And this week, just when things seemed on the verge of calming down, Ocasio-Cortez (along with Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts) released a 14-page resolution outlining plans for the progressive “Green New Deal.” The much-heralded proposal would “totally overhaul transportation,” environmentally upgrade “all existing buildings in the United States” and even guarantee economic security for all.

Much of the response so far has echoed that of Post columnist Megan McArdle: “it’s lunatic.”

Well, we’ll see.

The thing is, trolling works. Consider that Trump is the first troll president, having risen to prominence on the strength of birther conspiracies and Russian memes (all aboard the Trump Train!). Right-wing trolls have shifted our national dialogue such that it’s now up for debate whether literal anti-fascists are worse than swastika-toting white supremacists. And more benign (but just as stupid), an Instagram photo of an egg, created to mock a reality TV star, has become one of the hottest advertising properties of 2019.