My New Hero- Olivia Julianna
And a child shall kick ass and take names
All right, y’all…I’m not afraid to say it. I currently stand in awe of a 5’11”, 19-year-old powerhouse of a political strategist and general, all-around badass who’s succeeded in making Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) look like a dumbass. Granted, that’s not a stretch, but Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old from Houston, TX, did it with a degree of class and dignity that Gaetz could never hope to duplicate. Even better, she’s used her 15 minutes of fame to raise beaucoup bucks for numerous abortion causes.
If this story doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what would.
Days after being publicly targeted by Representative Matt Gaetz, Olivia Julianna, a 19-year-old political strategist for Gen-Z for Change, has raised more than $500,000 for abortion funds.
Julianna launched the fundraiser for the youth-led nonprofit organization's abortion fund after being body-shamed by the Florida Republican congressman on Twitter….
"America, thank you. We have now raised half a million dollars for abortion funds across the country," she tweeted early on Thursday. "Matt [Gaetz] attacked me, and I think it is safe to say not only did I win—but that every politician should think twice before crossing me or @genzforchange again."
Gaetz made the mistake of body-shaming pro-abortion activists- specifically Julianna. Instead of making it about her, Julianna chose not to escalate it on a personal level but rather to turn it into an opportunity to raise money for abortion causes.
Sometimes, living well really IS the best revenge….
What was the most precious was the response of Gaetz’s mouthpiece:
Joel Valdez, Gaetz's communications director, told Newsweek on Thursday: "With Roe v. Wade overturned, America is now a pro-life nation. No amount of solicitations will change that."
No, one slanted Supreme Court decision doesn’t ipso facto make America a “pro-life nation.” A majority of Americans still support a woman’s right to choose. The only reason Roe v. Wade was overturned was that Donald Trump succeeded in stacking the Supreme Court. That’s not a “pro-life” victory; that’s cheating by any reputable measure. So spare us your self-righteous “We won; y’all need to get over it” crap. Y’all cheated your way to victory, and minority rule isn’t the American way.
Olivia Julianna isn’t getting caught up in the petty self-righteousness emanating from Matt Gaetz’s camp, though. She’s too busy raising money, more than she EVER thought possible. And if it takes running roughshod over a soon-to-be-convicted child sexual predator, so much the better.
It was Michelle Obama who once said, “When they go low, we go high”- and Olivia Julianna has taken that motto to new heights. While Gaetz has never met a depth to which he won’t sink, Julianna wants to send him flowers for being the catalyst the the now more than $1.5 million dollars she’s raised for pro-abortion causes.
In a time when too many Conservative Republicans are unable to fight with anything but cheap personal insults and putdowns, Olivia Julianna has shown the power of not getting down into the mud. Instead, she’s decided to rise above the partisan and personal by making something positive out of the hatefulness projected by Matt Gaetz, someone who really should know better.
By channeling her reaction in a positive direction, she’s shown herself to be the bigger person (in the most important sense), AND she raised (so far) more than $1.5 million to support pro-abortion groups around the country. So, Matt Gaetz has unwittingly helped to support a woman’s right to choose. That’s gotta stick in his craw.
And let’s not forget that America is NOT a pro-life nation. Despite how much the Far-Right gloats over having stacked the Supreme Court to get the result they’ve wanted for so long, that doesn’t mean America’s behind them. If you cheat to win, that doesn’t make you a winner. It makes you a cheater.
Roe v. Wade WILL be reinstated at some point. Perhaps not in the same form or under the same name, but when you consider that the vast majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose, that majority WILL carry the day. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, or next year. But it will at some point become the law of the land. And it will become the law because a majority of Americans want it to happen, NOT because they’ve had to lie, cheat, and steal their way to victory.
It may be trite, but it’s true: Cheaters never prosper.
In the meantime, let’s stop to appreciate what 19-year-old Olivia Julianna has done. She could’ve advised Matt Gaetz to violently fellate himself (Lord knows I would have), but she instead chose to take the high road. Because of that, pro-abortion groups around the country are going to benefit from her using Gaetz as a fundraising tool- which is perfect, because Gaetz is a first-class tool.
And a child shall kick whiny Republican ass and take names. And also raise a lot of money for a woman’s right to choose.
Gaetz's real objection to Ms. Julianna is that she is way to old for him.