When a member of Congress makes bigoted comments, political leaders have a moral duty to condemn them. A special obligation falls on those who lead the member’s party. They should speak out in blunt, clear language and say why the comments are unacceptable. They need to “name and shame,” and demand a forthright apology. No mealy-mouth press release saying “if anyone is offended ...” If the violation is egregious or repeated, the punishment should be commensurate.
House Democrats now face that test after Rep. Ilhan Omar’s repeated slurs against Jews. So far, they have failed.
Omar represents a Minnesota district heavily populated by fellow Somali immigrants. It has been characterized by illiberal politics and political representatives who defend it. Omar’s predecessor in Congress was Keith Ellison, whose close ties to Louis Farrakhan raised similar questions of anti-Semitism. He, too, escaped condemnation from his party, probably because he made few statements as raw and offensive as Omar’s, and partly because he claimed to have severed ties to Farrakhan.
The Nation of Islam leader, who has repeatedly called Jews “Satanic” and worse, was delighted by Omar’s offensive language and embraced her immediately. As she faced mounting calls to apologize, Farrakhan told her, “Sweetheart, don’t do that. ... You have nothing to apologize for.” We expect that from Farrakhan. From the national Democratic Party, we expect better.
The Republicans have faced their own problems with offensive speech. When President Trump said there were “good people on both sides” at the white-nationalist rally and counter-protest in Charlottesville, Va., Republican leaders joined Democrats in naming and shaming him. When Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) had kind words for white nationalism, Republicans swiftly denounced him, named him in a condemnatory House resolution, and stripped him of all committee assignments. That’s exactly what they should have done. That’s exactly what Democrats should do here.
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05.06.2025