Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has Democrats running for the Pepto-Bismol again. She once again peddled an anti-Semitic talking point, this time heaving insinuating that those who support Israel have dual loyalty (via Washington Examiner):
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.”
This isn’t the first time. Her tweet about AIPAC contributions and related donations are “all about the Benjamins,” a not so subtle swipe about Jewish money and political control. In 2012, she said that Israel was hypnotizing the world as well. That post led to a sit-down with local Minnesota Jewish leaders last year, but given her serial refusal to recognize that her views are bigoted, they’re reportedly not going to treat her with “kid gloves” anymore. The fallout from the dual loyalty remarks has embroiled the House Democratic leadership in another nasty bout of infighting. The pressure to put forward a resolution was met with some intense criticism from fellow Democrats, which erupted into an all-out brawl behind closed doors yesterday. Some Democrats are rightfully saying that they should vote on the resolution condemning anti-Semitism. Others found it redundant and wondered why Omar was being held to a different standard. This is the Democratic Party; everything is on a graduated scale. And obviously, anti-Semitism isn’t a serious problem compared to Trump being in the White House. The Left has long been infested with those who hate Israel and Jewish people, so this isn’t shocking.
But this is common sense. Omar is being slammed, not because she’s black or a Muslim, but because she’d peddling outright anti-Semitic trash. And the fact that Pelosi can’t get her side under control over this just shows how weak of a speaker she has become. It took less than six months for the far left rodeo to overwhelm her. As Cortney wrote, she also defended Omar, pretty much saying that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about (via RCP) [emphasis mine]:
REPORTER: Do you think that Ilhan Omar understands why her comments were problematic? And what happens if this happens again?
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: First of all, thank you for the question. I don't think the congresswoman is -- perhaps appreciated the full weight of how it's heard by other people. I don't believe it was intended in an anti-Semitic way.
But the fact is that's how it was interpreted. We have to remove all doubt, as we have done over and over again. We're working now on a resolution on the floor that will, again, speak out against anti-Semitism, anti-Islamophobia, anti-white supremacy and all the forms it takes, that our country has no place for this.
[…]
REPORTER: She hasn't apologized? Does she need to apologize?
PELOSI: She may need to explain that she did not -- It's up to her to explain. But I do not believe she understood the full weight of the words.When you're a congressman --when you are an advocate out there, as I was. I appreciate all the enthusiasm that comes into Congress. I told you that before. That was me pushing a stroller and carrying those signs. I understand how advocates come in with their enthusiasms.
But when you cross that threshold in the Congress, your words weigh much more than when you're shouting at somebody outside. And I feel confident that her words were not based on any anti-Semitic attitude. But that she didn't have a full appreciation of how they landed on other people where these words have a history and a cultural impact that might have been unknown to her.
Okay—I hate to play this game, but these aren’t our rules. It’s the Left’s protocols.
"She's too dumb to be anti-semitic" is not a good defense since anti-semites tend to be very, very stupid. https://t.co/KB5Adkd0GW
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) March 7, 2019
Is what Pelosi said…racist? The black congresswoman didn’t know what she was talking about? Hey, this is the outrage bubble we live in now. I don’t think so. Of course, I don’t, but if your defense is ‘she didn’t know what she was really saying,’ the Hill equivalent of ‘my dog ate my homework’ excuse, then Nancy really has lost control. It’s either that or she just incompetent. It might be a tad of both, to be honest.
It took less than 3 months for Pelosi to lose control of her party. Just wild.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) March 7, 2019