It’s been bizarre watching the conservative movement unleash unhinged attacks on freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Not for the policy or politics of the freshman rep, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is clearly much further left than many established Democrats, is a vocal critic of the Republicans an Conservatism, and has captured the imagination of the younger more liberal cohort of the Democratic Party, but even with all that she is a freshly minted Representative from a fairly large delegation of twenty-seven and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez herself in terms of House Seniority ranks 398th out of 435. And yet this very junior member has attracted fire all out of proportion with her ability to actually move legislation.

From the more balanced side of the conservative movement the critiques have been more about policy and position, such as about proposed tax rates and expansion of government programs, but focusing on the talent politician’s positions has only brought it further into the public consciousness and made a rising star out the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. How many freshman Representatives get interviewed on major national news programs? That is the sort of exposure that is impossible to buy and in a process much like the Streisand Effect, amplifies her voice. At a time when the Republican’s are in a perpetual state of public relations crisis due the leader of the party being an impulsive, narcissistic, unpopular figure they have precious few resources to waste. Mind you I am not passing judgment on the soundness of either the conservative or miss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez policy positions, but rather on the foolishness of the conservatives’ attacks.

When we moved beyond the critiques of her policies things get stranger and even disgusting.

There have been attempts to paint her as dishonest based on the clothing she wears, attempts to dismiss her ideas because she once appeared in a dancing video from her college days (really, I can’t even wrap my head around how that bit of propaganda was supposed to function,) and for truly slimy techniques her opponents even have tried to fake pornographic imagery of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

I can’t recall another time when a freshman Representative attracted so much fire and fury. It’s bizarre and from what I can see it has been entirely counter-productive.