LIZ CHENEY, ONE OF MANY CONTINUING TO IGNORE TRUMP’S DISGUSTING LANGUAGE

…US REP Liz Cheney (R-WY), reminds me of her dad.

Speaker Pelosi: “The House resolution is about these forms of hatred, not Rep. Ilhan Omar”.

It was no surprise when the daughter of the former vice president Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney (R-Wy), made the following statement on Sunday’s “Meet the Press”: “I decided to vote against it [the resolution against Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and hate], because I think it was really clearly an effort to actually protect Ilhan Omar, to cover up her bigotry and anti-Semitism, by refusing to name her.”

Yes, this most senior Republican voted no, and she desperately tried to defend her vote,…. while failing miserably .

Ms. Cheney went on to add that “The kind of anti-Semitism that you’re seeing now from Ilhan Omar, and that has been supported by her colleagues, is the kind of anti-Semitism that really has the ability to creep in and become normalized in our discourse. And we have an absolute obligation not to let that happen.”

(Cheney failed to state that it is within the Republican party that the anti-Semitism is becoming normalized.)

It’s not clear how adding any language condemning Islamophobia, waters down the condemnation of anti-Semitism….?  Both are forms of prejudice based on the religious beliefs of both groups.  Both Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attacks are today, on the rise.  And both types of bigotry are in danger of being normalized.  That is totally in thanks, in no small part, to Cheney’s fellow Republicans.

Last fall, the then current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accused George Soros, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg (all Jewish descent) of trying to “buy” the midterm elections, and Republicans, including Senator Charles Grassley (Iowa) that amplified the conspiracy theories that Soros has paid leftist protesters.  Of course, no proof was offered.

Charges such as these invoke those old and ugly anti-Semitic tropes that suggest that Jews use money to secretly exert control over the political process.  Meanwhile, our Republican president speculates about closing mosques in order to fight terrorism…?  And let’s not forget US Rep. Steve King (R-IO) who pals around with anti-Muslim nationalists while visiting Europe; and of course, the Fox News hosts implying that Islam is a destructive force.  And finally, that Rep. Omar’s decision to wear a hijab signals secret and sinister anti-constitutional views.  That is, rather than her constitutionally protected freedom of religion.

Speaker Pelosi says that the latest House resolution is 'about these forms of hatred,' not about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

It’s interesting about all the noise that there is a split in the Democratic party, while it was the GOP lawmakers who split over a recent key vote.  The split was after the Democratic leaders expanded a resolution that initially focused on condemning anti-Semitism.  But the GOP saw it only as a target on the Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).  The final resolution was broadened to address “anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry,” while 23 Republicans voted against the measure.  Some said that the resolution should have specifically named Ms. Omar.

The Democrats said that the resolution was to deal with all the hate directed to any and all religions, and against all bigots.

Only in a vacuum would Liz Cheney’s argument may make any sense.  However, holding a vote on a resolution is an odd method for attempting a “coverup”…?   But more importantly, it’s not clear how adding language condemning Islamophobia waters down the condemnation of anti-Semitism…?

The GOP’s scramble to condemn Democrats this week isn’t really about principled opposition to anti-Semitism.  Yes, Cheney has recently begun to criticize Steve King, even suggesting he should resign. But she was nowhere to be found long after he had crossed the same line against non-Christians many times before, such as when he tweeted that “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.” Nor has she criticized the legions of Iowa GOP leaders for supporting King’s reelection year, after year, after year.

Cheney refused to comment as to how the president had responded to neo-Nazis in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us”, by him saying there were "very fine people on both sides”.  This is even though Trump repeatedly uses the term “globalist”, despite its well-documented anti-Semitic meanings.  And now, the president has re-fueled the old anti-Soros conspiracy theories.

As long as the Republicans duck any criticism of the president’s disgusting words and comments, their denunciations of others will always ring totally hollow.

Copyright G. Ater 2019