Sometime in the past few years, the left became obsessed with “gaslighting.” Derived from the 1944 movie “Gaslight” starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, the term means not just lying to someone’s face but also persuading them that they don’t see what you both plainly do. It’s a bit like the Jedi Mind Trick, but gaslighting comes with a special implication: that the target is not merely deceived but also driven mad by the deception.
The left has complained about gaslighting since Donald Trump took office, but last weekend, progressive wunderkind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apparently decided to try a little gaslighting of her own.
The freshman representative from New York’s 14th District, having promised her supporters a Green New Deal, spent her first weeks in Congress working on legislation to that effect — well, actually a nonbinding resolution, but it’s the thought that counts. When the resolution she drew up with Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) was ready to be unveiled, her office fired off an informational list of “frequently asked questions” to the media. Hilarity ensued.
