Ilhan Omar apologizes after Pelosi denounces tweet as anti-Semitic

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




Democrats moved quickly after the freshman lawmaker suggested support for Israel stemmed from campaign donations.

By MELANIE ZANONA and HEATHER CAYGLE 02/11/2019 10:10 AM EST Updated 02/11/2019 03:20 PM EST

Rep. Ilhan Omar apologized for anti-Semitic comments Monday after coming under pressure from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats.

The Minnesota Democrat sparked a firestorm on Sunday night when she implied lawmakers' support for Israel is driven by campaign donations from pro-Israel groups.

"My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole," Omar said in a statement Monday afternoon. "We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize."

Omar's statement came after Pelosi and her top lieutenants sharply condemned the freshman lawmaker's comments and called on her to immediately apologize in what was an extraordinary rebuke of a colleague within their own party.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/11/house-democrats-ilhan-omar-antisemitism-1163728

[wellst0nev0ter]

1. This is how debate around Israel is circumscribed

I don't believe there's any significant money involved, but Omar pissed off a major Democratic constituency in Israel-supporting Jews.

So accurately describing AIPAC as a lobbying group whose members contribute to campaigns is now verboten among politicians.

Mazel tov.

[hedda_foil]

4. It's not just Israel supporting Jews who are upset. I don't support AIPAC or Bibi at all.

In fact, I resent both that repulsive lobbying group and the right wing Israeli government, and have for many years. However, I also know how antisemitism spreads. Israel and American Jews are intermixed in most Americans' minds (not all!) and Jewish greed is an antisemitic trope that goes back farther than Shakespeare. Mixing all of these portrayals together creates a powerful image that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jewish people and encourages indiscriminate tarring of a diverse group of people as a whole.

Was this Rep. Omar's intention? Actually, I doubt it. She almost certainly views the behavior of AIPAC and the Israeli government in terms of the horrendous treatment of the Palestinian people -- a situation bound to be made even more intolerable with Trumps "peace plan" ready to go. But by expressing her distress in the way she did, she reinforced the portrayal of Jews as greedy, evildoers.

I appreciate her apology.

[lancelyons]

10. It seems if you where to say that as a congress women you would be guilty

You would be guilty of anti semitic statements.

Dont ask me why and I dont agree with it.

[hedda_foil]

13. Possibly. Liberal Jews are often accused of self-antisemitism by AIPAC types.

They call us libs self-hating Jews

[Hulk]

2. Lesson learned...

She's a young freshman. Give her a break. She learned the lesson that I learned long ago, but sometimes fail to heed.....NEVER criticize Israel, or Jews, for any reason. Best to just move on to another subject. The obvious is obvious. To state it brings IMMEDIATE condemnation from every direction. I've learned that on websites, and she just learned that as a politician.

[ck4829]

3. If only she made up some bizarro conspiracy theory about The One Jew...

Who funds everything from black people saying their lives matter, to The One Jew buying up elections, to The One Jew who funds "antifa supersoldiers", kids saying they don't want to be shot in school, or paying for migrants to make a caravan trip on foot (But not plane tickets for some reason).

For shame, Ilhan Omar, that you didn't make up a conspiracy theory about The One Jew... then our Executive Branch today would probably promote you.

Her mistake was not going after our government's Emmanuel Goldstein instead.

[hedda_foil]

5. Not the fictional Emmanuel Goldstein, but the very real philanthropist George Soros.

[ck4829]

6. Bingo

[pecosbob]

7. And in absolutely zero of the multiple threads on this issue

has anyone but myself mentioned that the reason she made the comment in the first place was these bullshit anti-BDS clauses proliferating all around red states like meth labs. AIPAC is the group pushing these unconstitutional discriminatory conditional employment clauses anywhere they can get away with it and it's absolutely disgusting. To AIPAC, it's absolutely about the money.

[The Liberal Lion]

8. She shouldn't have apologized

She was right, and frankly I'm getting sick and tired of Nancy publicly scolding black people. First Auntie Maxine and now this. Rep Omar was right. If, however, Nancy and the Democratic leadership thought it was necessary to scold Rep Omar then it should have been done in private. Here's the deal Speaker Pelosi, bring fucking donald trump and his band of Nazis to justice or just get out of the way. We don't need a scold, we need you to bring impeachment papers to the floor. You know what else? We need you to stop trying to cut a deal with the Nazi party that will allow trump to get his wall money. Oh you think we aren't paying attention. I am.

[BlueWI]

12. This.

But in my experience, most elected Democrats avoid discussion of the occupied territories and Palestinian statehood. Agreed that the public browbeating of Omar is out of bounds, but that's the current mindset of Democrats nationally and most Democrats on DU for that matter.

[jcmaine72]

9. Good enough for me.

I think we all have bigger fish to fry at this point. Time to move on.

[7wo7rees]

11. I'll just leave this here...

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/02/aipac-dont-contribute-which-pro-israel-groups-do/

I'm with Omar BTW.

[ck4829]

16. Good to know

[allgood33]

14. I'm with her re AIPAC.

[Progressive Jones]

15. Believing that the Israeli gov't is scum is not anti-semitism. Fuck Booboo Nutsiyahoo! nt.