Discussion: Omar’s Most Frequent Attacker Zeldin Sets His Sights On Her Again After Miller Insult

[castor_troy]

According to the President, Miller’s basically an Israeli, as Netanyahu is “his” Prime Minister…

So I presume Zeldin has weighed in on that massive bit of antisemitism.

Why isn’t TPM reporting on his tweet condemning Trump???

[old_curmudgeon]

Well he’s got a point. Why call Miller a white supremacist when you could call him a Nazi?

[jwbuho]

@erik_t

(this is perhaps a little unfair: Trump is not a white supremacist, but a Trump supremacist. It so happens that increasing distance from what is Trump makes one even less supreme, so the effect is the same, but I don’t think Trump perceives race as something that describes him. Only something which describes someone’s difference from him)

This actually seems pretty fair to me. It certainly explains his tendency to emphasize his genes and the genius uncle who went to MIT. To my knowledge, though, (to my knowledge) he’s not publicly celebrated or despaired over the perceived demise of white culture the way someone like Steve King has done–just his own little Trumpian corner of it.

[ANNFFL]

So is he suggesting that Miller is not white enough to be a “white supremacist”? That’s anti-semitic at its worst.

[paytheline]

Must’ve missed the outrage when Zeldin’s Republican colleague literally read Mein Kampf into the Congressional Record.

[pluckyinky]

@sniffit

A little searching and it appears NY’s 1st District is like 85% white, heavily Irish and Italian (like 40%% or so) and one of, if not THE, most Catholic district in the nation (report I saw was 59% and had it as #1). What’s this fucker’s angle? That doesn’t strike me much as the Evangelical Rapture-addled type populace, so I’m going to have to assume this is just playing to Islamophobia.

Conservative Catholicism is just as bad as white evangelicalism. They’re cut from exactly the same hateful cloth.

[sanni]

There are more than that - but add “republican” and this statement is correct.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-members-of-the-116th-congress

[quin]

Well Rep. Zeldin, I’m Jewish and I too think that Stephen Miller is a white supremecist. So do some of his own relatives.

[genejockey]

One quibble with the article: It says Zeldin went after Omar for calling Miller a “White Supremacist”, but in her Tweet, she clearly called him a “white nationalist”. Distinction without a difference, maybe, but inaccurate.

[cvonhagel]

A conservative outraged by the accusation of white supremacism, rather than the actual white supremacist agenda being implemented, example number — oh, I’ve lost count.

[playitagainrowlf]

Thank you, this has been bugging me since I read the article and all through the comments…

[woland66]

You must have missed this TPM article:

American Jewish Orgs To Trump: Netanyahu Is Not 'Our' Prime Minister

A quick google search find at least a few more statements along similar lines from public individuals.

In addition, there is a difference.
Trump is, as you remarked, an anti-Semite (and more generally, an equal opportunity racist). So is GOP as a party. There is really no point in trying to talk sense into them with the exception of making (admittedly useful) political points that may show a few well-meaning but lost souls the path to light.
On the other hand, the conversation in the Democratic party, however distorted by GOP, is a conversation between allies that is needed to clear the misconceptions and make sure the alliance remains strong. As far as I am concerned, the conversation in the Democratic party was happening precisely because Jewish Democrats do not believe (and do not want to believe) that Omar herself is anti-Semitic.

[Lacuna-Synecdoche]

@TPM

Omar’s Most Frequent Attacker Zeldin Sets His Sights On Her Again After Miller Insult

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who has mostly made a name for himself this term by being an omnipresent thorn in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) side, took to Twitter once again to blast her for calling White House senior adviser Stephen Miller a “white supremacist.”

Alternate Headline:

Republican Criticizes Omar For Accurately Describing Miller

[Lacuna-Synecdoche]

@counter_coulter

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MI)

That should be D-MN

Yep. Send an e-mail to the tipline ( talk@talkingpointsmemo.com ). In my experience, TPM’s writers don’t read the comments for corrections, but they will make corrections if you send them an email.

[epicurus]

…I didn’t once witness another Member target Jewish people like this with the name calling & other personal attacks.

1. Zeldin has not spent any quality time with Steve King;
2. Calling out Miller for his bigotry equals “target[ing] Jewish people”? Got it. Flawless logic.

[jtx]

Yes I knew that, the tone of sarcasm is hard to reflect in writing.

[not_so_fluffy]

The Orange One takes Claritin to avoid allegiance

[sysprog]

Gosh Lee…before OMAR got there we never saw such insults and lies on the floor towards a MUSLIM WOMAN…I wonder why THAT is???

[tribalogical]

@darrtown

Listen Zeldin, because someone is Jewish doesn’t mean they are sacrosanct from criticism.

Besides, if we need a Jewish voice saying essentially the same things Omar has…? Try Miller’s own rabbi:

…had spread “negativity, violence, malice and brutality.”

“Honestly, Mr. Miller, you’ve set back the Jewish contribution to making the world spiritually whole through your arbitrary division of these desperate people,” Comess-Daniels said, per the Guardian. “The actions that you now encourage President Trump to take make it obvious to me that you didn’t get my, or our, Jewish message.”

[26degreesrising]

@counter_coulter

He uses his Judaism as both a shield and cudgel for his Islamophobia.

He also uses it as a shield and a cudgel for the GOP. And the beat goes on.