Awful, Horrible

Hello Everyone:

The United States experienced one of the most tragic and scariest weeks in its recent history. First, a dozen of prominent Democrats--including former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton--and Trump critics received pipe bombs. Then came the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. In each case, the perpetrators, who shall not be dignified with a proper name on this post, was a human who harbored nationalist, racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic views, shared on fringe-ish social media sites. Good news, bad news.  The good news: The pipe bomb packages did not explode, the perpetrators in both cases were caught, and are currently occupying a jail cell in federal detention. The bad, awful, horrible news is eleven people, including a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, are dead. Today Blogger Candidate Forum joins us in the blogosphere to focus just how all of these truly awful horrible things could have taken place and will they affect the midterm elections, one week from today.

Both perpetrators never met each other but they shared anti-Semitic views.  On October 23, George Soros, a Jewish billionaire, a longtime target of conspiracy theorists, received a pipe bomb in his mailbox. Four days later, another human entered the Tree of Life synagogue, shouting "All Jews must die," before opening fire on worshippers gathered for the weekly Sabbath services and to celebrate a baby naming ceremony. Both these truly scary episodes are not isolated incidents but part of a recent 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents between 2016 and 2017 (adl.org; Feb. 27, 2018; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018). Noah Berlatsky reported for NBC News

The increased targeting of Jewish people, though, is part of a broader wave of fascist rhetoric and violence directed at a range of groups--primarily people of color, immigrants, leftists, LGBTQ people, and women (nbcnews.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018). 

It was no coincidence that after Mr. Soros received a pipe bomb, Ms. Clinton's security detail found one in her mailbox, nor was it coincidence that the pipe bomber's van windows were covered with anti-right wing stickers.  Finally, it was not an accident that the Pittsburgh shooter carried on online about how Jews were helping immigrants (cnn.com; Oct. 28, 2018; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018) cross the U.S. southern border as part of the migrant caravan. 

Mr. Berlatsky writes,

Anti-Semitism is a central motivating force in far-right ideology, and tied together the strands of rage, bigotry and conspiracy that have become more and more mainstream over the last decades in the Republican Party. Even for the Nazis, anti-Semitism was always more than just a hatred of Jewish individuals. It was a sweeping ideology that connected a broad range of prejudices and grievances....(nbcnews.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018).

Essentially, in Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for stationing Afro-French troops in the Rhineland, following the First World War.  He wrote the troops, "systematically raped white German women,"

...bastardizing the white race which they hate and thus lowering its cultural and political level so that the Jew might dominate...(huffingtonpost.com; Feb. 16, 2016; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018)

Thus, anti-Semitism became the delivery mechanism for racism, sexual anxiety, and national pride.  There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country.  It is part of each and every person's fundamental identity.  Where it goes horribly wrong is when it becomes a vehicle for delivering racism and bigotry in all its heinous forms.  

Unfortunately, anti-Semitism remains a constant in contemporary America; making use of the same tropes, blaming the Jewish people for every right-wing imagined existential threat to American society. 

For example, the majority of conspiracy theories center around George Soros, a Holocaust survivor and a major supporter of liberal campaigns (snopes.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018). Of course that has not stopped the right-wing media from blaming him for funding the anti-Kavanaugh protests (thinkprogress.com; Oct. 1, 2018; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018) and more recently, the migrant caravan from Central America (vox.com; Oct. 25, 2018; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018).

Anti-Semitism goes hand-in-hand with fascism, which has implications for everyone regardless of political persuasion. When left-wing candidates and media personalities invoke anti-Semitic tropes, they actually undermine the credibly of their argument that they are the ones who stand with women, immigrants, the LGBTQ, and so forth. For example, when British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn invokes a less virulent strain of anti-Semitism, it legitimates suspicion towards immigrants and those perceived as " the other--" the very people that Mr. Corbin's party claims to help. In the United States, conservatives really need to rethink the link between anti-Semitism, current political debate, and their goals.  What does this mean for the Midterm Elections on November 6th?

Early voting in the 2018 Midterm Elections has begun and, without a single doubt, the tragedy in Pittsbugh and the pipe bombs are weighing heavily on voters' mind.  The biggest question emerging out all of this: Has the nature of political rhetoric contributed to the violence?

In today's daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the president to the press corps, saying he bears no responsibility in creating a nasty political environment where hate crime can flourish (abc7ny.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018). Ms. Sanders quickly added,

The first thing the president did was condemn the attack both in Pittsburgh and in the pipe bombs,.... The very first thing the media did was blame the president  and make him responsible for these attacks.  That is outrageous. (Ibid)

Yet, Mr. Trump is not helping the situation by continuing to turn up the volume on the rhetoric, demonizing the migrant caravan, and referring to the media as "enemies of the people."  In today's Washington Post, conservative columnist Max Boot wrote,

He continues to spew this crazy invective against his critics, his opponents, against the media,.... He is creating a very dangerous environment in America.  He needs to stop. It is so irresponsible. (washingtonpost.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018)

On he other side of the aisle, Democrats claim the president is creating a toxic "us versus them" environment. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) bluntly told reporters,

We need to understand those folks are getting license from the rhetoric on high,.... They use that rhetoric in their propaganda. (abc7ny.com; date accessed Oct. 29, 2018)

Over the weekend, the president seems to have gotten the message because he toned it down a little. A new political advert from the Republican Party offered a cheerful message about the economy. However, the  president was right back to form today, tweeting about the fake news media. The White House, also true to form, lashed out at any attempt to connect Mr. Trump's words to the growing anger and violence. Ms. Sanders told reporters,

The only person responsible for carrying out either of these heinous acts were the individuals who carried them out,.... It's not the president. 

VOTE NOVEMBER 6th