Pelosi and the Democrats Bow to Ilhan Omar's Anti-Semitism

IT'S TRUMP VS THE RADICAL INSANE DEMOCRAT PARTY. That will be the tale of 2019, and it won't be pretty. But, President Trump is holding the winning hand. • • • DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES EXCLUDE FOX NEWS. The Democratic National Committee surely thought it had got in a really good lick when it decided that Fox News is ineligible to host 2020 presidential primary debates because of pro-Republican bias. BUT, these Swampy Democrats really under-estimate President Trump at every turn. He answered by simply saying that he’d reciprocate. The President tweeted : "“Democrats just blocked @FoxNews from holding a debate. Good, then I think I’ll do the same thing with the Fake News Networks and the Radical Left Democrats in the General Election debates!”— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2019. He didn't specify which networks he would exclude, but he routinely denounces CNN, MSNBC and such print outlets as the Washington Post and the New York Times as “Fake News.” While those outlets sponsor presidential-primary debates, not the general election ones in which President Trump is likely to participate in 2020. BUT, journalists and anchors from the “Fake News” outlets generally make up much of the questioner panels. • What will the Insane Democrats cook up next to try to unsettle President Trump? They may as well give up, because Donald Trump is UNFLAPPABLE !! • • • THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS GOES ON. On Wednesday evening, Bill O'Reilly talked to Newsmax TV about the border crisis. O'Reilly said the National Emergency Declaration is justified. "The massive amount of people trying to enter the United States through Mexico and the drugs that flow across the border daily clearly justify there is a national emergency happening," O'Reilly told Newsmax TV. During his regular Wednesday appearance on "The Wayne Allyn Root Show," O'Reilly was asked about the pushback President Donald Trump is receiving from both sides of the political aisle regarding his National Emergency Declaration to build more barriers at the southern border. O'Reilly said : "I think portions of the wall will get built. I think there is a national emergency down on the southern border. Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to come in here, I think that's an emergency. Tons of narcotics, that might qualify. But you gotta understand something, Wayne, and everybody watching tonight: In the eyes of the Democratic Party and...90% of the national media, Donald Trump is the biggest threat to the country. He's the national emergency. So, it doesn't matter what other issue is bedeviling America. It's not as important as damaging Donald Trump." • President Trump's National Emergency Declaration allowed him to use around $6.5 billion in federal money for a border barrier. Before that, the House and Senate passed a spending bill that included just under $1.4 billion for the barrier. Later during the interview, O'Reilly said the danger posed by the "far-left" members of the House and Senate is surpassed by another group : "I think the media's far more dangerous and hateful and corrupt than the Congress is." • Bill O'Reilly has a lot of support for that opinion, but what happened in the House on Thursday makes us wonder whether the Insane Democrats car about anything except their sliced-and-diced identity groups. • • • THE ANTI-SEMITISM RESOLUTION THAT WASN'T. Newsmax reported the situation before the vote on the touted anti-Semitism resolution the House Democrats seemed eager to pass : "Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the House will vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy and other forms of hate after freshman Representative Ilhan Omar's comments about Israel sparked turmoil among Democrats." • The point there is that the anti-Semitism resolution has become an anti-Islamaphobia resolution. Speaker Pelosi actually said she does not believe that Minnesota Democrat House member Ilhan Omar understood the "weight of her words" or that they would be perceived by some as anti-Semitic. The resolution won't mention Omar by name. Pelosi told the media : "It's not about her. It's about these forms of hatred.3 When she was asked whether the resolution was intended to "police" lawmakers' words, Pelosi replied : "We are not policing the speech of our members. We are condemning anti-Semitism, anti-Islamophobia and we are condemning white supremacy." • Well, we all knew that the GOP and President Trump would have to be rolled into the resolution somehow -- and instead of calling us "racists," Pelosi decided to call us "white supremacists." Pelosi's move was intended to resolve the divide in the ranks of the Dempcrat Party that opened after Ilhan Omar said Israel's supporters were pushing lawmakers to take a pledge of "allegiance" to a foreign country. A Moslem-American, Omar has been critical of the Jewish state in the past and made a rather weak apology for those previous comments. But, Pelosi spoke for Omar, it seems, saying : "I feel confident that her words were not based on any anti-Semitic attitude." THAT may be the Pelosi Newspeak for the Ages. Ilhan Omar has been writing and speaking in anti-Semitic terms since at least 2012. But, Pelosi says she wasn't being anti-Semitic. AND, Omar has not yet apologized for what many in Congress saw as a suggestion that Israel's supporters have split loyalties. It was that statement that sparked a demand from some quarters to put a resolution on the floor condemning anti-Semitism. Other House members wanted to broaden it to