Ocasio-Cortez v Ben Shapiro: Dem candidate refuses ‘catcalling’ debate offer
Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has declined Ben Shapiro’s challenge to debate him for $10,000, likening the conservative host’s offer to catcalling.
“Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Thursday. “And also like catcalling, for some reason they feel entitled to one.”
Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions.And also like catcalling, for some reason they feel entitled to one. pic.twitter.com/rsD17Oq9qe
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) August 10, 2018
Shapiro responded, denying his offer to debate had ‘bad intentions.’ “Slandering someone as a sexist catcaller without reason or evidence does demonstrate cowardice and bad intent, however,” he said.
Discussion and debate are not “bad intentions.” Slandering someone as a sexist catcaller without reason or evidence does demonstrate cowardice and bad intent, however. https://t.co/kYaYuf0W43
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 10, 2018
It’s not about “owing” a response. It’s about stepping up to the plate and defending your platform against someone who doesn’t agree with you. If by “bad intentions,” you mean @benshapiro wants to have a civil debate, then sure. How evil. https://t.co/ulb5L7HAYm
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) August 10, 2018
Is Ben Shapiro running for NYT-14? No? Is he even a constituent of NY-14? No? Then she has zero obligation to debate him.
— AmiableQuinn (@AmiableQuinn) August 10, 2018
Shapiro extended the invitation to Ocasio-Cortez on his ‘The Ben Shapiro Show’ on Wednesday, telling his audience he would donate $10,000 to Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign or a charity if she would come on the show to debate him so that he could “probe” her belief system.
The conservative host referenced Ocasio-Cortez’s comments that Republicans aren’t willing to debate, and said he wanted to ask her to "name an industry you would not nationalize; which ones should the government not run and why?”
“Alright, can she name any of them?” he added.
Hey, @Ocasio2018, what do you say? pic.twitter.com/lKDtmMc8Us
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 8, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez is running to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District on a social-democratic platform which includes calling for Medicare for all, tuition-free public college education, and an end to the use of fossil fuels.
READ MORE: US can afford ‘unlimited war’ but not Medicare for all, says Ocasio-Cortez
She beat veteran Representative Joe Crowley (D-NY) in the primary, prompting the Democratic National Committee’s Tom Perez to describe the former Bernie Sanders campaign organizer as “the future” of the Democratic party.
Shapiro is a staunch right-winger and critic of democratic socialism whose Daily Wire website is owned by fossil fuel billionaires the Dan and Farris Wilks. He has written a book called, ‘How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them.’
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