Posted on 03/09/2019 10:51:30 AM PST by Kaslin
New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman had some choice words for Rep. Ilhan Omar after the recently elected congresswoman has displayed antisemitic rhetoric during her short tenure in Congress via her comments about Israel and big money in politics. Friedman said Rep. Omar had a "perfect" opportunity to be a bridge builder between Muslims and Jews but instead has opted to be a "bridge destroyer" because she has not offered "constructive" criticism.
"Ilhan Omar represents, I believe, the largest Jewish community in the whole upper Midwest...She also represents a Somali immigrant community that have come to our city and enriched it...She was perfectly poised to be a bridge builder between Muslims and Jews, between Arabs and Israelis and rather than that she has come to be a bridge destroyer, Friedman told the host.
She was perfectly poised to be a bridge builder between Muslims and Jews, between Arabs and Israelis. ... She has come to be a bridge destroyer, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman tells @smerconish about Rep. Ilhan Omars controversial Israel comments https://t.co/msphDlebuV pic.twitter.com/sqIzxmCEWI CNN (@CNN) March 9, 2019
Friedman made it known he was not necessarily bashing Omar for criticism of Israel nor foreign policy, but the way in which she went about it.
"Do you want to make a point? Or do you want to make a difference? Do you want to be constructive or destructive?...There are constructive ways to be critical of AIPAC or this administration right now...But when you come in and start throwing around these tropes about dual allegiance, about Israel and jews hypnotizing people, no one is going to believe you're innocent here because you are not being constructive. And when you come from this district that is such a strong Jewish and Muslim population, where you're set up to be a bridge builder and all you do is be a bridge destroyer then you are on my criticism list," Friedman said.
As noted by Matt yesterday, Democratic leadership has opted instead to believe that Rep. Omar is not antisemitic, but simply an idiot who does not understand what she is saying. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently dismissed Rep. Omar's remarks, saying, "The incident that happened with, I don't think our colleague is anti-Semitic, I think she has a different experience in the use of words, doesn't understand that some of them are fraught with meaning, that she, what, didn't realize."
Dhimmitute Dude
There was a bridge between Muslims and Jews? It must have been the Brooklyn bridge some shyster sold them.
[ Democratic leadership has opted instead to believe that Rep. Omar is not antisemitic, but simply an idiot who does not understand what she is saying. ]
Just like Jussie Smollett didn’t know what he was doing!!
It wuz an accident!! The whole preplanned fake crime wuz an accident!!
Omar is the muzzie spy and traitor in Congress. We are toast.
Probably around 10-12,000 Jewish votes among the 268,000 votes cast for Omar. Most of Omar’s votes came from white non-Jews.
Friedman was one of the big cheerleaders for Iraq invasion. No talk of building bridges then.
Enriched the district?
Someone should drive through some of those “enriched” areas with a hidden cam and post the result online. It would make fascinating viewing.
How can there be a bridge when one side proclaims death to Jews and the destruction of Israel. How do you build such a bridge??
Friedman grew up in a Minneapolis suburb now represented by Omar.
Thomas Friedman’s mother was horrified by his antiAmerican and antiIsrael screeds.
Elect some Muslims to Congress ... because they will be under far more scrutiny than representatives elected by Jewish voters in New York, Irish trash in Massachusetts, etc.
I still believe the Demoncrats aka Democrats think they will use illegal aliens and now Muslims to destroy our Republic and they will then ride in on a great white stallion and save us. Sorry if some folks take offense of the racist white stallion but I’m old school and that is part of our history.
Keep in mind that in the previous decade, Friedman wrote a book entitled “The World is Flat.”
Democrats have NO desire or intention to save America. Pure nonsense.
The KKK was DemocRats and hated Jews. And the Dems are now openly anti-Semitic. Yet liberals wanat you to believe the parties “flipped”.
Appropriate pic. America is eating popcorn while it is being destroyed.
Thomas Friedman rants like a fool and embarrasses himself on a regular basis.
He’s a professional virtue-signaler, nothing more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.