Tipsheet

College Heads' Kill All the Jews PR Disaster Forces Response From Biden White House

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  December 07, 2023 12:45 PM

What a fiasco. The presidents of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University, Sally Kornbluth, Liz Magill, and Claudine Gay, respectively, engulfed their institutions in a public relations nightmare when they refused to condemn calls for Jewish genocide. All three campuses are awash with vile antisemites and neo-jihadists who have been harassing Jewish students since Israeli forces began military operations against Hamas. 

In these places for higher education, such calls and chants do not constitute harassment. It was an appalling exchange in front of the House Committee on Education on December 5. All three women tried to pivot, claiming that context was necessary. The clips were so appalling that the Biden White House was forced to offer some cover, though they also torched the college heads for being inordinately dense on the subject: 

"It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country,” said Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates. 

“Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting – and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans." 

Leah wrote about how some are doing damage control, whereas some publications, like The New York Times, are trying to provide some protection. However, it was ineffective if the White House weighed in—the Times’ defense of the presidents was that the GOP pounced on them. Oh, and Republicans weren’t interested in speaking in the language of academia on this topic. That’s because genocide isn’t an academic matter. There is no “but” in these discussions. Liberal academics sprint to the defense of radical Islamic terrorists but want to analyze antisemitism on a case-by-case basis when the latter is on the rise. It shows how prevalent antisemitism is on the far left, who have compared Israelis to Nazis for wanting to annihilate Hamas. These students think Hamas is the good guy, and these college heads have all but explicitly endorsed it with their institution’s letterhead. 

Recommended

The Liberal Media Is Seething Right Now Heading Into Election Day Matt Vespa
How Is Eugene Vindman So Bad at This? Rebecca Downs

Put it this way, their answers were so abysmal that the Biden White House, who can’t do anything right, was able to get it correct here on the messaging front because it’s insanely easy to denounce calls for genocide. Even John Fetterman, who might have permanent brain damage from the stroke that almost killed him in 2022, knows better.   

These women are a disgrace.