Congressional Democrats are Failing the Omar Test
By: Joel Pratt
Tags: Democrats, Republicans, Ilhan Omar, Anti Semitism, Israel

Much digital ink has been spilled over the previous few weeks about the comments of Representative Ilhan Omar, the Democratic politician representing Minnesota’s Fifth District. Other politicians have pounced on remarks she has made about Israel, and the House of Representatives went so far as to pass a resolution condemning hate speech in a side-eyed rebuke of her statements.

Without getting too deep into the weeds of Rep. Omar’s latest controversy, it is enough to note that she made a statement about the oddity in the pro-Israel legislative and lobbying communities that requires “allegiance” to a foreign power. Responses (coming predominately from Christian white men) swiftly condemned her for invoking the “antisemitic trope” that Jews are untrustworthy citizens because of their allegiance to their own people.

I am neither a lay nor a religious leader in my community, so I speak only for myself when I say: I am pro-Israel, I am a practicing Jew, and I am in no way offended by Rep. Omar’s statements. The United States and Israel have an unusual relationship, made more unusual by a lobby (led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC) that has convinced a generation of politicians that supporting Israel means supporting whatever administration is in power, including all of that administration’s choices, no matter what.

That puts us left-wing Jews in a bind. Israel is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, a race-baiting, right-wing hawk whose party is allied with the extreme religious elements of the country and who is currently facing indictment for his criminal activity. But you will not hear American politicians loudly voicing concerns about Israel’s policies or leadership because such criticism is met with accusations of being anti-Israel and, more broadly, antisemitic. Unlike many things in Washington in 2019, that response remains bipartisan.

But should it be? It is trite — but apparently necessary — to remember that criticism of Israel is not, necessarily, antisemitic. One can be antisemitic and pro-Israel, and one can criticize Israel without saying anything about the Jewish people. And, of course, some criticism of Israel is rooted in antisemitism. But we have to be smart enough to tell the difference.

Israel is, ostensibly, a pluralist democracy that counts among its voting citizens religious Jews, Muslims, and Christians. And its decisions can be debated both on religious and non-religious grounds. Discussing Israel productively requires a nuanced understanding of history and a willingness to concede error. And solving the conflict will require deeply pragmatic problem-solvers willing to make substantial compromises. The United States’ role in supporting Israel politically and militarily has to be a part of that conversation.

And that part of the conversation is, apparently, off-limits to American liberal Democrats. That’s a shame. And it’s a problem for the party.

The Democratic Party rightly touted its historical wins in the 2018 midterms, particularly wins by people whose cultural identities reflect the growing diversity of the United States. More broadly, as Democrats and Republicans begin to ramp up for the 2020 elections (impossibly and unwisely soon it seems), Democrats seem to be adopting a “big tent,” pro-diversity strategy. And as the Republican party turns inward towards its own base, that strategy provides both parties an opportunity to build contrast and tell their story in 2020.

But a big tent filled with diverse people is bound to be cacophonous. And the value of diversity is that new people fold new views into the conversation. The challenge of diversity is marshaling those new views into productive debates and, ultimately, better policies that reflect how opinions change as issues evolve.

The Democrats — particularly those in leadership positions in the party — are failing that challenge. Instead of discussing policy, Rep. Omar’s opponents shrieked about antisemitism. Nobody has to agree with her, but other politicians owe her the respect of discussing her ideas rather than freezing her out of the conversation. If the Democrats want to be the party of diversity, their future depends on their ability to engage with ideas that run counter to mainstream thought. That’s the whole point.