In recent days, Representative Rashida Tlaib has accused those who oppose Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel of having dual loyalties while Minnesota Congresswoman Illhan Omar has been tweeting that politicians only support Israel pay them. Considering all of this, one would be forgiven for thinking that congressional Democrats have a problem in their far-left freshman class. However, for MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday, for the second day in a row, the focus was on accusing Republicans of hypocrisy.
A segment that was supposed to be about Omar's tweets and later "apology" turned into another segment in which the moral of the story was that President Trump and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are hypocrites.
The segment started with a clip of Trump in 2015 speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition, touting how his wealth made him immune from special interests and his expertise in deal making. Co-host Joe Scarborough said this speech, which had the audience laughing, was proof that Trump was also engaging in anti-Semitism.
Scarborough then brought up a tweet from the campaign that had a picture of Hillary Clinton in front of a background of money with a six-pointed star labeling her the "most corrupt candidate in history." He called out specifically Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell for not condemning it. Scarborough, who has found a new hobby in telling Trump supporters to Google things, conveniently forgot to Google Paul Ryan's response to the tweet.
Washington Post columnist Eugune Scott took the opportunity to praise Omar for apologizing, which he noted Iowa Representative Steve King did not in the wake of offensive comments about white nationalism. The reporter noting that King is trying to organize an effort to get back his committee assignments. In doing so, Scott unwittingly undermined his own argument, for Republicans kicked King off committee assignments, where as Democrats did not do the same to Omar. Not to mention Omar's apology was not the unequivocal statement that the media have claimed.
Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. said that there were three things to take away from the Omar tweets. First, people should be sensitive to the concerns of the Jewish community when it comes to stereotypes of money, power, and influence. Second, he said it was important not to conflate criticism of Israel or Benjamin Netanyahu with anti-Semitism. He then unironically said that the third point was that Trump and Republicans have been peddling anti-Semitism through criticism of George Soros and "globalists," even seeming to imply that Trump's rhetoric had inspired the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, despite the fact that the shooter hated Trump.
Scarborough agreed that "there's always an anti-Semitic smear to it" while referencing a tweet in which McCarthy said, "We cannot allow Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg to BUY this election! Get out and vote Replublican November 6th. #MAGA." When Republicans warn about wealthy billionaires' influence on elections it is anti-Semitism, when Democrats do it, it is showing appropriate concern about money and lobbying in politics.
Here is a transcript for the February 13 show:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
6:15 AM ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: You may remember the president was criticized in 2016 during the campaign for playing into Jewish stereotypes about money. Here he is speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition in 2015.
…JOE SCARBOROUGH: One Jewish money joke after another Jewish money joke after another Jewish money joke. He actually lapped the congresswoman about five times there.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah. He definitely did
SCARBOROUGH: So, I’m just wondering, is Kevin McCarthy going to call for his resignation? I haven’t heard Kevin McCarthy criticize that. Again, remember the Star of David picture? Do we have the Star of David, because when that went up, they were pedaling clear ugly anti-Semitism, ugly anti-Semitism, I didn't hear Kevin McCarthy or any Republicans, I didn’t hear Mitch McConnell call for Donald Trump to step down. Mika, the hypocrisy is so extraordinarily trick here.
…
BRZEZINSKI: Eugene Scott, you have a new piece out in the "Washington Post" entitled “Ilhan Omar and Steve King reacted to criticism very differently, why that matters.” How did they react differently, what are you finding?
EUGENE SCOTT: We know when Democratic leadership including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Representative Omar to apologize, the Representative did and did so relatively immediately. When Minority Leader McCarthy called on, Steve King, who has a history of making comments sympathetic to those who are white supremacists or white nationalists to apologize, not only did he not apologize, he doubled down and very recently led a fight to get back on his committees. He's taking that cue, one could argue from the President himself who has no history of apologizing, despite critiquing how other people apologizing. In part because what he is aware of the most is what his political opponents say, that are problematic, not he and his own tribe and he does that because his party members, the base will not hold him accountable in ways the Democratic Party will hold people like Representative Omar and even Nancy Pelosi accountable.
…
EDDIE GLAUDE JR.:. The third thing, this goes directly to Donald Trump, we're forgetting what happened in Pittsburgh in that synagogue and folk were invoking George Soros and the Jewish cabal funding the caravan and people died for that reason. We're forgetting Trump trades in the language of globalists that word comes out of a white supremacist, white nationalist community that talks about a Jewish cabal that controls the country. From globalists to George Soros, to what we just saw, this man's lifeblood comes out -- flows from hatred and fear. This is his political lifeblood. So the idea he is going to stand in moral judgment of anyone smacks of not only hypocrisy but absolutely ludicrous.
…
SCARBOROUGH: Republicans have been attacking George Soros for some time, conspiracy theorists, there's always an anti-Semitic smear to it. We just showed you a Kevin McCarthy tweet attacking George Soros about the time of the Pittsburgh slaughter in the synagogue. It's an absolute game plan with MAGA and the American flag right next to it, attacking George Soros.
