Speaking as a Catholic

[anamnua]

15. I am actually sticking up for progressive Democratic principles.

Last edited Mon Aug 10, 2020, 08:22 PM - Edit history (8)

You expect certain standards from someone presenting himself/herself for election as a Democrat. If they fail to measure up to those standards you are entitled to pull them up on it. AOC, along with all Democratic representatives, is a standard-bearer for the party; therefore her comments here reflect negatively on us all.
In his advocacy for, and general support of, this marginalised and stigmatised fringe group (literally to the death) Fr. Damien actually epitomised modern, progressive, Democratic values. In traducing him she traduced the vaues she claims to uphold. The only excuse I can think of is ignorance on her part of the facts in relation to this great martyr/humanitarian. Hopefully this deficit has been corrected.
Let's paint a relatively modern analogy:
You have a geographically isolated community of impoverished, mainly non-Caucasion and of both genders, HIV sufferers in the 80s at a time when the disease was shrouded in much misinformation and stigmatisation.
A doctor decides to take care of them -- for a pittance, and working in substandard conditions -- when nobody else will.
He does so in the full understanding that he will in all probability contract HIV in so doing.
He does contract HIV.
He keeps looking after them to the bitter end -- until his own disease becomes terminal.
Decades later a statue erected to his memory is dismissed as a monument to 'patriarchy and white supremacy'!!
Let's face it, if Trump said something like this there would now be millions of google searches for 'Fr. Damien' and 500+ posts on DU rightly tearing him to shreds. But you wouldn't expect anything better from the Donald.
I would suspect that quite a few of her Puerto Rican Catholic support base have given her an earful over this. And I wouldn't be surprised if Obama, who actually knows something about Hawaii and Fr. Damien, rang her up to express some blunt opinions.
She has actually stepped into the shoes of Reverend CM Hyde in her misinformed criticisms (see my fourth post). I am doing what I can to figuratively channel Robert Louis Stevenson.
All AOC has to do to wipe the slate clean is to issue a brief apology/clarification.