Ilhan Omar’s district is number one in the country for recruitment for terrorists and the district is largely Muslim, so the reason she was elected was her antisemitism and not in spite of it.
Her antisemitic tweets have been accepted by those in the Democratic party because hating Jews is where the Democrats are as a party. Even Steny Hoyer and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Elliot Engel (D-NY) are strongly pro-Israel have sealed their lips mand have not condemned her for her bigotry. She remains on the Foreign Relations Committee, even after she harassed a witness for being a Jew.
And yet, all of these leaders gave a pass to a woman who effectively said that American Jews exert malign and all-powerful influence over the Congress with their “Benjamins,” (which we now all know, thanks to Omar’s slur, refers to $100 bills).
What gives?
To find the answer it is necessary to look in two directions – first to former president Barack Obama’s consigliere, Valerie Jarrett.
Jarrett is an outspoken supporter of Omar. In a series of tweets, Jarrett has not only supported Omar, she has gushed that Omar represents the future of the Democratic party. On January 3, when Omar was sworn into office, Jarrett tweeted, “You are the change in Congress we have been waiting for. Thank you Ilhan Omar for your willingness to jump with both feet into the arena! Many in the country are both counting on you and have your back!”
In other words, Omar – and Tlaib and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), whom Jarrett also supports – are the legitimate heirs of Obama’s Democratic Party, as far as his closest and most powerful advisor is concerned. They aren’t marginal figures, radicals with no real links to the party’s power structures. Omar, as well as Tlaib and Cortez, reflect the interests and positions of the most powerful faction in the Democratic Party – the Obama faction.