Slurred

For a few days last week, the left-leaning main stream media (but I repeat myself) showed concern over a number anti-Semitic incidents and many phone threats directed toward Jewish organizations from persons unknown. A few key points are worthy of note:

1) most of the commentary on the incident contained veiled suggestions that these incidents occurred as a result of Donald Trump's presidency. In some cases, the more unhinged members of the left (commentators on MSNBC come to mind) intoned the name of Steve Bannon, repeating the canard that Trump was sympathetic to anti-Semites.

2) the left-leaning main stream media seems rather selective in its outrage over anti-Semitism. For example, outlets like CNN, NYT, WaPo and many others have expressed concern over the plight of the Palestinians in not-so-vailed anti-Isreal articles and commentary. They assiduously avoid any mention (let alone concern) about the overly anti-Semtic posture of palestinian leadership or the reality that anti-Semitic content is a core element in palestinian schools, beginning in Kindergarten.

3) the left-leaning main stream media seems oblivious to the broader reality that Islam itself has a virulent strain of anti-Semitic commentary.

4) there is not one shred of evidence that Trump supporters are behind these anti-Semitic acts nor that Trump is anything but a true friend of Jews and Israel.

There has been the clear implication by hamsters in the media that the incidents in the USA were perpetrated by right-wing groups sympathetic to Trump, although there is yet no evidence to support that contention. But no matter, the hamsters suggest that these incidents occurred because—Trump. I haven't heard a single commentator at CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, WaPo, LAT, NBC ... suggest that this accusation is a "slur" and should be abandoned.

Over the past few weeks I wrote two rather uncomplimentary posts (here and here) about Keith Ellison, you know, the guy who garnered 46 percent of the vote for Chair of the DNC and is now co-chair or some such title. According to David Weigel of WaPo, that makes me one of many who have "slurred" poor Keith.

In response, David Harsanyi writes:

I’ve seen a number of progressives accuse Jewish critics of Ellison of waging a “smear campaign,” yet they offer nothing to back up this contention. They simply dismiss the accusations … well, because. To smear someone is to damage his reputation by false accusations. In public debate, at least, critics of Ellison are noting his words and deeds, all of them legitimate concerns.

The Washington Post informed its readers that Ellison had apologized for “his criticism of Israel’s policy toward Palestinians and his defense of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.” But that, of course, is either purposely minimizing Ellison’s history or extraordinarily uninformed.

For one thing, Ellison didn’t merely defend Farrakhan, he was a follower. He didn’t only appear as a local spokesman for the Nation of Islam, he appeared to defend a Minneapolis anti-Semite who said “Jews are among the most racist white people I know.” Ellison didn’t just support Stokely Carmichael’s right to speak at the University of Minnesota on free speech grounds, he argued that a man who claimed Zionists had joined the Nazis in killing Jews was a useful ideological counterpoint at that school. Ellison wasn’t just critical of “Israel’s policy toward Palestinians,” he was critical of the idea of Israel altogether.

When Mother Jones interviewed a classmate of Ellison’s who claimed he had gone around saying “European white Jews are trying to oppress minorities all over the world” and talked about “Jewish slave traders” — typical rhetoric for Nation of Islam types — there was no denial from the congressman’s office. The congressman only distanced himself from anti-Semites during his 2006 run for Congress, and then only when right-wing bloggers started pointing out his past.

None of this takes into account Ellison’s defense of other racists and tyrants (like Castro). It doesn’t take into account his 2010 claim that Jews were running American foreign policy. It doesn’t take into consideration Ellison’s contention, on tape, that 9/11 was set up for George W. Bush to benefit from war — like the “Reichstag fire.” Then there are the objectionable, though less clear cut, meetings that he seems to take with supporters of terrorism.

In fact, I suppose it could be argued that by giving a pass to a person like Ellison, an true anti-Semite, the Democrats may have inadvertently encouraged hard-left activists or (heaven forbid!) radical Muslims, to act out against Jews. But those possibilities are never considered -- NEVER! And might it possibly be the eight years of veiled anti-Israel rhetoric coming out of the previous administration? Nah, after all, when was there ever an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Democrat. Oh wait ... Ellison.

UPDATE - 1:
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By the way, during Donald's Trump's tribute to Carryn Owens, the wife of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens who was killed during a raid in Yemen last month during Tuesday's joint address to Congress, most Democrats acted with dignity. But Keith Ellison -- he sat with a scowl and seemed to applaud as an afterthought. Heh. Classy, Keith, real classy.

Roger Simon offers some background:

Perhaps [Ellison, along with Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi] felt the scene was exploitative, as several news personalities pointed out on Twitter, which is fine, but this was the party that rolled out Gold Star family members Khizr Muazzam Khan and Ghazala Khan during the Democrat National Convention and paraded them around cable news for a week in response to Trump’s flippant comments. Maybe, just maybe, both families, Khan and Owens are deserving of ovations. If the reason Democrats can’t rise and applaud the widow of a fallen service member, or victims of violent crime, or American companies based in the heartland of the country is fear of a backlash from their base, maybe the base they are catering to is the problem.

Yeah, and Ellison is the darling of the base.

UPDATE - 2:
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CNN has reported that law enforcement sources claim that many of the threatening calls to Jewish Community Centers originated overseas. There is no substantiation as yet, but if that's true -- hmmmm.

Then again, relying on Trump's fantasy Russian connections, I'm sure that progressive talking heads can conjure a narrative that still blames Trump.