#AOC’s ignorant, despicable slap at police unions

Reacting to news that the city Police Benevolent Association endorsed President Trump, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez actually asked why the PBA is allowed to endorse anyone. Is the Democratic Socialist really that ignorant of Democracy 101?

“NYPD union endorsed Trump. I’m sure this is part of their neighborhood outreach plan,” the Queens uber-progressive snarked, before moving on to her deeper thought: “Does anyone else see a potential problem with police unions — enforcement arms of the state with lethal weapons — promoting ‘preferred’ candidates for office or is that just me?”

For starters, unions aren’t arms of the state: They’re associations that (among other things) look to influence the state on behalf of their members. And her suggestion that New York’s Finest would use their weapons to push an electoral outcome is beyond despicable.

In any case, the PBA (like every other municipal union) endorses candidates all the time — in races where its endorsements matter a lot more than this one. (If the president wins New York, the election won’t be close.)

AOC is surely aware that the United Federation of Teachers is a political powerhouse in the city, as its parent union is statewide. Even without guns, they manage to spread a lot more fear than do all the cop unions put together.

We’re not fans of any public-sector unions, which don’t face anything like the kind of checks and balances that restrict the power of private-sector labor organizations.

But Ocasio-Cortez’s complaint here looks like yet another case of progressive intolerance: Anyone who disagrees with her, and actually organizes in opposition, must be doing something wrong.