Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been slapped with the charge that she’s anti-Semitic. Maybe that’s because she keeps peddling talking points that are…anti-Semitic. This isn’t the first time. She said Israel had hypnotized the world in 2012, something that led her to a little sit-down with local Jewish leaders in her state last year. Now, they’re reportedly not treating her with kid gloves anymore. We’ll see what happens there, but there’s a pattern here. Her “all about the Benjamins” tweet concerning AIPAC and contributions reeked of anti-Semitism, and she was forced to issue a non-apology apology over the matter. Now, we have dual loyalty. The Washington Examiner has more:
Rep. Ilhan Omar has intensified her claims that some Jewish lawmakers have a dual loyalty to Israel, rejecting criticism from Democratic colleagues that she is engaging in anti-Semitism.
“I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee,” Omar tweeted Sunday afternoon. “I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks.”
Omar, an aggressive first-term Democrat hoping to bring left-wing views to the Foreign Affairs Committee, has drawn rebukes from Democratic leaders after her comments about the U.S.-Israel alliance. Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, who is Jewish, urged her on Friday to apologize for suggesting that Israel supporters “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” a claim that he dubbed “a vile anti-Semitic slur.”
We haven’t seen such displays of bigotry like this since Germany 1939, right? No, that’s absurd, like Omar’s comments. We’ll allow the Left to monopolize and embarrass themselves with their Hitler comparisons, though what’s more mortifying (and disturbing) is the Democratic Party’s willingness to give anti-Semitism a pass. Even worse, marginalizing victims of actual state-based violence against Jews. Enter House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), who said that Omar’s experience is much more personal than those who had relatives who had survived the Holocaust (via The Hill):
Holy shit this quote from @WhipClyburn. https://t.co/EwvOdLAILh pic.twitter.com/OPAdug39zz
— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) March 7, 2019
Clyburn came to Omar’s defense Wednesday, lamenting that many of the media reports surrounding the recent controversy have omitted mentioning that Omar, who was born in Somalia, had to flee the country to escape violence and spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to the United States.
Her experience, Clyburn argued, is much more empirical — and powerful — than that of people who are generations removed from the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps during World War II and the other violent episodes that have marked history.
“I’m serious about that. There are people who tell me, ‘Well, my parents are Holocaust survivors.’ ‘My parents did this.’ It’s more personal with her,” Clyburn said. “I’ve talked to her, and I can tell you she is living through a lot of pain.”
Clyburn said that long talks with former Rep. Norman Mineta (D-Calif.), a Japanese-American who was interned during WWII, gave him a special appreciation for Omar’s experiences. And he rejected the idea that the Democrats’ resolution will single her out for condemnation.
Oh yeah, that resolution, which is mostly grounded in condemning anti-Semitism, but has been watered down to include anti-Muslim bias to make everyone happy, even though that wasn’t what prompted his whole mess. Yes, it’s indirectly aimed at Omar who has refused to apologize for the dual loyalty remark. And some Democrats don’t see what the House leadership is doing this. It reportedly led to an epic brawl behind closed doors between those Democrats who want to show they’re against bigotry and those who think it this whole matter is redundant. This isn’t a hard choice. The fact that Omar forced her party into this position is pretty crappy, but who am I to stop the Democratic infighting, which is the best kind of infighting. There might not even be a vote on this resolution because of the fractured majority. This isn’t hard Democrats. Anti-Semitism is bad, but I know a lot of your supporters hate Israel and Jews, so I can get why some of you are tip-toeing around the issue.
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UPDATE: Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has joined this legion of idiots defending Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks, saying, “she comes from a different culture.” Oh, so that makes it okay, then?
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) from charges of anti-Semitism Thursday, arguing she should receive some leeway because of her upbringing in Somalia.
Schakowsky confirmed reports that she yelled at her colleagues during a Democratic caucus meeting to "stop tweeting," after multiple Democrats condemned Omar's remarks that her pro-Israel opponents had "allegiance to a foreign country." At the same time, some Democrats voiced their support for the congresswoman, exposing division in the party
"This is not a conversation that we ought to have on social media and in the public…" Schakowsky explained on MSNBC. "The majority of us are — vast majority are going to be voting for a resolution that I hope puts this to bed, that says, yes, as a Jew, anti-Semitism is a huge deal, the anti-Semitic acts are up 50 percent over last year."
[…]
"I want to tell you, part of being a Jew is to be welcoming to the stranger. And I want to tell you, Ilhan Omar is a refugee from Somalia. She comes from a different culture. She has things to learn," she continued.