One political observer warns Republicans not to get too critical of Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez no matter how tempting it is.

“Underestimating and villainizing a candidate won’t end well. Just look at how the left treated then-candidate Donald Trump,” writes talk radio host and former congressional candidate Jesse Kelly, in a column for The Federalist.

“It is critical for folks on the right to avoid the mistakes made by the left. We must learn from how they treated (and treat) President Trump and endeavor not to make the same mistakes. Do not underestimate this woman, and do not think your savage mockery of her stupidity will be an effective tool to stop her. It won’t. It will instead be personalized by her supporters, creating an army that will lay down and die for her (or at least vote for her), just like the army Trump has. You should be afraid of Ocasio-Cortez. Be much more afraid than you are,” Mr. Kelly advised.

“Through thick and thin, up and down, one thing about elections in America has never changed: you cannot win them without non-political people. It is the undecided masses who decide elections,” he said, noting, “Most importantly, her naivete about the things of government make her more appealing to the common man, not less.”

Mr. Kelly, however, adds a reality check about the stakes here.

“Ocasio-Cortez is a socialist. Socialism is just communism dressed up in high heels and lipstick. It is a tremendous evil and a scourge upon the face of the planet. It has killed far more people than Nazism, racism, or any of the other isms combined, and America is not as far from it as you might think.” he wrote.

“She speaks the language President Trump speaks, and she speaks it well. Let’s hope we smarten up and don’t carry her to the White House one day as the left carried Trump,” Mr. Kelly added.

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