Liberals had pushed for language condemning Islamophobia after Omar was targeted in a poster displayed at an event sponsored by the West Virginia GOP linking her to Sept. 11, which included a photo of the World Trade Center buildings on fire and a photo of Omar below it. The draft resolution doesn't mention Omar by name but is a direct response to her most recent comments and comes after a string of Israel-related remarks that her colleagues have claimed are anti-Semitic.
Ocasio-Cortez in Tweets argued that Democratic leaders should have addressed the issue privately before Omar was "called out" publicly. "One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled 'Go back to Puerto Rico!' on the floor)," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
A senior Democratic aide countered Ocasio-Cortez's criticisms on Tuesday by saying a resolution on the House floor is far from the most severe punishment Democratic leaders could pursue. Republican critics of Omar have demanded she be pulled off of the Foreign Affairs Committee, something Democratic leaders have so far resisted. Some senior GOP lawmakers are even considering offering a censure motion against Omar.
A coalition of several Muslim and progressive Jewish organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and IfNotNow, will hold a news conference today on the Supreme Court steps to support Omar, while Progressive Change Campaign Committee sent out a mass fundraising email in support of those Democratic lawmakers who are defending Omar. Other prominent progressive groups and activists, including Democracy for America, CodePink and Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg, underscored their support for Omar on Twitter, using the hashtag #StandWithIlhan.
Political blogger Peter Daou wrote: "The GOP under Trump has run roughshod over our norms and values. They've kidnapped babies from breastfeeding mothers. They've stolen health care from the sick to enrich oligarchs. They pollute our air and water. But we're supposed to believe @IlhanMN and @AOC are the problem?"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a lot more to say:
"It's not my position to tell people how to feel, or that their hurt is invalid. But incidents like these do beg the question: where are the resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying he'll "send Obama home to Kenya? In this administration + all others, we should actively check antisemitism, anti-blackness, homophobia, racism, and all other forms of bigotry. And the most productive end goal when we see it is to educate and heal. It's the difference between "calling in" before "calling out."
See also: House Dems postpone vote rebuking Omar amid pressure from left click here
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Bernie Sanders Called Ilhan Omar to Offer His Support Amid Anti-Semitism ControversyThe senator privately reached out to Omar after she was criticized by both parties for trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes while criticizing U.S. policy on Israel.
(Article changed on March 6, 2019 at 23:32)
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