US Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocazio-Cortez tweeted her "love" for oil prices turning negative on Monday, pointing out that it indicates that now is "just the right time" for a "mass investment in green infrastructure". After receiving sharp criticism for her statement, she edited the tweet, but the original screenshots quickly went viral.
This snapshot is being acknowledged as a turning point in the climate movement.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 20, 2020
Fossil fuels are in long-term structural decline. This along w/ low interest rates means it‘s the right time to create millions of jobs transitioning to renewable and clean energy. A key opportunity. https://t.co/UqT8DI5u2I
Steve Scalise, House Republican Minority Whip, retweeted Ocazio-Cortez's original words, slamming her for appearing to be willing "to sacrifice people's jobs and livelihoods" in support of what he characterized as a "radical socialist agenda".
Oil & gas workers are losing their livelihoods.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) April 21, 2020
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's response was "you absolutely love to see it."
Then she deleted it because she doesn't want people to see the truth: Dems are willing to sacrifice people's jobs & livelihoods for their radical socialist agenda. pic.twitter.com/0uMnlRVM6a
Some netizens lambasted Ocazio-Cortez's tweet, pointing out that families and lives have become endangered by a dangerously unstable oil market.
My family is in the oil business here in Texas. We value life more.
— Mr. D (@txquila1) April 21, 2020
She is a job killer and a job hater. NYC got a real gem in @RepAOC pic.twitter.com/k9x4bv2I9H
— Pama Mapa (@PamaMapa423) April 21, 2020
Once again @AOC shows exactly how ignorant, clueless, and tone deaf she is. People are losing their jobs adding insult to injury during this pandemic and AOC actually cheers this development. SMH....
— Royal Blue Smiles (@royalbluesmiles) April 21, 2020
While some users did not enjoy "the celebration of Americans losing their job", others added that it is not something one could simply "tweet through".
I know you think you can just tweet through this, ignoring the fact that you celebrating Americans losing their jobs, but it's not going to happen. pic.twitter.com/ZcpPWSmvRN
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 20, 2020
Deleting your tweet celebrating the loss of American jobs doesn't make us forget. Try to contain your excitement while families lose everything. pic.twitter.com/uL2knSG1Z1
— Jessica Fletcher (@heckyessica) April 20, 2020
Some users suggested that AOC's tweet on discarding fossil fuels was economically incompetent.
Yes. With fossil fuels at a forty-year low, now is the time to invest in expensive, inefficient, unproven technology. Great logic.
— Phil Elliott (@NDallas87) April 20, 2020
.@aoc, you don't know what you're talking about.
— John Dennis for Congress (@RealJohnDennis) April 20, 2020
Diffuse energy sources, like wind/solar, will never replace dense sources like oil. Only denser sources of energy can meet long term energy needs.
Want a dense source with low emissions?
Nuclear.
Why won't you support it?
AOC's viral tweet comes following WTI oil prices going negative for the first time in history on Monday, bottoming out at -$37.63 per barrel. The oil market crisis continues amid the novel coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down economies across the world, and collapsing the demand for oil products; a destabilization that is affecting other prominent industries as well.
