Illustrating Democrats' very real problem supporting Israel and condemning antisemitism, 13 members of President Joe Biden's party in the U.S. House of Representatives voted "no" and another 92 voted "present" on a resolution "[s]trongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world."
92 House Democrats just voted present on a resolution condemning antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/LVBmnmVsoh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 5, 2023
The 105 Democrats (plus one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky who objected to the resolution on semantic grounds) couldn't bring themselves to agree with the following resolution:
Whereas acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country nor in the global community;
Whereas the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism is widely accepted and serves as a critical tool to help individuals comprehend and identify the various manifestations of antisemitism;
Whereas, since the massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist organization, on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States have spiked 388 percent over the same period last year, according to reports from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism;
Whereas drastic increases in antisemitic activity has also been seen in Jewish communities around the world since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks;
Whereas the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which is a rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, has been used by anti-Israel protesters in the United States and globally;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, a car with individuals holding Palestinian flags appeared to intentionally swerve out of its lane, nearly hitting a visibly Jewish family in Clifton, New Jersey;
Whereas, on October 15, 2023, an individual in New York, New York, punched a Jewish woman in the face at Grand Central Terminal solely because she was Jewish;
Whereas, on October 28, 2023, a Jewish man in Sydney, Australia, was severely injured by 3 anti-Israel rioters, in which he was punched in the head at least 12 times, suffered a concussion, 2 black eyes, and 4 spinal fractures;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, a Jewish woman’s store in New York City was attacked by a mob of anti-Israel protesters all because she hung posters of Israeli hostages in the store window;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, 4 masked men walked into a restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and proceeded to tear down an Israeli flag and yelled “Free Palestine”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, an Arizona man was arrested by Federal authorities for threatening to execute a local Rabbi and “every other JEW I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, during an anti-Israel protest in Washington, DC, rioters shouted their support for Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, and other acts of terror targeting Israel, called for the end of the State of Israel, and spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes;
Whereas, during that same protest in Washington, DC, rioters stormed and tried to scale the White House fence, vandalized property by staining blood-red handprints onto the side of the White House pillars, and spray painted “Death to Israel” and “Glory to our Martyrs” on buildings in DC;
Whereas, on November 6, 2023, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, tragically died due to injuries sustained when an anti-Israel protester struck him in the head with a megaphone in Los Angeles, California;
Whereas, on November 11, 2023, as part of a massive anti-Israel protest, rioters set off smokebombs in front of a synagogue in London, England;
Whereas, on November 12, 2023, police found several headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio, were desecrated with swastikas;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, a mezuzah was torn off the doorpost of a Jewish person’s apartment and a knife was stuck into the wood in its place in Milan, Italy;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, the evening before the March for Israel in Washington, DC, anti-Israel rioters vandalized a Jewish medical tent by spray painting “Free Gaza”, “Palestine Will Be Free”, and “Gaza Will Win”; and
Whereas, on November 15, 2023, anti-Israel protesters illegally blocked and violently attacked the Democratic National Committee headquarters, endangering the lives of individuals inside, including Members of Congress, and injuring 6 Capitol Police Officers; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) strongly condemns and denounces all instances of antisemitism occurring in the United States and globally;
(2) reaffirms and reiterates its strong support for the Jewish community at home and abroad;
(3) calls on elected officials and world leaders to condemn and fight all forms of domestic and global antisemitism;
(4) clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism; and
(5) rejects all forms of terror, hate, discrimination, and harassment of members of the Jewish community.
Here's the list of 13 House Democrats who voted "no" on the above resolution:
- Bowman of New York
- Bush of Missouri
- Connolly of Virginia
- Garcia of Illinois
- Grijalva of Arizona
- Jayapal of Washington
- Lee of Pennsylvania
- Ocasio-Cortez of New York
- Omar of Minnesota
- Pressley of Massachusetts
- Ramirez of Illinois
- Tlaib of Michigan
- Watson Coleman of New Jersey
And here are the 92 House Democrats who couldn't find the moral courage to support the resolution condemning terror and antisemitism and also didn't have the guts to outright oppose it:
- Aguilar of California
- Balint of Vermont
- Barragan of California
- Beatty of Ohio
- Beyer of Virginia
- Blumenauer or Oregon
- Bonamici of Oregon
- Brown of Ohio
- Cardenas of California
- Carson of Indiana
- Carter of Louisiana
- Casar of Texas
- Case of Hawaii
- Casten of Illinois
- Castro of Texas
- Chu of California
- Clark of Massachusetts
- Clarke of New York
- Cleaver of Missouri
- Clyburn of South Carolina
- Correa of California
- Crockett of Texas
- Davids of Kansas
- Davis of Illinois
- Dean of Pennsylvania
- DeGette of Colorado
- DelBene of Washington
- DeSaulnier of California
- Dingell of Michigan
- Doggett of Texas
- Escobar of Texas
- Espaillat of New York
- Evans of Pennsylvania
- Foster of Illinois
- Garamendi of California
- Garcia of California
- Goldman of New York
- Green of Texas
- Houlahan of Pennsylvania
- Hoyle of Oregon
- Ivey of Maryland
- Jackson of Illinois
- Jacobs of California
- Jeffries of New York
- Johnson of Georgia
- Kamlager-Dove of California
- Kaptur of Ohio
- Kelly of Illinois
- Khanna of California
- Kildee of Michigan
- Krishnamoorthi of Illinois
- Larsen of Washington
- Lee of California
- Leger Fernandez of New Mexico
- Lieu of California
- Magaziner of Rhode Island
- McBath of Georgia
- McClellan of Virginia
- McCollum of Minnesota
- McGarvey of Kentucky
- McGovern of Massachusetts
- Meeks of New York
- Menendez of New Jersey
- Meng of New York
- Moore of Wisconsin
- Nadler of New York
- Napolitano of California
- Payne of New Jersey
- Pingree of Maine
- Pocan of Wisconsin
- Raskin of Maryland
- Ross of North Carolina
- Ruiz of California
- Ryan of New York
- Salinas of Oregon
- Sanchez of California
- Sarbanes of Maryland
- Scanlon of Pennsylvania
- Schakowsky of Illinois
- Scott of Virginia
- Sherrill of New Jersey
- Strickland of Washington
- Takano of California
- Tokuda of Hawaii
- Tonko of New York
- Trahan of Massachusetts
- Underwood of Illinois
- Vasquez of New Mexico
- Velazquez of New York
- Waters of California
- Wild of Pennsylvania
- Williams of Georgia
Despite Democrats' inability to condemn antisemitism, the resolution passed the two-thirds threshold necessary, 311-14-92 with 17 members not voting at all.
This is a developing story and may be updated.