include a rejection of all forms of racism and bigotry. Some proposed two separate resolutions. Others questioned whether a resolution was necessary, and viewed such a move as unfairly singling out Omar at a time when President Donald Trump and others have made disparaging racial comments. • Only one Democrat avoided Insanity -- Representative Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat, said on the House floor, "This shouldn't be so hard." • TheHill reported later on Thursday that the House passed a measure "broadly condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred on Thursday after remarks by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) unleashed a torrent of debate in the Democratic caucus, underlining tensions in the party. The measure condemning 'anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry' easily passed the lower chamber in a vote of 407-23." • Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and the third-ranking House GOP leader, joined nearly two dozen other Republicans in voting against the measure. Representatives Lee Zeldin (N.Y.) and Louie Gohmert (Texas), who also voted against it, both delivered floor speeches lamenting that the language in the bill had been watered down to the point of taking away attention from Omar's remarks. • Lawmakers passed the resolution amid flaring tensions over comments by Omar widely panned as anti-Semitic because they appeared to question whether people advocating for Israel were more loyal to that country than the United States. The House-passed measure did not specifically mention the freshman congresswoman by name. While critics argued Omar should have been directly named in the resolution, a number of Progressives and members of key minority caucuses stood by her this week, balking at the suggestion she be singled out and calling for the language to be broadened to include the condemnation of other forms of bigotry. • The final version of the resolution “encourages all public officials to confront the reality of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry, as well as historical struggles against them, to ensure that the United States will live up to the transcendent principles of tolerance, religious freedom, and equal protection as embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the first and 14th amendments to the Constitution.” • The resolution also includes language condemning Japanese internment camps in World War II, the century-old Dreyfus affair in France, former President Kennedy being questioned over Catholicism and the white supremacist events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Democrats made a last-minute change Thursday to add Latinos, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the LGBT community to the list of "traditionally persecuted peoples" targeted by white supremacists. The previous version unveiled earlier in the day only included "African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants, and others." • Something for every identity group in the Insane Democrat Party. • TheHill said reporters twice tried to approach ilhan Omar in the halls outside the House chamber after the vote on Thursday for her reaction. At one point, fellow Moslem Representative Andre Carson (D-Ind.) protectively put his arm around her. But Omar did not utter a single word in response to any questions. • While the resolution that passed Thursday received broad support on the floor, a handful of lawmakers voiced disappointment that it didn't solely condemn anti-Semitic remarks, which was the original reason for creating the resolution. The lawmakers, including several Jewish Democrats, made the case that anti-Semitism is a serious enough issue to warrant a stand-alone bill. "Why are we unable to singularly condemn anti-Semitism?" Representative Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said on the floor earlier in the day. "Why can't we call it anti-Semitism and show we've learned the lessons of history?” Representative Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on the floor shortly before the vote Thursday evening that Omar's comments "touched a very real, very raw place for me. And my desire for the House to go on record again specifically condemning anti-Semitism wasn't a desire to single the gentlewoman out or to stifle debate on US policy toward Israel. But it was a desire and need to say that certain words, no matter who utters them, have no place in our public discourse and indeed can be very dangerous." House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said it was critical that lawmakers condemn rhetoric accusing supporters of Israel of dual allegiance, but said he also felt it was important to come out against other forms of discrimination : "Accusations that Jews bear dual allegiance because of support for Israel or concerns for its safety are false and they are also hurtful. Comments that must be exposed for what they are -- bigotry. They elicit fear and uncertainty in the individuals and communities they target. In much the same way, we have also seen vile examples of hatred aimed at painting Moslem Americans as somehow disloyal to our nation, or not fully belonging, causing similar feel offings insecurity and distress." Other lawmakers asked why it took a week to craft the resolution opposing the inflammatory comments from Omar. "I am here with my friend from New York debating a resolution that all of us should have learned in kindergarten. 