Posted on 02/28/2019 6:57:49 PM PST by TigerClaws
Earlier this month, Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby!” in response to a report about AIPAC, a pro-Israel organization. Omar’s tweet echoed a longstanding anti-Semitic trope — in particular, the implication that Jewish political influence operates entirely (“all about”) through money.
After wide condemnation, Omar apologized. It seemed fair to read her tweet generously: Perhaps she was not familiar with the particular vein of anti-Semitism she happened to echo. Indeed, progressives often make crudely reductive statements about the influence of money in supporting policies they oppose (to wit: everything Bernie Sanders says), so it wasn’t necessarily anti-Semitic for Omar to extend that thinking to Jews. Her apparently sincere apology seemed to set to rest a minor offense.
But at an event last night, Omar went much farther, reports Laura Kelly. After an audience member shouted out, “It’s all about the Benjamins,” at which, according to Kelly’s reporting, she smiled. (Jeremy Slevin, Omar’s press secretary and strategist, denies she acknowledged that line from the audience.) Later she stated, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
This is much worse. Accusing Jews of “allegiance to a foreign country” is a historically classic way of delegitimizing their participation in the political system. Whether or not the foreign policy agenda endorsed by American supporters of Israel is wise or humane, it is a legitimate expression of their political rights as American citizens. To believe in a strong American alliance with Israel (or Canada, or the United Kingdom, or any other country) is not the same thing as giving one’s allegiance to that country. Omar is directly invoking the hoary myth of dual loyalty, in which the Americanness of Jews is inherently suspect, and their political participation must be contingent upon proving their patriotism.
Of course, she is attempting to couch her position as a defense of free speech, and against a tendency to reflexively dismiss all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. And it’s certainly true that many Israel hawks do label criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic without a good basis to do so. There should be more space in American politics to advocate criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights.
But Omar is using that cause to smuggle in ugly stereotypes. And whatever presumption of good faith she deserved last time should be gone now.
Is she suggesting “collusion”?
Better than an allegiance to a religion of hate.
These America-hating commies are winning 2020 for Trump. Maybe already.
Oh the irony of it all.
What country is HER allegiance to? It’s certainly not the United States.
A Muslim complaining about foreign allegiance. Which direction does she face while doing her Muslim prayer thingy?
What a nut !
Is that like Muslim allegiance to a foreign Shariah Law and a foreign way of life in place of our Judeo Christian foundation of America? That foreign stuff sounds familiar.
Will her allegiance be to ISIS, Farrakhan, Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, the Boston Marathon Bombers, the World Trade Center conspirators, or just Barack Hussein Obama?
Just don’t trigger her with the Ten Commandments, In God We Trust, God Bless America or the American Flag. Could stress her out.
And her alliegance to the religion of 14 centuries worth of aggression, piracy, slaving and jihad?
It’s amazing that NY Mag is being critical of her.
Omar is the legitimate representative for ISIS in the House. I don’t doubt she has intimate knowledge of members of a sleeper cell. She is a very dangerous c7nt.
In a way, Omar is worse. She’s got the whole anti-Semitism code words down pat and is using them to bludgeon the weak kneed Congress Critters into Islamic submission. This is far easier to do than AOC’s attempt to turn everyone into MARXIST/COMMIE bleating sheep.
The pieceful religion is a foreign country, being a law completely against USA law and USConstitution.
NY Mag? Jews run it. Of course they’d call her out.
We need to divide and conquer. Get the Dems destroying themselves.
AOC said she’d support primarying moderate Dems.
Blacks hate Hispanics. Jews hate Muslims. Labor voters don’t want open borders.
Their coalition of voters is weakly connected.
That it is!
It’s all about the Joooos to these radicals and not just the Muslims amongst them.
Illy, as we affectionately call her, follows the Quran which tells her that we infidels are to be killed. Such a loving, caring, muzzie.
Her constitution is the sovereign state of Sharia.
As a moslem, she is obliged to follow the words of allah for the global caliphate. Therefore she cannot plead allegiance to the American constitution.
Ask her, if she were honest, she would say her constitution is superior.
Why do we have sworn enemies embedded in our government?
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