After Politico put out a story on Friday characterizing a group of Democrats in the House as "exasperated" over the manner in which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has used her media savvy and unabashed progressivism to challenge party norms, the newly-elected congresswoman let it be known that those who want to "rein in" her brand of politics are not likely to find success.
Instead of letting the article go unmentioned, Ocasio-Cortez invoked a quote by the comic book protagonist Rorschach, created by Alan Moore.
To quote Alan Moore: “None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with YOU. You're locked up in here with ME.” https://t.co/8TCmKNJlkD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 11, 2019
Strikingly, the scene from the comic book series from which the quote is taken occurs in a prison cafeteria—a potentially provocative, though perhaps fluid, metaphor for what Congress has become to many lawmakers.
In the 2015 film version of "The Watchmen," with the character of Rorshach played by Jackie Earle Haley, things do not end well for those who try to "rein" him in:
Possibly the "crying while laughing" emoji Ocasio-Cortez included in her tweet was a signal to all that her response should be taken in good fun. For many, it certainly was:
Oh no u did not
— Winifred (@WaywardWinifred) January 11, 2019
The former comic book nerd in me is really enjoying this.https://t.co/MlaAtObnjt
— Thor Benson (@thor_benson) January 11, 2019
As a general rule, I try not to get too supportive of any political figure, but based on this new, Rorschach-shaped evidence, @AOC is the gritty reboot of the Democratic Party that we need. https://t.co/WnPWV7a1mU
— Thomas Vought (@TomVought) January 11, 2019
— Marv P (@MPCrypto) January 11, 2019
Correction: This piece has been updated to reflect that "The Watchmen" was the name of the film in which Rorshach appears.
