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House Democrats Finding It Hard to Confront Anti-Semitism
National Review ^ | March 8, 2018 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 03/10/2019 7:43:14 AM PDT by rickmichaels

The Democratic Party is having a rough time condemning anti-Semitism. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has, on several occasions, made classically anti-Semitic claims about American Jews, and the effort to formally denounce those statements in the House ruined a week in which the Democrats were supposed to talk about their agenda.

The gist of Omar’s complaints is that the perfidious, string-pulling Hebraic hordes control Congress with their shady shekels; Israel has hypnotized the world; and American Jews are guilty of dual loyalty.

The controversies have been compounded by the fact that her apologies suggest she’s not actually apologetic. Omar has claimed that the anti-Semitism charge is an effort to silence her because she wants to talk about the Jewish scheme to “push for allegiance to a foreign country.” In an earlier sorry-not-sorry episode, she apologized for hurting anyone’s feelings, which is not quite the same thing as recanting.

The whole issue of hurt feelings is a red herring — which is precisely why so many Democrats want to focus on feelings rather than on the relevant facts. Indeed, if Omar had better facts on her side, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

For instance, Omar seems to think the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a political-action committee that funds candidates on behalf of Israel. Inconveniently for Omar, AIPAC isn’t a PAC, doesn’t work for Israel, and doesn’t donate to political campaigns.

More interesting, however, is the Democratic leadership’s fact problem — namely the fact Omar simply isn’t a fan of Jews, or at least Jews who support Israel. It’s fine to be a critic of Israel, by the way. But when you hate the country so much that you can’t explain criticism of Israel without resorting to bigotry, you have a problem. Or rather, the Democratic party does.

Because it’s not just Omar. If Omar had no sympathizers, House speaker Nancy Pelosi would probably have thrown her under the bus already. The younger, fresher, and more radical fringe of the party led by New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t think Omar should be singled out for criticism or censure. In fairness, the primary reason is not that they all share Omar’s hang-up with the Jews. Some are just anti-Israel. Others think it’s unfair that Omar should be criticized when Donald Trump or other Republicans have said bigoted things.

Ocasio-Cortez called efforts to censure Omar “hurtful” because statements by other politicians, most obviously Trump, aren’t similarly condemned. She has something of a point. I certainly wish Republicans did more to condemn many of the things Trump has said. But she seems to have forgotten that Republicans did condemn and punish Iowa representative Steve King recently for his on-brand racist blather.

So while Ocasio-Cortez is right to a point, that point doesn’t take her very far. It’s her party that has established a zero-tolerance-for-bigotry standard. And “whataboutist” arguments are the lowest form of defense. Some Republicans may be hypocrites for not condemning all bigotry equally, but that’s a criticism of Republicans, not a defense of Omar.

The effort to avoid singling out Omar is putting Democrats in knots they will be hard-pressed to untie anytime soon. Pelosi has said Omar wasn’t “intentionally anti-Semitic.”

Asked if Omar’s comment about Jewish dual loyalty was anti-Semitic, Representative Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri offered this profile in courage: “It may or may not be. I haven’t thought deeply about it.”

South Carolina’s James Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House, offered a baffling defense of Omar by talking about — surprise! — her feelings. He says Omar’s experience as a refugee from Somalia who spent time in a Kenyan refugee camp has to be taken into account.

“There are people who tell me, ‘Well, my parents are Holocaust survivors.’ ‘My parents did this.’ It’s more personal with her,” Clyburn told The Hill. “I’ve talked to her, and I can tell you she is living through a lot of pain.”

Leave aside the fact that whatever happened to Omar in Kenya or Somalia, it has nothing to do with Israel or Jews. Are we going to have greater tolerance for bigotry based on a time-since-victimhood score? Slavery was even longer ago than the Holocaust. Does that make racist comments less outrageous than anti-Semitic comments?

On Thursday, Pelosi announced that the House would vote on a resolution condemning all forms of “hate.” It’s a transparent dodge to avoid condemning a specific kind of hate.

It might do the trick to turn the page. But it will almost surely be a temporary respite, because Omar (and others) come to their anti-Semitism honestly, and they’re inclined to be honest about it. So we’ll be here again.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
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1 posted on 03/10/2019 7:43:14 AM PDT by rickmichaels
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To: rickmichaels

Just as Democrats don’t like the word Marxism said publicly, they don’t like their longstanding Jew-hate on public display.


2 posted on 03/10/2019 7:45:01 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Denounce DUAC - The Democrats Un-American Activists Committee)
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To: rickmichaels
Goldberg gets a couple of things right in this article, and a couple of things wrong. In many ways, he's a lot like Omar. Omar is a Muslim who hates Jews, Goldberg is a Jew who hates Trump. Omar is so filled with hate that it comes through in her words. Goldberg is also so filled with hate that it comes through in his words.

Ignore the words of both. Condemn the hate of both.

