I disagree with claims that the Democratic Party bears responsibility for recent anti-Semitic violence. There is substantial and growing anti-Israel sentiment among Democrats, especially younger ones. There are some prominent Democratic politicians who are anti-Semitic.
A Washington, D.C. Democrat blamed Jews for climate change. That moron falls outside of the Democratic mainstream. But does Ilhan Omar? Does Al Sharpton, Barack Obama’s ally? How about Maxine Waters, who has embraced Louis Farrakhan?
It should be obvious that espousing anti-Israel views doesn’t make one responsible for violence against Jews in New York. But what about espousing anti-Semitic views?
It depends on what the anti-Semite says. If the anti-Semitic speaker says that Jews control the media or that Jewish neo-conservatives led the U.S. into the war in Iraq for the purpose of benefiting Israel, he is not responsible for violence against Jews. Espousing these views, which though odious are political speech, is not an invitation to attack a rabbi and his guests with a machete. I’m confident that almost everyone who espouses them deplores such attacks.
If the anti-Semitic speaker advocates attacks on Jews, that’s obviously a different case. However, I know of no major Democrat, mainstream or not, who is urging physical violence against Jews or saying that it’s okay.
If the anti-Semitic speaker rants against Jews in ways that might reasonably be expected to induce people to attack Jews, it’s fair to assign him some responsibility for attacks. Certainly, if a preacher calls Jews the devil’s spawn and a member of his congregation shoots a Jew, the preacher must share in the blame.
However, I’m not aware of Democratic politicians or officials who are engaging in that sort of speech. ( Rep. Hank Johnson once called Jews living on the West Bank “termites,” but he apologized for using the word. In any event, that comment was no incitement to commit violence against Jews living in New York.) And even if one could find such a Dem here or there, it would be unreasonable to blame the Democratic Party for anti-Semitic violence.
I agree with John that it’s normally bad practice to blame the actions of lunatics or extremists on mainstream politicians. In my view, no exception to that practice is warranted in the case of the recent New York attacks on Jews. Nor should blame attach to politicians who may be outside of the Democratic mainstream, but who stop short of speech that might reasonably incite attacks on Jews.
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