The chants of “send her back” at Donald Trump’s rally last week were disgusting and shameful — but don’t think for a second that Ilhan Omar wouldn’t find a disgusting and shameful way to capitalize on them. Or that the New York Times wouldn’t give her a platform to do it:
Oh look, Jihad Barbie gets space in the NY Times. https://t.co/tn066s4Wg2
— JWF (@JammieWF) July 25, 2019
"The president of the United States is using the influence of our highest office to mount racist attacks on communities across the land," writes @IlhanMN https://t.co/hCAsHeBG1H
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) July 25, 2019
How is that not just as inflammatory as anything Trump or his supporters have said? Omar begins her piece by railing against demagogues, but she has just effectively accused Donald Trump of instigating racist attacks around the country.
“The president’s rally will be a defining moment in American history. It reminds us of the grave stakes of the coming presidential election: that this fight is not merely about policy ideas; it is a fight for the soul of our nation.“
My essay in the @NYTimes???? https://t.co/fqFtTbs2X4
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 25, 2019
Omar concludes:
The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values. It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump’s racism. We must affirmatively confront racist policies — whether the caging of immigrant children at the border or the banning of Muslim immigrants or the allowing of segregation in public housing. It is not enough to condemn the corruption and self-dealing of this administration. We must support policies that unmistakably improve working people’s lives, including by strengthening collective bargaining, raising the minimum wage and pursuing a universal jobs guarantee.
The consequences of this fight will not just be felt here at home but around the world. Right-wing nationalism in Hungary, Russia, France, Britain and elsewhere is on the march in ways not seen in decades. America has been a beacon of democratic ideals for the world. If we succumb to the fever of right-wing nationalism, it will have consequences far beyond our borders.
The proudest moments in our history — from the Emancipation Proclamation to the civil rights movement to the struggle against fascism — have come when we fight to protect and expand basic democratic rights. Today, democracy is under attack once again. It’s time to respond with the kind of conviction that has made America great before.
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"It’s time to respond with the kind of conviction that has made America great before." – @IlhanMN
Wait, so youre saying we need to…https://t.co/2Xc8mh63T0
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) July 25, 2019
Heh.
In all seriousness, though, what part of fighting for the soul of our country is claiming that “our country should be more fearful of white men”? Or minimizing the terrorist attacks on 9/11? Omar claims that Trump is pitting “religious minorities against one another,” but she has repeatedly questioned Jews’ loyalty to the United States, not to mention regurgitated disgusting anti-Semitic tropes.
The truth is, Ilhan Omar is everything she claims to hate about Donald Trump. America’s soul doesn’t need her to save it.
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