Earlier this year, many liberals faced up to the problem of left-wing anti-Semitism. Despite the widespread sympathy generated by the Women’s March, the group that had organized the first and largest “resistance” protests against Donald Trump, the Democratic National Committee and other leading liberal groups and individuals disavowed the organization prior to planned January marches, because its leadership had become compromised by accusations of anti-Semitism. The March splintered in two, because its problem with Jews was too important to ignore even for those who shared its goal of creating one big tent of leftist and liberal Trump critics.
Nine months later, many on the left seem to have forgotten the lessons of that moment. Senator Bernie Sanders’s announced last week that Palestinian-American activist and Women’s March co-chair Linda Sarsour would be joining his presidential campaign as an official surrogate. Sanders is in a fierce competition with Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats for the votes of the party’s left-wing base, which united behind him in opposition to Hillary Clinton four years ago. So it says something important about the tone of the nomination battle that Sanders and his team think Sarsour will help them more than her baggage will hurt them.
Sarsour became a celebrity in the months after Trump’s election as one of the organizers of the Women’s March, which mobilized the “resistance” to the new administration even before it took office. The group gave her a prominent platform, but from the very start of the massive anti-Trump rallies that launched it on the day after Trump’s inauguration, it was clearly tainted by anti-Semitism. Some Jewish activists who were initially involved with the March have spoken about how the group’s leaders marginalized them and allowed what many had initially thought to be a mainstream movement to be dominated by radicals, who professed hard-core opposition to Israel’s existence and openness to being allied with anti-Semites such as the Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan.
Sarsour was at the center of the controversy over the group’s anti-Semitic elements, and for good reason. She is an open advocate for the BDS movement, which is drenched in anti-Semitic invective, and unlike some of those who flirt with BDS, she isn’t coy about her objectives. She opposes the existence of a Jewish state no matter where its borders might be drawn and refers to all of Israeli territory as “occupied.” She has made a habit of personally attacking Jews who support Israel. And she has made it clear that pro-Israel women are not welcome in the Women’s March. She has also remained an ardent defender of other March leaders, such as Tamika Mallory, who are open fans of anti-Semitic hatemongers such as Farrakhan.
Sarsour and her apologists on the Jewish left claim that she is misunderstood. They point to gestures such as her fundraising to help vandalized Jewish cemeteries, even if it is unclear how much, if any, help she has ever actually given such causes. And they will surely cite her statement supporting Sanders, which she spoke of her pride in helping elect the first Jewish president and opposition to anti-Semitism, as further proof of their case. But her record and stated beliefs can’t be so easily waved away.
The activities and statements of both Mallory and Sarsour have done much to discredit the Women’s March among liberal Americans who may disdain Trump but don’t want to be associated with anti-Semites. That’s what caused the January split in the group’s ranks. So it is significant that Sanders is willing to bring Sarsour onto his team at a time when he is battling to overtake both Warren and former vice president Joe Biden with just months to go before the first votes are cast.
Does Sanders think his Jewish origins make it acceptable for him to employ someone who not only works for Israel’s destruction but has also done much to promote anti-Semitic invective? They don’t, and his trumpeting of Sarsour as a key member of his campaign is historic in a way that should shock American Jews.
Anti-Semitism is pretty much accepted and acceptable throughout the Democrat party. As far as Bernie goes, he is a Jew by birth and that is about it. His religion is socialism and he has shown himself more than willing and happy to throw Israel under the exploding bus.
NOTHING gets in the way of the Democrat agenda; not racism, misogyny, nationalism or anti-Semitism will slow it down. They will not allow their own members that express such vile tendencies distract them from their course and they ignore it unless and until they can use it as an offensive weapon.
You know who I haven’t heard denounce Farrakhan and anti-Semitism lately? Bernie, Warren, Booker, Klobuchar, Biden, Buttigieg, O’Rourke, DeBlasio, Gabbard, Delaney, Castro, Bullock, Ryan, Harris, Sestak, Messam, Steyer, Williamson, Yang or Bennett. This means, by the rules applied to Trump when he failed to denounce white supremacists every hour, on the hour, that they are all racists, anti-Semites and fiends.
There’s an irony that Islam was radicalized in the early 20th century after so many newly wealthy Muslims sent their sons to universities in Europe where they learned to lionize Marx, Stalin and Lenin.
(The irony is that Marx was an atheist of Jewish origin.)
Melding Marxism to Islam was a perfect fit for power-hungry wealthy Muslim families.
And thus militant, or radical Islam was born.
Linda Sarsour is today’s end product of radical Islam and she has no problem aligning herself with an old atheist of Jewish origins who touts Marxism.
Sanders’ platform and goals align very well with setting up a society for Sharia.
Take away guns.
Keep the rabble poor.
Limit choice.
Limit travel.
Limit their family size.
Indoctrinate their children in the schools.
PERFECT.
He won’t be president, but he’ll always be a better man than the man who presently is.
@Greg: What makes you say that? Because he’s a socialist? Because he’s a hypocrite? Because he’s an anti-Semite? Because he’s a misogynist? Because he’s corrupt? I know you like all those things in a candidate, but he’ll never be HALF the leader and human being Trump is.