'Be nice. Don't hate,' " Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said on the floor. "This resolution doesn't need to be seven pages -- It's just wordy. We don't need to hate. It doesn't matter where it comes from." • In addition to Cheney, Zeldin and Gohmert, Republicans who voted against the bill included Representatives Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Michael Burgess (Texas), Chris Collins (N.Y.), Mike Conaway (Texas), Rick Crawford (Ark.), Jeff Duncan (S.C.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Tom Graves (Ga.), Peter King (N.Y.), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Steven Palazzo (Miss.), Mike Rogers (Ala.), Chip Roy (Texas), Greg Steube (Fla.), Mark Walker (N.C.) and Ted Yoho (Fla.). • Top Republicans including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise, and Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney argued Democrats should have responded in a similar fashion to how they penalized Representative Steve King (R-Iowa) following his controversial remarks on white supremacy. King was removed from his committee assignments after his remarks. He voted "present" on the resolution Thursday. Scalise told reporters on Wednesday : “The real issue is why does Pelosi continue to allow Omar to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee? If Pelosi is truly against the anti-Semitic comments that Omar continues to make, then she needs to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee. And that's the only real action that will prove that she's willing to stand up to that kind of offensive behavior." • But Democratic leaders have asserted they don’t believe likening King and Omar is a fair comparison. Pelosi told reporters on Thursday : "I don't believe it was intended in an anti-Semitic way. But the fact is if that's how it was interpreted, we have to remove all doubt." • • • OMAR AND OCASIO-CORTEZ -- ANTI-SEMITIC AND OUT OF CONTROL. Townhall noted on Friday that Ilhan Omar isn't contrite, sorry, or chastened : "She's taking a victory lap. When the House voted to condemn Steve King earlier this year, perhaps an advisor should have counseled him to put out a triumphant statement about forcing a complicated but essential conversation about Western civilization. Great 'progress.' Big win. That would definitely have been allowed to fly, right? In fairness, he couldn't have been this brazen because his party stood firmly against him. The GOP didn't demand a slew of whataboutist deflections be inserted into any legislative language...leadership stripped him of his committee assignments. Omar, by contrast, not only faced no consequence for her latest descent into anti-Semitism, she stirred a partisan rebellion that further empowered her. And she's flaunting it. This is ehr tweet : "Our nation is having a difficult conversation, but we believe this is great progress. pic.twitter.com/gSua9a8mki" — Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) March 7, 2019. • OMAR SPEAKS : "I am certainly not looking to be comfortable, and I don’t want everyone necessarily to feel comfortable around me. I’m OK with taking the blows if it means it will ignite conversations that no one was willing to have before.” https://t.co/8atQduvFhF — Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) March 8, 2019. Alberta added : "Hey, if she has to make Jews feel "uncomfortable" by trafficking in well-worn anti-Semitic bigotry, so be it. Conversations have been started, after all. Two people who wholeheartedly agree : Virulent anti-Semites David Duke and Linda Sarsour, who are delighted by yesterday's 'All Lives Matter'-style charade by House Democrats." • Nancy Pelosi, who was battered into an embarrassing retreat on the resolution, continues the embarrassment : Pelosi defends Rep. Omar: she 'has a different experience in the use of words.' https://t.co/DgxoNPgc3g ic.twitter.com/lAzIBHEtpM— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 8, 2019. By Pelosi's telling, Omar is just a clueless young girl who doesn't understand the words she's using. Plus, let's face it, she's from another culture, another senior Democrat surreally chimed in. Was that more or less surreal than James Clyburn's effective 'check your privilege' slap at descendants of Holocaust victims in the context of defending Omar? You decide. It seems pretty clear that if Pelosi had control of her caucus and a moral compass, she'd boot Omar from the Foreign Relations Committee. But even by the Speaker's own excuse-making standards, shouldn't Omar be reassigned? Pelosi's affirmative defense of Omar is that she's just too slow and confused to adequately comprehend the consequences of her rhetoric, so maybe shuffling her off to some other Congressional panel is in order, no? Here's the problem with that infantilization-reliant framing : "Jewish groups in Minnesota had a meeting with her last year over this kind of stuff." https://t.co/ttIuvz2ISS — neontaster (@neontaster) March 8, 2019. Rep. Ilhan Omar has been meeting with Jewish leaders in Minnesota since last year. Her comments are confusing them : 'She claimed ig­no­rance...I was think-ing, wait a minute, she can’t claim that, I met with her.” https://t.co/9VCItFgf7q— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) March 8, 2019. Some Jewish leaders in her home state of Minnesota say Ms. Omar’s comments are becoming too repetitive to be accidental. They have met with her repeatedly and made their views known after statements she has made this year and in the past. Last month, when she apologized for a tweet linking Jews with money, and said she was still learning, that rang untrue to Minneapolis state Senator Ron Latz, who lives in Ms. Omar’s district. 'She claimed ignorance about the impact of what she was saying,' he said. 