Shot:
Chasers:
Congratulations to Ilhan Omar and Marc Lamont Hill for criticizing antisemitism when it comes from a guy you already hated. Have a cookie.
It could very well be that Omar’s views on Jew- sorry, “Zionists,” have softened since 2012, but she still gives DNC spokespeople headaches every few months or so.
As for Hill, he has gone on record about his “principled and sincere” disagreement with his pal Farrakhan about Jews being bloodsucking agents of Satan who control the world. Just one of these things, you know, like how my next door neighbor is a Packers fan.
I strongly doubt either would be so forgiving if they found something horrible and bigoted you tweeted a few years ago.
Meanwhile, Republicans who are usually quick to pounce on antisemitism from the left quickly change the subject when asked about their Great Helmsman’s thoughts about how those Jews just don’t appreciate all he’s done for them, as you’d expect from these people.
It’s not that Trump is antisemitic - well, not just that he’s antisemitic - but that he sees everything in terms of how it can rebound to his benefit. Everything is a game in which he must win and be rewarded, or he doesn’t wanna play at all. Trump’s support for Israel wasn’t for Israel’s sake. It wasn’t even for his followers, many of whom are more concerned with Biblical prophecy than concern for Jews and their state.
It was because he thought he could benefit from it. If Trump thought he could win more votes by going all-in on the Palestinian cause a la Jeremy Corbyn, he would do it.
Makes me glad I am in Canada, where the far-sighted, tolerant, progressive government of Justin Trudeau would never LOL I’m dead inside:
From The Globe and Mail:
The Prime Minister’s Office knew about an anti-racism consultant’s derogatory tweets about “Jewish white supremacists” a month before the government cancelled a $133,000 contract in which he played a key role.
The consultant, Laith Marouf, is an expert for the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), a non-profit that was awarded the contract earlier this year. Mr. Marouf’s tweets also derided francophones and Black and Indigenous public figures.
Three sources have told The Globe and Mail that an official working for Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen told the PMO in mid-July about Mr. Marouf’s online comments. Mr. Hussen’s office announced that it was shelving the contract about four weeks later, on Aug. 22. The Globe is not naming the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
On Aug. 30, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly condemned Mr. Marouf’s tweets and said the government had acted swiftly. He told reporters it was “absolutely unacceptable that federal dollars have gone to this organization that has demonstrated xenophobia, racism and antisemitism.”
“We cannot accept racism, hatred and anger, particularly not funded by the government, and that’s why we took action quickly,” Mr. Trudeau added. He announced a government-wide review of all contracts with CMAC.
To give credit where it’s due, the Liberals did say that a wave of bigotry and hatred would be unleashed as Pierre Poilievre rose to become Leader of the Opposition. They didn’t know just how right they were.
What’s truly unique and unnerving about antisemitism is that it’s so flexible - for generations, people have been dreaming up new and unique ways of saying they don’t hate Jewish people, perish the thought, but… - and that it comes from so many different directions.
Right-wingers tend to be explicit in their hatred of Jews, while left-wingers are usually smart enough to replace the “J” word with a “Z” word. But whether your assailant thinks you’re personally responsible for the crucifixion of Christ or because he thinks you’re personally responsible for the occupation of the West Bank, you bleed all the same.
Which side is “worse” is a legitimate argument. In the United States I’d argue it’s the nationalist right that poses a greater threat to Jews’ safety, while in Britain and Europe it’s the “anti-Zionist” left, with Islamists (not so easily classified on the left-right spectrum) still lurking on both sides of the pond even as 9/11 recedes into history.
But even if you accept one “variant” of antisemitism as being much more nefarious than the others, that’s no reason to excuse the lesser ones. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t mean other contagious illnesses could be safely ignored.
Every day it becomes ever more clear that we have a responsibility to condemn antisemitism when it comes from our putative allies. Sadly, it also becomes ever more clear that we’re too invested in owning the [libs/cons] to give them that satisfaction.