A Tale of Two Resolutions

Actions speak louder than words, the timeless adage goes, and it rings especially true when one examines the workings within the United States Congress. As a response to President Trump’s ill phrased criticisms of his Democratic colleagues, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning what has been widely deemed ‘racist’ tweets. While it is debatable as to whether President Trump’s  comments contained elements of malice within them, the mere passing of this resolution highlights something even more troubling.

Several months ago, Representative Ilhan Omar made a fool of herself yet again by spouting anti-Semitic nonsense. It wasn’t the first time that she had said something offensive about Jews,  nor was it the last. But this instance riled a few hackles. Representative Omar dragged up the age old canard that Jews hold dual loyalties, and mused aloud as to whether supporters of Israel held more allegiance towards the Jewish State rather than the United States. This was a line too far for many, and the backlash was swift. Democrats and Republicans decried the comments as foul, and the United States Congress drafted a resolution to condemn Omar’s words. It finally seemed that people were going to stand up against the anti-Semitic rhetoric emanating from several freshmen congressional members.

But it was not meant to be. Instead of passing a resolution specifically targeting Representative Omar and her preposterous views, the Democrats in the  Congress watered down the resolution to the point that one would have a hard time realizing that it was drafted in an attempt to combat anti-Semitism. The Democrats, it seemed, wanted to protect their own even if these members were saturated with anti-Semitic bile.

Curious, then, how these very same Democrats were so swift in their blanket condemnation of President Trump. The Democrats were blunt, loud and clear. They specifically condemned the President of the United States and left nothing to the imagination. One wonders why the Democrats had no reservations about condemning the rhetoric from the White House yet bent over backwards to shield their own from condemnation.

Forgive me, perhaps the answer is painfully clear. It seems that in today’s Democratic Party, anti-Semitism is excusable and that Jewish grievances are clearly low in terms of priority. It is worth noting that the politicians targeted by President Trump are the most egregious  offenders when it comes to anti-Semitism.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez sings praises of Jeremy Corbyn, the man who has single handedly allowed anti Semitism to spread and flourish within the British Labour Party. She has also rushed to defend numerous anti-Semites, most notably Linda Sarsour and her fellow congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Representative Ilhan Omar has demonized Israel on a weekly basis and had the audacity to claim that Jewish money buys support from American politicians. And Representative Rashida Tlaib is no better, using her position to spout revisionist nonsense that erases Jewish history from the Land of Israel. These are the individuals targeted by President Trump’s comments, and these are the people the Democratic Party are now rushing to paint as victims. The resolution passed by the House of Representatives was a move to protect these politicians, and as a result it will become increasingly difficult to say anything negative about them or their views.

While President Trump is a deeply flawed man, and his tweets are often outlandish and inappropriate, the bigger issue at hand is how the Democratic Party is handling itself. When confronted with the extremists within their ranks, the Democrats use every ploy at their disposal to avoid directly addressing the problem. But when President Trump says something deemed to be just as offensive and distasteful, these Democrats hold no punches and set their sights firmly on the President. The hypocrisy is quite mind numbing.

If the Democrats want to be taken seriously, they need to handle all bombastic commentary equally. If they want to hold the moral high ground when challenging President Trump, then they should lead by example and chastise those within their own party. However, if they continue to make excuses for these offenders, they stand naked and shameless before the court of public opinion. If they maintain this double standard, their hypocrisy is laid bare for all to see. It is time for the Democrats to look within and weigh their future carefully. If they fail to treat all offenses equally, then they should be viewed as partisan opportunists that care more about political points rather than dealing with injustices and offenses.

It is time to end this double standard.