23 House Republicans refuse to officially condemn bigotry

Republicans are in disarray.

After spending days condemning what they called anti-Semitic tropes from a Democratic lawmaker, nearly two dozen GOP lawmakers voted against a House resolution that condemned anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and bigotry of all kinds.

All Democrats voted for the resolution, which specifically condemns recent gun massacres where the shooters were motivated by bigotry — one at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and one at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

It also singles out the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a neo-Nazi murdered an innocent anti-racism protester when he mowed her down in his car.

The resolution was sparked by comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who criticized the influence of the Israeli lobby on American politics. She was herself criticized for the way she phrased her remarks, which many said echoed anti-Semitic tropes.

But Republicans were especially eager to accuse Omar, a Muslim woman of color and a Somali refugee, of being a raging anti-Semite who deserves to be punished.

Their outrage is as hypocritical as it comes.

Remember, the GOP stood by Trump as he refused to condemn the Nazis marching in Charlottesville — and even called them “very fine people.”

Republicans also stuck by Trump when he tweeted an anti-Semitic image of Hillary Clinton superimposed over a pile of cash with a Jewish Star of David that called her the “most corrupt candidate ever.” The image was condemned by Democrats as being a textbook example of anti-Semitism.

And Republicans were silent when Trump told a room full of Jewish Republicans during the 2016 campaign that they probably wouldn’t vote for him because he didn’t need their money. Again, a textbook anti-Semitic trope.

Not to mention, the GOP’s 2018 midterm messaging was filled with anti-Semitic undertones, as they claimed Jewish philanthropist and Holocaust survivor George Soros — a favorite target of white supremacists — was trying to buy the election.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has himself made anti-Semitic remarks about Soros trying to buy the election. McCarthy eventually deleted the tweet and tried to claim it wasn’t anti-Semitic.

Even more, Republicans have also made bigoted remarks as they tried to condemn Omar.

For example, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) said Omar — a Muslim woman — is a threat to national security. This is the same Scalise who admitted to speaking at an event hosted by white supremacists.

And a Trump campaign adviser, Jeff Ballabon, called Omar “filth” in a Monday interview on Fox Business.

In the end, 23 Republicans voted “no” on the bill.

All the Republicans who voted AGAINST the anti-hate resolution pic.twitter.com/1DHszREDKz

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) March 7, 2019

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said the resolution should only have condemned anti-Semitism and not other forms of hate, because he considers anti-Semitism “a very special kind of hatred that should never be watered down.”

Of course, Gohmert is well-versed in bigotry, having spewed hate against Muslims for years.

This is also the same Gohmert who baselessly accused Soros of taking property owned by Jews.

Noted racist Steve King of Iowa voted present, a form of protest vote. King himself has spewed hate against people of Hispanic descent for years, but remained a member of the Republican caucus in good standing. He was only rebuked by the GOP in 2019 after he specifically praised white supremacy. No wonder he was uncomfortable voting for a bill condemning hate.

It’s a typically shameful display from the unruly GOP House caucus — and ultimately, Republicans will have to explain to Americans why they couldn’t universally condemn bigotry.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.