Why comparing Marjorie Taylor Greene to AOC is ridiculous – By Zack Beauchamp (VOX) / Feb 3 2021
No, Democrats and Republicans don’t have have a similar “extremism” problem.
According to some members of the US press over the last few days, America’s two political parties have a symmetrical extremism problem in the House: The Democrats have Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Republicans have Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Axios labeled the two representatives as “Mischief Makers” in their respective caucuses. Politico, not to be outdone, suggested that while President Joe Biden “embraces the left” (meaning Ocasio-Cortez), House Minority Leader Kevin “may purge a member on the right” (meaning Greene). Fox News analyst Brit Hume suggested Ocasio-Cortez was perhaps more “dangerous” than Greene because she “escapes the scrutiny that attaches to Republican extremists.”
There are some areas where the comparison between the two lawmakers works. Both are new(ish) House members from safe seats who managed to capture public attention in a very short amount of time. Both have names that can be shortened into handy three-letter acronyms. And indeed, both are on the far end of the ideological spectrum in their respective parties.
