The 116th Congress, hailed as the most diverse in history, was sworn in on January 3. Among the new members was Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American member of Congress, who represents Minnesota’s 5th district and was named to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Omar wasted little time in demonstrating that diversity can be a messy affair.
Omar has a history of being critical of Israel. According to USA Today, she claimed in a 2012 tweet that the country had “hypnotized the world.” In a new series of Twitter messages, Omar seemed to suggest that opposition to her position was being funded by AIPAC (the American Israel Political Action Committee). In her most controversial tweet, she stated the following:
“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.”
Anti-Semite, Blunt Speaker or Clueless Rookie?
Her statements set off a firestorm of criticism, some of it coming from the Democratic House leadership. Omar apologized for the statements, then proceeded to issue another series of tweets that many observers felt were also anti-Semitic (among other things, she said that supporters of Israel bore “allegiance to a foreign country”). Nancy Pelosi and company are now trying to figure out what do with and about her.
Since the offending tweets have been deleted, it’s difficult to analyze the intent behind Omar’s statements. What does she believe is all about the Benjamins? If she’s referring to lobbying, she’s obviously correct: anyone who knows anything about Washington knows that an effective lobbying campaign is incredibly expensive. While this is unfair, it’s also the right of U.S. citizens to lobby before Congress, and the reality is that those with deep pockets will make their voices heard the loudest.
If, on the other hand, she was implying that Jewish people are all about the Benjamins, her statement is the equivalent of saying that all Muslims are terrorists. The linking of Jews and money goes back to the Middle Ages, and it has been used for centuries as the foundation of anti-Semitic sentiment. If that was what she meant, then here’s what Omar’s world looks like: black people are good athletes, can sing and dance well, and like watermelon; Irish people are drunks, Italians are gangsters, and Jews are good with money. The fact that she’s a Muslim and wears a hijab only complicates the situation (of course, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, a great deal depends on what the meaning of “it’s” is).
Rep. Omar’s clarified position, which has been supported by some Jewish leaders, is that support for Israel isn’t the same as blanket approval of all the country’s policies. Whether or not you believe she’s an anti-Semite is obviously up to you. Perhaps some of her best friends are Jewish, and it’s possible she uses a Jewish accountant.
The Trick of Hiding the Elephant in the Room
No one wants to be Nancy Pelosi at this moment. She already has her hands full with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and now she has to negotiate one of the stickiest subjects Democrats have faced in decades. The Obama years weren’t kind to Israel or its supporters; many Jewish-Americans have already deserted the Democratic party for more sympathetic quarters. You may be certain that Tom Perez and the folks at the National Committee are beside themselves: on top of being obsessed that some radical socialist getting the nomination, they now have to worry about losing what’s left of the Jewish vote. Things are so bad that even some in the Congressional Black Caucus seems sympathetic to Jewish-American concerns, although most have rallied to Omar’s defense.
In the midst of this confusion, the House leadership has scheduled and then delayed a resolution condemning Omar’s remarks. Here’s the dilemma: a full-bore censure motion would alienate the Democrat’s powerful left flank, while a generic motion condemning bigotry would seem like exactly what it is—a half-assed, watered-down political solution. Pelosi must be facing considerable pressure from the DNC over this, and she’s clearly in a no-win situation. And regardless of how the flap over Omar is resolved, the incident is sucking up valuable oxygen and preventing a focus on the Democratic legislative program.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the first female Speaker of the House, a woman who has been a symbol of diversity and who triumphed over Donald Trump in the battle over the government shutdown, was outwitted by a freshman Congresswoman wearing a hijab?