'I was thinking, wait a minute, she can’t claim that, I met with her.' " • Following previous anti-Semitic outbursts, Omar has been dragooned into "listening sessions" with Jewish groups, designed to educate her on her apparent blind spots, or whatever. She appears to have emerged from those lessons having learned nothing. • Townhall says : "Some of the people who met with her, and talked through these exact issues, know for a fact that her continued stereotyping cannot be credibly attributed to ignorance. They've personally worked with her on this issue. She knows what she's doing. She can't help herself. This is who she is. Like Ralph 'Blackface' Northam, she's just doubling down, and it's working out pretty well for both of them. Meanwhile, since I mentioned the Steve King flap earlier, here's another thought : That vote was nearly unanimous, with just one dissenter : A Democrat who believed the resolution's verbiage did not go far enough in its specificity and severity. Based on similar objections, nearly two dozen Republicans (all of whom voted to reprimand King and denounce racism) voted against the Dems' bill yesterday, including a Jewish member of the chamber. Their message was obvious : The resolution had become a toothless, gauzy, catch-all sham, specifically designed to take the heat off of the member of Congress who'd yet again 'accidentally' stumbled into anti-Semitism. • • • OCASIO-CORTEZ IS FUNDRAISING USING ANTI-SEMITISM. Townhall's Matt Vespa reported it on Friday : "Well, if you thought there would be a day where the far left wing of the House Democratic caucus would quiet down a bit, given their anti-Semitism issues, you’d be wrong. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sent a fundraising email last night suggesting that AIPAC was coming after her and that the US-Israeli relationship should be severed. No, I’m not kidding. This is insanity. AOC has been one of the few defenders of Representative Ilhan Omar, who once again was accused of anti-Semitism for suggesting those who support Israel are exhibiting dual loyalty. The latter is a common anti-Semitic smear. Omar has also peddled the talking point about Jewish money and influence with her 'all about the Benjamins' tweet. In 2012, she said that Israel had hypnotized the world. She’s run the gauntlet on this front. The recent dual loyalty fiasco has given her party leadership heartburn, exposing its fractured points with this resolution that condemns anti-Semitism, which has been watered down because...apparently, there are a lot of Democrats who don’t think this is an issue. They’re just angry that their side is being pilloried for peddling bigotry when they wanted the entire focus to be on Trump and his phantom prejudices. So, after days of anti-Semitic theater, AOC decided to blast this fundraising email (via NTK Network) : "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for an end to the United States’ special relationship with Israel while the House debated condemning all forms of hate speech, including anti-Semitism, on Thursday. The House of Representatives was debating condemning anti-Semitism on Thursday because of anti-Semitic comments made by Ocasio-Cortez’s friend and fellow member of Congress, Representative Ilhan Omar, which were directed at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 'It’s official -- AIPAC is coming after Alexandria, Ilhan, and Rashida,” the email said. “Rashida, Ilhan, and Alexandria have at times dared to question our foreign policy, and the influence of money in our political system. And now, lobbying groups across the board are working to punish them.” The email then asked for people to contribute to help “keep up the fight against lobbying and special interests of all forms in Washington.” The email then appeared to call for an end to the United States’ special relationship with Israel. “In this administration and all others, there should be no special relationship or status,” the email said. • • • DEAR READERS, of course, Pelosi and her advisors were trying to avoid being made a laughingstock by Republicans who will certainly use the watered-down 'anti-everything" resolution as an indication of both the division in the Democrat Party and the growing strength of the radical extreme-left side of the Party. The Democrat leadership would also like to pass another bill -- their signature ethics and voting reform package, H.R.1, but now, Republicans may try to tack their own anti-Semitism bill on as an amendment. If House Democrats think that Thursday's vote will save them from the GOP's now-reasonable labeling of the Democrat House majority and the entire Insane Democrat Party as anti-Semitic, they had better have a re-think. By bringing the H.R. 1 bill to the floor Thursday, Democratic leaders were able to tamp down the possibility of Republicans further highlighting divisions in the Democratic caucus by using a procedural motion on a landmark election reform bill scheduled for a vote Friday. As it stands, that bill -- designated as H.R. 1 to underscore its importance -- has largely been overshadowed all week by the controversy surrounding Omar. • On Friday, the House passed H.R.1, a plan aiming to limit money in politics, and require Presidents to release tax returns. H.R.1 passed the House on pure party lines, 214-193. The bill now falls into the in-box of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who says he has no plans to take it up. If it ever reaches the Oval Office, President Donald Trump has threatened to veto it. Mitch McConnell has repeatedly called H.R. 1 the "Democrat Politician Protection Act." • Enough said. Have a good weekend, everyone.