How in the world did we get to the point where it is now a political crisis in the Democrat Party to simply condemn anti-Semitism on the left? But that’s exactly what’s happening.

Consider this Washington Post headline: “House Democrats Splinter Over Response To Rep. Omar’s Alleged Anti-Semitism.”

Omar’s remarks that triggered this latest crisis were uttered eight days ago. Yet it has taken her party more than a week to agree on an appropriate response.

The Democrat Party has a proud history when it comes to Israel. President Harry Truman was threatened by senior cabinet members if he dared to recognize the new state of Israel. He called their bluff and recognized Israel within 11 minutes of David Ben-Gurion’s declaration of Israel’s independence on May 14, 1948.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. once said this about Israel:

“Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”

Robert Kennedy was so pro-Israel that he was stalked and murdered by a Palestinian extremist named Sirhan Sirhan. Several years ago, I stood next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he pointed out to me the neighborhood where Sirhan Sirhan grew up in East Jerusalem.

Over the years, I have worked with leading Democrats on issues related to Israel and anti-Semitism. They disagreed with me on many things, and I disagreed with them on many things. 

They were good people like former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, the first Orthodox Jew to be on a presidential ticket, former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. 

Sadly, there appears to be fewer and fewer such Democrats in Washington today. 

Progressive Anti-Semitism

The new left that describes itself as “progressive” and “socialist” is riddled with anti-Semitism. They try to camouflage it as “anti-Zionism” or “anti-Netanyahu.” Rep. Ilhan Omar is only the latest example.

• Senator Bernie Sanders has put people into top positions on his staff who are known for their anti-Israel, anti-Zionist views.

• Anti-Israel progressives at the 2012 Democrat National Convention booed when party officials moved to put Jerusalem back into the platform as the united capital of Israel.

• On university campuses, far left groups make alliances with radical Islamic groups and harass pro-Israel students.

• Jews have been kicked out of so-called “Pride marches.”

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a freshman congresswoman, has accused Israel of “massacring” Palestinians. She recently took a phone call from Jeremy Corbyn, the anti-Semitic leader of the British Labour Party, to discuss how they can work together. Gee, I wonder what they talked about?

• There are multiple reports that the Congressional Black Caucus revolted against Nancy Pelosi’s proposed resolution condemning Omar’s anti-Semitism. We reported some time ago about how the Black Caucus secretly met with Louis Farrakhan, America’s leading anti-Semite. Everyone looks very happy in this photo.

• And, of course, the progressive Women’s March, led by Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour, has been tainted by charges of anti-Semitism for their association with Farrakhan.

The latest reports from Capitol Hill suggest that the House will now vote on a resolution “broadly condemning hate,” including Islamophobia. It is also expected that the resolution will not mention Omar by name, making it utterly useless.

This is just another attempt to avoid focusing on the main problem — the raw anti-Semitism on the progressive left.

As for Omar, no credible person can deny what motivates her to make such statements. 

Chinese Muslims are being herded into camps for reeducation. I haven’t heard Omar say one word about that. Syria’s Assad regime is responsible for hundreds of thousands of Muslim deaths. There’s been barely a peep out of Omar.

The radical Taliban murders peaceful Muslims in Afghanistan every day. She remains silent.

Yet she seems to get up every morning consumed by the fact that there is a successful Jewish state called Israel that embraces the values of Judeo-Christian Civilization.

What we are witnessing is the mainlining of anti-Semitism into the American body politic. David Duke must be green with envy. He was booted out of conservative circles as soon as his hatred for Jews became clear. But Omar, Tlaib and AOC are rising stars of the progressive future.

Free Speech On Trial

Zachary Greenberg is the man accused of punching conservative activist Hayden Williams at UC Berkeley last month. In spite of the attack being caught on video, Greenberg entered a plea of not guilty Wednesday.

How in the world does he think he can get away with a not guilty plea when the assault is on video? Here’s why: The left increasingly says that “hate speech,” which is any speech that promotes conservative ideas, is violence. So when a conservative like Williams is “violent,” the left argues that it can respond with real violence. 

Greenberg’s argument goes like this: “There was a Nazi on my campus, promoting his hateful ideas. I had an obligation to stop his verbal violence.”

Depending on the pool of jurors from the Berkeley community, I wouldn’t be surprised if this ludicrous defense succeeds.

This is, after all, the justification of the entire Antifa movement, which engages in fascist tactics to shut down speech it finds offensive.