Yesterday, in the midst of the righteous indignation surrounding Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s latest anti-Semitic remarks, Seth Mandel made a prediction:
Looking forward to Michelle Goldberg's NYT column, Money-Grubbing Jews Are the Real Anti-Semites, Not Ilhan Omar
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) February 11, 2019
And, just like clockwork:
Amazing. Michelle Goldberg is beyond parody. pic.twitter.com/qI9VtlV72k
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) February 12, 2019
She really is:
Democratic leadership rebuked Omar and called on her to apologize for her “use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters.” It was a depressing fall from grace for someone who just weeks ago was being feted as a path breaker, a refugee from Somalia who, alongside Tlaib, rose to become one of America’s first two Muslim congresswomen.
Omar herself has been subject to vicious Islamophobic smears, and has also come under attack for supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which seeks to use economic pressure to secure Palestinian rights. Perhaps such criticism is why she’s sometimes seemed unwilling or unable to distinguish between disingenuous political pile-ons and good-faith calls to respect Jewish sensitivities. But whether from carelessness or callousness, her weekend tweets damaged her political allies and squandered some of her own hard-won power.
So, basically, Omar’s the victim here. She just doesn’t realize that the anti-Semitic bile she regularly spews is anti-Semitic, and now the Right taking advantage of the poor dear:
Not long after Pelosi’s statement, Omar released one of her own, apologizing “unequivocally.” She wrote, “Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.” Personally, I’m happy to accept her apology. Progressive American Muslims and Jews should be natural allies; our mutual future depends on deepening this country’s embattled commitment to multiethnic democracy. Prejudice helps bind the modern right together, but unchecked it can rip the left apart.
Wow.
— ladykrystyna (@ladykrystyna) February 12, 2019
Our legs hurt from all the pouncing we’ve been doing.
So. Much. Pouncing.
— Faith In Something Bigger (@VWHORUSHD) February 12, 2019
Until Michelle Goldberg pointed it out, we had no idea we were supposed to be so excited about anti-Semitism.
You don’t seem to be happy about your gift Seth
— berd (@Sfinkt) February 12, 2019
When anti-semitism is a gift ???
— commonsense (@commonsense258) February 12, 2019
"The only problem with left-wing antisemitism is it might help Republicans"
ooohhhh ok super persuaded now— Lawyer Dog (@TheClarksTale) February 12, 2019
Why is the lesson "don't be anti-semitic because it helps the right" rather than "don't be anti-semitic because it's bad"?
— Jim Rhys (@D0sten) February 12, 2019
Good question.
Look, it's ok to be anti-Semitic, just don't do it in a way that helps conservatives prove their point that we're anti-Semitic.
— Ryan (@BathTubby) February 12, 2019
Seeing as Michelle Goldberg is the same Michelle Goldberg who argued that “right-wing conspiracy theories” were to blame for Democrats’ and the Left’s refusal to believe Juanita Broaddrick, we shouldn’t really be surprised that’s she’d find a way to blame the Right for Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks being interpreted as anti-Semitic. But still. This is pretty outrageous.
She's terrible.
— Geoppetto Hosseltoff (@Geoppetto) February 12, 2019
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