couldn’t after his pathetic attempt at an apology.
“I could not allow my nieces, I could not allow the little girls that I go home to, I could not allow victims of verbal abuse and worse, to see that, to see that excuse, and to see our congress accept that as legitimate, and accept it as an apology, and to accept silence as a form of acceptance. I could not allow that to stand … ”
In her speech, AOC also called out a well-worn trope used by bad men: that having a wife and/or a daughter is somehow proof that they are not sexist. She said,
“But what I do have issue with, is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior. Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.”
She added, “What Mr. Yoho did was give permission to other men to do that to his daughters. In using that language in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community. And I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable.”
Following her speech, fellow Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Nydia Velázquez, Brenda Lawrence, Al Green, Jackie Speier, and others who took time to condemn Yoho’s behavior and the pervasive culture of misogyny. Many politicians took to Twitter to voice their support for AOC:
Sexism permeates our culture—and members of Congress are not immune.
Thank you @AOC for that powerful speech and for speaking out about abusive behavior that women and girls across our country endure every day. We cannot be silent. https://t.co/w50EzkYE6M
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2020
Mr. Yoho’s comments were beneath this institution. No woman should be confronted with this kind of attack. His non-apology was unacceptable as is his GOP colleagues’ silence. @AOC brings intellect, passion, & focus to issues that confront our people. I’m proud to stand with her. pic.twitter.com/TvmwQTMoaU
— Steny (Wear a Mask) Hoyer (@LeaderHoyer) July 23, 2020
There is no place for sexism in this Congress. Women across the globe look up to @AOC and the women who have been elected to serve. We should all be angry.
“Passion” is no excuse for verbally assaulting women.
May this stand as a reminder that we belong here. #IStandWithAOC https://t.co/z2j39TXyxb
— Yvette D. Clarke (@RepYvetteClarke) July 23, 2020
Women deserve respect. Period.
Government can’t function w/o civil discourse— yet Rep. Yoho decided that his female colleague didn’t deserve this respect.
Thank you, @AOC for standing up for women everywhere. This sexism will NOT be tolerated in Congress. I won’t stand for it. https://t.co/gxGk0HkLNb
— Marie Newman (@Marie4Congress) July 23, 2020
Rep. @IlhanMN defends Rep. @AOC after Yoho attack: “Like Alexandria, I was raised by a dignified man who told me that I deserved equality because I was an equal human being to my brothers.” pic.twitter.com/2nfisUec7Q
— The Hill (@thehill) July 23, 2020
.@RashidaTlaib on AOC/Yoho: “Violence against women in politics specifically is a global problem.” pic.twitter.com/remFEbKLzj
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 23, 2020
(image: screencap/NowThisNews)
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Published: Jul 23, 2020 03:25 pm