Ilhan Omar Knows Exactly What She Is Doing... Bret Stephens

[mystery-ak]

 nytimes.com ›

Ilhan Omar Knows Exactly What She Is Doing
Bret Stephens March 07, 2019

There’s an old joke about upper-class British anti-Semitism: It means someone who hates Jews more than is strictly necessary. Ilhan Omar, the freshman representative from Minnesota, more than meets the progressive American version of that standard.

Like many self-described progressives, Omar does not like Israel. That’s a shame, not least because Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion. When was the last time there was a gay-pride parade in Ramallah, a women’s rights march in Gaza, or an opposition press in Tehran? In what Middle Eastern country other than Israel can an attorney general indict a popular and powerful prime minister on corruption charges?

But America is a free country, and Omar is within her rights to think what she will about Israel or any other state. Contrary to a self-serving myth among Israel’s detractors, there’s rarely a social or reputational penalty for publicly criticizing Israeli policies today. It’s ubiquitous on college campuses and commonplace in editorial pages. And contrary to some recent comments from Senator Elizabeth Warren, no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic. My last column called on Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. Last I checked, the Anti-Defamation League has not denounced me.

Omar, however, isn’t just a critic of Israel. As the joke has it, her objections to the Jewish state go well beyond what’s strictly necessary.

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[rustynail]

She is winning and the adhan will soon ring through the halls of congress.

[Sanguine]

I agree; not only does she know exactly what she is doing, that's why she is there.

[TomSea]

Mark Levine commented on this yesterday,  what Louis Farrakhan was seen as "fringe" in saying, those kinds of sentiments are being brought into the Democratic Party mainstream but Omar has certainly not said the kinds of things at the level of Farrakhan who I believe has said especially hateful things.

Here is a bit of a counter-part editorial to Brett Stephens' editorial which I believe also appeared in the NY Times, an article by Tom Friedman who is a Jewish American. The article is more at a medium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/israel-ilhan-omar.html

And then, there is Daniel Pipes, Jewish, by no means a liberal, he likened the obsession with AOC, Omar and so on:

Daniel Pipes دانيال بايبس
‏Verified account @DanielPipes

How foolish is the Right to focus so much attention on powerless backbenchers like #AOC, #Omar & #Tlaib, turning them into stars.

Note: #Corbyn festered for 32 years in deserved obscurity, attracting attention only upon becoming leader of the #LabourParty. There's a lesson here.
8:26 PM - 6 Mar 2019

https://twitter.com/DanielPipes/status/1103512265263845376

He actually gets a lot of blow back for saying this. I think his thought is worth considering and then, possibly dismissing.  That said, at the same time, he makes a correct assertion and I don't think we should get overwhelmed with what these "backbenchers" say.

[Free Vulcan]

AOC, Omar, and Rahib or whatever her name is are just perfect tools for splitting and weakening the Dem party.

Remember that the Dems won a ton of races on thin margins by candidates who ran as moderates. They aren't going to continue to win with fruitnuts as party poster children.

[goatprairie]

Mark Levine commented on this yesterday,  what Louis Farrakhan was seen as "fringe" in saying, those kinds of sentiments are being brought into the Democratic Party mainstream but Omar has certainly not said the kinds of things at the level of Farrakhan who I believe has said especially hateful things.

Here is a bit of a counter-part editorial to Brett Stephens' editorial which I believe also appeared in the NY Times, an article by Tom Friedman who is a Jewish American. The article is more at a medium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/israel-ilhan-omar.html

And then, there is Daniel Pipes, Jewish, by no means a liberal, he likened the obsession with AOC, Omar and so on:


He actually gets a lot of blow back for saying this. I think his thought is worth considering and then, possibly dismissing.  That said, at the same time, he makes a correct assertion and I don't think we should get overwhelmed with what these "backbenchers" say.

The problem with AOC, Omar, and Tlaib that along with Bernie Sanders were people who had scant power or attention among the general public even ten years ago.
Now their words and ideas are gaining traction among ever larger segments of the public.
It's like if you notice fungus in one part of your house and do nothing about it because at the moment it's pretty small.
And then the fungus spreads out, and then becomes a much bigger problem.
The popularity and growth of people like AOC etal is definitely something to be concerned about because they're like fungal growth. Their nutty ideas will spread.  More and more people believe AOC is or will be the de facto voice and power within the Dem Party.
Better to ridicule them now them and try to stop their idiotic and destructive ideas from spreading then wait until they're running things.