Democrats: Hate Has a Home Here

And the slide toward Jew hatred continues unabated within the party that has adopted the “Hate Has No Home Here” slogan as its cri de coeur. Unlike the feckless fading leaders of the Democratic Party, like Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who are only brave enough to speak in platitudes about the scourge of antisemitism within their own ranks, Haley Stevens actually had a spine and endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican opponent of Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan’s US Senate race. Ms. Stevens’ endorsement came on the heels of Mr. El-Sayed’s continued pattern of antisemitic conduct and Jew baiting.

Her principled stance was applauded by the rank-and-file and Democratic Party leadership. The chair of the Michigan Democratic Party promptly declared on Sunday that Ms. Stevens is not, and will not be, a member of the party. Mr. Schumer called Ms. Steven’s stance against Jew hatred a “despicable betrayal.” Ms. Pelosi called Ms. Stevens’ actions “horrific” and opined that Mr. El-Sayed “must win.” Not to be outdone, James Carville, a former party apparatchik, issued a missive in which he argued that “[t]he Democrats don’t even think you’re worth a used condom.” To avoid any confusion, Ms. Stevens is still a staunch Democrat, broadly supported former President Joe Biden’s agenda while he was in office, and has been an outspoken critic of President Trump and has not all of a sudden become a MAGA convert, to my knowledge. She just chose to take a principled stand on antisemitism.

This reaction should tell even a casual observer everything they need to know about what “Hate Has No Home Here” means in practice. The party that plants its slogan on lawns and bumpers across the country found plenty of room for the candidate who weaponizes Jew hate and none for the woman who asked him to answer for the hate.

There is an old Soviet joke about an American who boasts that his country is so free he can stand in front of the White House and shout, “To hell with Ronald Reagan!” His Russian companion shrugs. “That’s nothing. I can stand in Red Square and shout, ‘To hell with Ronald Reagan!’ too.” Today’s Democratic leadership has perfected the Soviet version of free speech. Its leaders may denounce antisemitism as often as they like, so long as the hate belongs on the other side of the aisle. When Ms. Stevens stood in her own party’s Red Square and voiced opposition, she learned what the Russian in the joke always knew. The freedom to condemn runs in one direction only.

Consider the vocabulary. Mr. Schumer, who endorsed Ms. Stevens in the primary, saved the word “despicable” for her endorsement of Mr. Rogers. Ms. Pelosi, who had broken with Mr. El-Sayed on Israel and backed Ms. Stevens in the primary, saved “horrific” for the same act. Mr. Carville reached for obscenities. A party that can summon that kind of fury against a Democrat who refused to look away, but not against Jew hatred, has made its choice. Hate does have a home here.