Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has used her position in Congress to agitate against Israel on behalf of her Palestinian brethren. (She is of Palestinian descent). Along the way, she has often been accused of anti-Semitism.
After the horrors of October 7 and the Israeli response against Hamas in Gaza, Tlaib, rather than express horror at what Hamas had done, did what she has always done. She attacked Israel and joined the chorus of chants, "From the river to the sea...." which is a call to eradicate the Jewish state of Israel. How depressing to realize that all the reprobates in our universities calling for the destruction of the Jewish state have their champion in Congress.
In the most significant (and horrifying) event of 2023, Tlaib has doubled down on her support for Hamas, a terrorist organization, despite one of the worst atrocities (October 7) since the end of World War 2.
At the risk of trivializing the above, since the term "jerk" is much too mild for Tlaib and what she represents, I have chosen Rashida Tlaib as the Fousesquawk, "Jerk of the Year" for 2023.
4 comments:
And this is why I've named Gary Fouse as the "Political Hack of the Year".
The thing is, I have no vested interest in defending Talib. I think that she has indeed said things that are problematic. The fact that she's of Palestinian descent earns her a bit empathy on my part though, but she needs to choose her words more carefully.
In this screed of yours, you don't give any quotes other than the "From the River to the Sea" (which I agree is problematic but I also know that catchphrases can mean different things to different people, and when she was asked what SHE meant by it, she wrote "From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.") I still think that she should choose her words more carefully and if she means simply "freedom and human rights" then that's what she should say.
I tried to find an example of her specifically supporting Hamas or its actions. You claim that she has even "doubled down" on it. Can you provide a quote of her actively and specifically supporting Hamas and what it has done? Or do you not realize that just as not all Israelis support their government, not all Palestinians support Hamas? If you defend America right now, does that suddenly make you a fan of Joe Biden and everything he does? (Rhetorical question - obviously it doesn't. However, you don't seem to be making a distinction between the two when it comes to Hamas and the Palestinian people.)
For me personally, I have no problem condemning Hamas. I also think that a lot of people on the left need to get real about the anti-Semitic propaganda that floods the Middle East, and how Israel is used as the boogeyman in order to distract from their own horrible human rights records. I also agree that there's a HUGE problem in academia, and the hemming and hawing going on by some university leaders over what constitutes "free speech".
I am not, however, an apologist for the Israeli government. Netenyahu is not the good guy here, and there are some serious civil rights concerns going on with how they handle the occupied territories. I could go on, but I just wanted to distinguish between myself and you. In other words, I agree with your criticisms of certain people on the left right now, but I am not on the same page as you with your unwavering, unquestioning support for everything the Israeli government does.
Maybe that's misrepresenting you, but that's how you come off. But at the same time, it would be hard to feel too sorry for you considering how much you seem to be misrepresenting Talib. (Which, again, is not to say that she isn't worthy of some level of criticism.)
As for "Jerk of the Year", your side's current frontrunner is a civilly liable rapist and con artist who has called for the pardoning of people who stormed our Capitol and tried to disrupt the democratic process.
You get the "Political Hack of the Year" award because while you can see the dog whistle in "From the River to the Sea", you ignore the foghorn sounds of "Poisoning the blood of our people" and "they're (Mexican immigrants) rapists". For somebody who's still making Hitler parodies (always on the cutting edge of humor, Mr. Fouse), it's amazing how you miss the catchphrases of a guy whose ex-wite claims that he kept a copy of Hitler's book on his nightstand.
I chose Rashida Tlaib because she traffics in "dog whistles", not just this year, but her entire career in Congress. This is the woman who a few years ago defended Hezbollah's Nasrallah, the man who said all the Jews should congregate in Israel so "we could take them all out at once". (her support of him is much more than a dog whistle) This is the woman who said the Holocaust gave her a "warm fuzzy feeling". Yes, she added because "Muslims protected Jews". (Maybe some did but not many. You should Google the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem).
But more to the point, Tlaib has stood by her guns even in the face of October 7, when any decent human being would have reexamined their support of Palestinians/Gazans. And you think I am misrepresenting her?
And where am I asking you to feel sorry for me?
Sorry I disappointed you by not choosing Trump even though I don't like the fact that he is running again and trashing other Republican candidates. but to me, the biggest issue is what is going on since October 7, both in Israel and here in the US.
"This is the woman who said the Holocaust gave her a "warm fuzzy feeling". Yes, she added because "Muslims protected Jews."
This is such a distortion of what she said that you should be ashamed of yourself.
“There’s kind of a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports...
"...I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right, and it was forced on them. And so when I think about a one-state, I think about the fact that, why couldn’t we do it in a better way?”
Again, we can critique her words, but we should do it in an honest way. Your critique doesn't even approach the neighborhood of being honest. Absolutely nothing about that indicates that the Holocaust gives her a "warm fuzzy feeling".
"Tlaib has stood by her guns even in the face of October 7, when any decent human being would have reexamined their support of Palestinians/Gazans. And you think I am misrepresenting her?"
I think that you don't understand the difference between Hamas and Palestinians. You write about this issue a lot, but you seem to be very ignorant as to its complexities. I don't feel like much of an expert myself, but at least I understand that it's complex and just as not all Israelis support their government, not all Palestinians support Hamas. You can't seem to get past Israel=Good, Palestine=Bad.
"And where am I asking you to feel sorry for me?"
Do you even understand the concept of context? It sure as heck doesn't seem to be your strong suit.
"Calming feeling". "Warm fuzzy feeling". What could be more opposite than that? Sorry you don't like my paraphrasing. I guess I also totally mischaracterized her words about how her ancestors helped provide that safe haven for Jews etc.
What she was doing was forming her words to make them sound less hateful and pass muster with an American audience.
As for the difference between Hamas and the Palestinians, it is obvious that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, support Hamas. After all, the elected Hamas. They were celebrating on October 7, just as they celebrated every terror attack against Israel, as they celebrated 9-11. Some Gazan civilians even took part in the violence against the hostages once they arrived in Gaza. Have you not seen the video of the corpse of the German girl being spoon on and punched by civilians?
I should choose Tlaib against next year just to tick you off.
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