It’s the latter. This is why the left needs to pushback on this hard, and throw accusations of racism out. Say a vote to censure Omar is racist, and Netanyahu and Israel support Trump.
Omar should rephrase her accusations from Israel as a whole to Likud and Netanyahu, and compare those two to Trump.
On the whole moderates being part of the Dem caucus now- I think if the moderates try to flex their muscle too much, they’ll get frozen out the way the Republicans froze them out. No one wants moderates anymore- their hears filled with neutrality sway no one.
Aceris
1648
The idea that accusations of antisemitism should be treated differently from other accusations of racism seems odd to me.
If a conservative Christian with links to far right organisations made statements that looked to be dog whistles about African Americans there would be no question in your minds that it was intentional.
I think Omar has spent a lot of time in institutionally antisemitic circles and needs to be more careful with her language. I would say she should leave it to others to lead the charge on this issue, but given I don’t hear much about it from other elected politicians I think it’s important that she continues to speak up. But she needs to stop suggesting that there’s something underhanded and sinister about the support of many US politicians for Israel.
Of course there are a lot of people who would attack her anyway. But this isn’t about not being criticised; this is about doing the right thing.
Not missing it so much as being totally unaware of it. And the parenthetical comment confuses me, is ‘allegiance’ dog-whistling anti-semitism or is it dog-whistling anti-other?
Maybe that comes across as snarky, but I don’t mean it that way.
Yes, I agree. But any negative thing she says about Israeli policy will be treated as anti-semitism by the right, and possibly by some on the left. And I really can’t think of anyone in US politics who does it right and avoids that charge.
I think I mentioned this before, but a provision in the first Senate bill of the new session (prior to the shutdown and which has subsequently I believe been defeated) offered support for states that cut ties with any business that divest from or boycott Israel. Texas in fact fired a teacher for this (they hired her as a contractor.) Seems to me that’s supporting Israel over the U.S. Constitution. That said, I too was ignorant that using “allegiance” is a racist trope; “support” I think would be a better choice of words here.
But here’s a ‘fun’ exercise:
Google Rep. Omar Comments for the past week. Note the sources.
Now google Steve King Promotes White Nationalist On Twitter for the past week and note the sources.
antlers
1652
The term has long been used to question whether certain groups were “real Americans” or whether they were more loyal to something else. Catholics were accused of having their primary allegiance to the Pope, Jews to their “people”, seen as a shadowy trans-national entity. I’ll see if I can find more references, but this is a start:
I’m certainly aware of that, but I’m not seeing the connection to Omar’s statement other than she uses the word ‘allegiance’. Perhaps a poor word choice, but I can’t twist her words enough to make them fit that trope.
I’m going with the dems as dixiecrats for most of this period and then Nixon and Reagan. Jerry Brown didn’t really mature until he was too old.
I think the young blood will break through (either Harris or Newsom), but if they want it, they better do it before the AOC tidal wave.
Got a good link to what reparations is as a topic in the 21st century?
I’ve seen some articles about this, but I’m still grounded in my civil war history of 19th century reparations.
First time I heard of it was from Ta-Nehisi Coates a few years ago. This is from 2014.
CraigM
1657
This too is my primary awareness of the topic.
I liked this one:
https://www.ebony.com/news/race-culture/realistic-expectation-reparations-blacks/
Fairly short, but to the point: it ain’t about putting a dollar amount on slavery.
Well, you do seem to have a blind spot there.
Perhaps; but then the thing to do is explain it to me, not make vague and insulting insinuations.
vyshka
1661
As a follow up to the Omar discussion from yesterday:
Fascinating thread. Although it’s a focus group, this is mostly anecdote, or at least anecdata. But it’s still interesting to see the reactions outside the bubble.
Oghier
1664
That was a good thread. Southern black women are going to have a huge influence in the Dem primaries. I am not at all surprised that the GOP attack lines produced nothing but eye rolls.
Gonna be a fascinating race.
Yeah, the bullshit detectors those ladies have seem like they’re military grade.
Loved this thread and lol’d at “sloppy” Joe Biden. My gut still tells me it’s gonna be a Biden/Harris ticket if Joe decides to run. We shall see…
