Newly-sworn in Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York continues to show off her lack of knowledge about the United States government and the office she has just been sworn into. Her most recent gaffes include misquotes of the United States Constitution – and sharing her plans to run for another particular office.
The darling of many in the left was in the middle of a photoshoot for Politico when she said she might run for president next. The conversation took a weird turn when the Politico photographer told her she would not be eligible to run for the office for another six years; Ocsaio-Cortez is 29. According to the United States Constitution, a natural-born American citizen must be at least 35 to take office; most school children learn this fact in 5th grade.
Her reply is no more informed; as seen in the conversation from Politico below:
“No, not for a long time. Thank God,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “Although we’ve been joking that because the Equal Rights Amendment hasn’t been passed yet, the Constitution technically says he cannot run unless he’s 35. … So, what we’ll do is we’ll force the Republican Party to pass the Equal Rights Amendment by threatening to run for president.”
“That is awesome. All the people who say a literal interpretation of the Constitution is the only thing you should be paying attention to,” the photographer responded.
“Exactly, all those Constitutionalists, I will keep vigilance,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
What the Constitution really says is different. Article II of this document outlines the qualifications for the United States President. Despite Ocasio-Cortez’s confusion, the document does not specify that candidates or the winner need to be male — it actually says “any person”. See the exact phrasing below:
“No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.”
The congresswoman is not known for her accuracy; during her campaign, she made claims and promises that could not be fulfilled by someone in Congress at all. Just a few weeks ago, more constitutional confusion made headlines when Ocasio-Cortez proved she was unaware of the branches of the United States government:
“If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress — Uh, rather all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House,” Ocasio-Cortez said, speaking to Democratic activists.
The only problem? The three branches of the government are the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches.
Hopefully the young Congresswoman will learn more about the government she is hoping to lead before launching that presidential run in another six years.
~ Patriotic Freedom Fighter
