Stephen Colbert: Guest Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) - Full Extended Interview

[Rhiannon12866]

Stephen's extended interview with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) that was too long for TV.

[pangaia]

1. Love her. "We're not gere to be quiet."

[Rhiannon12866]

2. She's obviously very intelligent and self assured

I just watched the interview on TV and it was much shorter than this. They had her on last which I really don't understand, she was certainly the most interesting guest.

[DAMANgoldberg]

3. Wish she was my congresswoman

No shade on Rep Alma Adams at all. I would like to meet her and Vi Lyles, mayor soon. The only mayor I know personally was Pat McCrory, who I did vote for multiple times for mayor, and he threw it away at the state level.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I'd just love to have her as my Rep! I'd vote for her in a heartbeat!

She's smart, confident and fearless - and is sure on the side of the people. Here in NY-21, we're stuck with a congresswoman who looked to Paul Ryan as her mentor. I don't know how she got reelected, she refused to release her schedule ahead of time because protesters showed up everywhere she went.

[DAMANgoldberg]

5. Fortunately, I live in the city

NC-9 is but 15 miles away which starts in Matthews and travels SE, essentially along US 74, and we all know the shenanigans going down there.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Yikes! Looks like you lucked out!

We got redistricted in 2015 and are now lumped in with the northernmost part of New York. I've worked on 3 congressional campaigns here, we won the first and then lost the last two

[DAMANgoldberg]

10. Originally NC-12 was a snake-like Gerrymander

Get the minority areas of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte in one district. Changed to just be Charlotte and Mecklenburg County only.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. It looks like it's much more balanced these days

My district leans Republican since it's mainly rural, but we had a fairly centrist Democrat for a Rep until he retired in 2015 - and we've lost every election since.

[DAMANgoldberg]

12. GN

BTW Anyone on the horizon to compete with Rep. Stefanik?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elise_Stefanik

[Rhiannon12866]

15. We've tried three times!

I really liked the first opponent, Aaron Woolf - worked on his campaign - and he was endorsed by the retiring long time Democratic incumbent. That was a disappointment. Campaign loss number two I blame n the third party Green candidate - he was actually a stronger candidate than the Democrat. But last November was the biggest disappointment - especially after all the protests. And there were 10 Democrats vying for the nomination in the primary! I really don't get it.

[littlemissmartypants]

7. Are you talking about the former governor of NC Pat McCrory? nt

[DAMANgoldberg]

9. Yes

He was essentially "Mayor for Life". He operated (not running, that is the city manager's job) his local office very different than Governor. I voted for Roy Cooper and glad he won, but if McCrory ran NC like he did Charlotte, he would still be Governor 💯.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Rep Ilhan Omar today on Trump's travel ban:

Link to tweet

[pazzyanne]

13. So proud of our Congresswomank Ilhan Omar of Minnesota!

She is there to do a job that she takes very seriously. She is in touch with her constituency and is fearless in speaking truth to power!

[Rhiannon12866]

14. Wow! Is she your congresswoman?

If so, lucky you! I agree, she's informed, intelligent and willing to step up and speak out - mine was an acolyte of Paul Ryan. Trade you!

[mysteryowl]

16. I support Rep. Omar's work, I also would like to hear

her talk about the issue she is under scrutiny about. It is always talked-around. We never hear what was so terrible-awful of what she said. What was she apologizing for? I have yet to hear what it was. All I hear is an innuendo of the topic.

Also, with this national platform, I wish she would talk about the issue of the powerful Israeli lobby and the oppression of Palestinians. I don't fully understand what that is all about anyway I just know it is real.

I once saw a PBS travel show on Israel and Palestinians done by Rick Steves. It was shocking to see what is going on at the border.

[Hekate]

18. Apparently she repeated age-old memes implying Jews are motivated only by money...

...and implying divided loyalties between this country and another, namely Israel. Those are anti-Semitic dogwhistles, which is why she got so much blowback.

As I said in my post below, I had always hoped she spoke out if ignorance and not malice, and that she is capable of learning fast. Looks like that is the case.

[TiberiusB]

19. That's the story that was spun to give it an anti-semitic bent, but

it's been fairly well debunked.

She never said anything directed at Jews. She called out AIPAC's influence and later spoke out against the push by some to require politicians to declare their loyalty to Israel.

https://forward.com/opinion/419117/no-ilhan-omar-is-not-anti-semitic-for-calling-out-aipac/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/05/dishonest-smearing-ilhan-omar/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4bfed1334cca

Her words may have been impolitic, but they weren't antisemitic.

[Hekate]

17. Saw that last night. I'm very glad she had a talk with Keith Ellison, as it looks like she learned

...something valuable.

IIRC, he laid out some words, phrases, and memes that black Americans find hurtful and/or enraging. She said to him, "But I don't find them hurtful," to which he replied, "That is because you are an African immigrant, not an African-American." And that is a great introduction to the American truth that not everyone's history is the same -- and that the Old World casts long shadows into the New World.

From the beginning, I have hoped this young woman's words were those of ignorance and not malice -- and that she would find the right teacher and would learn quickly. Fingers still crossed -- she'll be an asset as she grows into the job.