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Promoted from the diaries by streiff. Promotion does not imply endorsement.
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On March 7, the US House passed a resolution 427-23.  The resolution was prompted by remarks in interviews and on Twitter by freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Mogadishu).   Between she and her older and fatter counterpart Muslim Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Gaza), they have quite a history, besides their Islamic religion.  Most readers are aware of the statements by Omar which are available here, here and here.

In a few short weeks, the range of acceptable discourse- the Overton window- has quickly and dramatically shifted to what was once only expressed in private or at a Nazi rally.  Among the now acceptable items in that discourse are suggestions that Jews control foreign policy since its all about “the Benjamins” and Israeli-Americans have greater loyalty to Israel than the United States.  Jews in America and Israel also have gained super-human powers since they evidently can “hypnotize the world.”

As for Omar, she is obviously playing to her base- the 26,700 strong Somali population in her home district, many of her fellow Muslims elsewhere and the Democratic Left radicals everywhere.  However, much of it is motivated by the fact many in the Muslim world believe that Jews control the strings of power throughout the world.  As one commentator (I forget who) phrased it, Muslim “anti-semitism is imbibed through their mother’s milk.”  Nancy Pelosi, at first condemning the statements, later somewhat retracted and suggested “different experience in the use of words” may be the reason for her comments.

But in the infamous words of Hillary Clinton, “What difference does it make?”  Nancy Pelosi and 426 other members of the House did not grow up in Somalia, spend any time in a Sudanese refugee camp, or marry their brother like Ilhan Omar.  Every single one of her Democratic colleagues in the House voted for a watered down resolution for which even the anti-Semitic bigot herself voted for it.  This was a document that got around to condemning the Dreyfus affair and the anti-Catholic bigotry against John Kennedy as much as it had to do with Omar herself.  The resolution talked about alleged Islamophobia as much as it did about anti-Semitism.

At least four Democratic presidential hopefuls- Harris, Sanders, Gillibrand and Warren- also jumped to her defense.  Pelosi initially called the remarks “deeply offensive,” but realizing the direction of her party, began the excuse giving.  Pelosi saw the writing on the wall, especially by the younger Democrats.  A recent Gallup poll revealed that almost half of self-described liberal Democrats side with the Palestinians over Israel.

There has recently been a strain of anti-Semitism among Democrats and the Left.  But, today it is more out-front punctuated by Omar’s obvious Jew hatred.  It started to creep into the forefront during the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations as noted by Jennifer Rubin at the time.  At the 2012 Democratic convention in Charlotte, language recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was removed.  When Jewish delegates complained, it was re-instituted by voice vote to a rousing chorus of boos.  This was followed by the Obama administration’s interference in the 2015 Israeli elections, his shoving Israel’s nose in the dirt with the Iranian deal, and kicking them in the teeth with an abstention in a UN Security Council anti-Israel resolution.

Today, we hear from the Left comments like “there is much to criticize about Israeli treatment of Palestinians,” that Netanyahu is a fascist, that Jewish settlements are an obstacle to peace, etc.  Omar, Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez are not coming for Jews with pitchforks yet, but their rhetoric against Jews sounds just as bad as a bunch of goofballs with tiki torches in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In fact, it may be worse.  As vile as those Nazis with tiki torches may have been, a few marchers on a college campus, as far as political power is concerned, pales in comparison to a member of the House spewing identical hatred against Jews.

So Pelosi and 426 other members of the House can hide behind a meaningless collection of words that failed to singularly address anti-Semitism.   The 23 Republicans who voted against the resolution were not voting for hate; they recognized it for the sham it was.

Ms. Omar has more in common with the white supremacists and Nazis than she is willing to admit.  This is your need breed of Leftist Democrat.  In Congress, the head scarf has replaced the armband with swastika.  But don’t worry: the gas chambers aren’t coming anytime soon.  After all, even Ilhan Omar needs those Benjamins.  There is one bright spot: at least we’ve put the Dreyfus affair in the rear view mirror.