Republicans and Antisemitism: Has the ‘Party of Lincoln’ Become the Party of Jew-Haters?

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Republicans and Antisemitism: Has the…

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Columnist Douglas Bloomfield writes in “The GOP has an antisemitism problem — opinion” (third link below): “Neither party in the United States has a monopoly on antisemitism. Jew-haters can be found on the extremes of both parties, but the GOP seems to attract a disproportionate number.” The video and articles linked below illustrate his point.

Quote: “The non-respondents [to a question about antisemitism in the GOP] included RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, former Vice President Mike Pence, National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Rick Scott, House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich, among others. The brush-offs ranged from total radio silence to promises to circle back ‘if we’re able to provide comment by your deadline’ to immediate hang-ups and finger-pointing at Democrats.”
— Business Insider

Read “The GOP’s Surrender to the Antisemites” ►

Read “The GOP has an antisemitism problem — opinion” ►

Read “[Busines] Insider asked 38 Republicans whether they’re concerned about growing anti-Semitic sentiments in their party. Their responses included silence, deflection, and rehashing old statements.” ►

Watch “How Anti-Semitic Rhetoric In The GOP Empowers Extremist Groups” [10:29]. ►

Photo: Shutterstock

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“[T]he foundations for extremism usually are held in check by various restraints. Societies are not liberal, moderate, progressive, and free because almost all their citizens – let alone their politicians — are liberal, moderate, progressive or committed to the freedoms of others.

“But societies consistently avoid extremism when the infrastructures of freedom are strong: when key institutions and norms encourage a more decent, rights-respective, lawful politics; when powerful social movements and independent media hold leaders to account, expose rather than reinforce political fantasies, and champion the rights of the vulnerable; and when information is produced and scrutinized by scholars, civil servants, and non-governmental organizations devoid of either government repression or vested interests.

“Yet no infrastructure is rigidly immovable, and once key components are eroded and weakened, once sections of the political and cultural elite attempt to mobilize the foundations of extremism, the system of restraints can swiftly collapse.

“While genocide on the scale of the Holocaust is historically exceptional, its central lesson is that the broader danger of extreme atrocities is not. In the words of the great historian Ian Kershaw, the Holocaust ‘lit a warning beacon that still burns brightly: it showed how a modern, advanced, cultured society can so rapidly sink into barbarity… It showed what we are capable of.’ Only by rejecting false narratives of conflict and polarization, and maintaining systems of rights and freedoms for all, can we hope to prevent that capability from once more becoming a reality.”

— Jonathan Leader Maynard in his incisive article “Could It Happen Here?: The Holocaust and Atrocities in the 21st Century” To read the entire article, click here.