3 posted on 03/10/2019 8:10:08 AM PDT by norwaypinesavage (Calm down and enjoy the ride, great things are happening for our country)
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To: a fool in paradise

Leftists of all varieties react to Jews and to the Military the same way. They do not trust them and feel in their bones that those entities are the enemies of the left because their loyalties are to something other than to the government and the Left. There is no room on the Left for any concept or entity that has any authority outside of the State.


4 posted on 03/10/2019 8:39:55 AM PDT by arthurus (sv...)
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To: arthurus

Frightening that these braindead Democraps are so trusting. Read on.


Congressional Black Caucus Democrat Cong Jim Clyburn came to Omar’s defense when she maligned Jews; Clyburn insisted:
“I’ve talked to her-—she’s feeling real pain b/c of her bgrnd.”

Cong Clyburn said Omar “told him” she was born in Somalia, and had to flee the country to escape violence, and spent four years
in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to the US.....this according to Clyburn.


Then, why, as a frightened Somali given refuge in America, did she hurry back to Somalia to get her BIL a job?


This creepy woman has an agenda no one could ever imagine. Omar has world-wide terrorist connections.

BACKSTORY—Just a few weeks after her election to Minnesota’s state legislature, Ilhan Omar was in her homeland she says she
“fled in fear.” She was with then-President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a favorite for re-election. He reportedly invited her to
appear beside him prior to the Somali election taking place.

No Longer “Fearful,” Omar Endorsed Somalia’s New President. Four Days Later, Omar’s Brother-in-Law Had a Powerful Job in the Somali Administration.

What was the deal she made with the corrupt-ridden Somali govt? Are the violent Somalians she once fled,
privy to US security reports from Omar’s position on the Congressional Foreign Affair Committee?


A foray into foreign politics, should have disqualified her from getting US security clearance.
How did she get US security clearance in Congress? Did she falsify govt documents?


5 posted on 03/10/2019 8:43:28 AM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: rickmichaels

Since the Democrats have become the party of anti-Semitism, the best way to combat anti-Semitism is to vote Republican.

Yet Jonah Goldberg is a Never Trumper who presumably will not vote for Donald Trump in 2020.

Golda Meir once said: “We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” Similarly, we will only destroy anti-Semitism in America when people like Jonah Goldberg love their country more than they hate Donald Trump.


6 posted on 03/10/2019 8:47:26 AM PDT by humbleexpert
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To: rickmichaels

I love the way Democrats have to interpret what Omar says or thinks. Let her tell us herself in her own words.


7 posted on 03/10/2019 8:48:45 AM PDT by windsorknot
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To: Liz

It’s not like Saudi oil money isn’t used to influence Congress.


8 posted on 03/10/2019 8:50:19 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Gone but not forgiven.)
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To: rickmichaels

The Bill Clinton Effect.
We knew he was a pig ..and probably a rapist..
But he isn’t a republican...soooo


9 posted on 03/10/2019 8:51:38 AM PDT by Leep (It's.. (W)all or nothing..!)
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To: humbleexpert

Goldberg will never love this country more than he hates Trump.

The root of his hate is the same for all NeverTrumpers.

He’s threatening the Bush Plan for North Mexico.

It’s been the life’s work of Bush League Republicans.


10 posted on 03/10/2019 9:06:14 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: a fool in paradise
The whole issue of hurt feelings is a red herring — which is precisely why so many Democrats want to focus on feelings rather than on the relevant facts.

Democrats are going to go after Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Kushner too - ostensibly for 'security clearances' but it'll be - in reality - another antisemitic attack...

11 posted on 03/10/2019 9:28:26 AM PDT by GOPJ (Democrats are attacking Ivanka & Jared ostensibly on security clearances - reality is antisemitism)
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To: rickmichaels

“There are people who tell me, ‘Well, my parents are Holocaust survivors.’ ‘My parents did this.’ It’s more personal with her,” Clyburn told The Hill. “I’ve talked to her, and I can tell you she is living through a lot of pain.”

Then the LAST place she needs to be is in Congress. She needs a psychiatrist.


12 posted on 03/10/2019 9:34:29 AM PDT by headstamp 2
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To: rickmichaels

Condemning Anti-Semitism means condemning *slam. Dems have given m*slims their bodies and their souls, plus signed a voucher giving them our bodies and our money.

Dems are not going to condemn *slam in our lifetimes.


13 posted on 03/10/2019 11:07:04 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Lying Media: willing and eager allies of the hate-America left.)
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To: norwaypinesavage
Poor Jonah. To be an anti-Trump douche, and to be so public about it.

May he be "Kristoled" soon.

14 posted on 03/10/2019 11:39:44 AM PDT by gogeo (Liberal politics and mental instability; coincidence, correlation, or causation?)
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To: a fool in paradise

Not because they oppose it, but because “They vote for us, so let’s keep it quiet”.


15 posted on 03/11/2019 8:59:10 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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