MoveOn exists to troll conservatives and I guess also to get progressives elected, so it’s no surprise that their very first endorsement in 2020 would go to an unapologetic anti-Semite.
Not just any Democrat who has used anti-Semitic tropes again and again, but one that doesn’t even need the endorsement because she’s in a reliably blue district and will likely sail to victory once again.
Nevertheless, MoveOn has shown its stripes by endorsing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) in 2020. The organization made the announcement on Twitter.
“NEWS: As our first endorsement for 2020, we’re proud to announce that MoveOn Political Action members in #MN05 have voted overwhelmingly to back Rep. @IlhanMN for re-election to Congress,” the organization wrote.
MoveOn, naturally, ignored Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks, instead claiming criticism of her are “racist & anti-Muslim attacks to silence the first Black, Muslim congresswoman.”
“Since her election to Congress, Rep. Omar has fiercely advocated for the people of her district along with being a voice for progressive issues such as climate change, Medicare for All, de-funding Trump’s deportation force, overturning the Muslim Ban, and more,” MoveOn wrote.
“And despite racist & anti-Muslim attacks to silence the first Black, Muslim congresswoman—and blatant attempts to incite violence against her & Muslim communities, Rep. Omar has continued to speak out for bold, progressive policies in order to fight for a society where all of us, not just the rich and powerful, can thrive,” the organization continued.
MoveOn also included statements of support from its members in Minneapolis, who called Omar “courageous,” “a fighter,” and “exactly what we need in a representative.”
Again, no mention of her frequent anti-Semitic remarks. For those who have forgotten, here’s a quick history.
Since she’s been in Congress, Omar has accused Israel of “hypnotizing the world,” suggested support for Israel in America, especially from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is “all about the Benjamins,” supported the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, suggested Jewish Americans “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” and compared Israel to apartheid South Africa.
Remember, she’s only been in Congress for three-and-a-half months.
It looks like anti-Semitism doesn’t discount someone from progressive endorsement, but what’s also interesting is that it seems calling progressive messiah and former President Barack Obama a murderer doesn’t either.
Back in March, Omar told Politico that policies deserve to be criticized no matter how well-spoken the person delivering them.
“You know I will talk about the family separation or caging of kids and people will point out that this was Trump — I mean this was Obama. I mean I’ll say something about the droning of countries around the world and people will say that was Obama. And all of that is very true,” Omar said.
“We can’t be only upset with Trump because he’s not a politician who sells us his policies in the most perfect way. His policies are bad, but many of the people who came before him also had really bad policies. They just were more polished than he was, and that’s not what we should be looking for anymore,” she continued. “We don’t want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished, we want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile so that we can understand the kind of negative impact, or positive impact they will have on us for generations to come.”