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McCarthy’s a fool who has no power to punish anyone. Criticism of Israel doesn’t equal anti-Semitism. And this is a very unfortunate tweet.
2/ I'll follow up here to a few points people have made. Adjudicating whether this is an anti-Semitic common or simply one that sounds like one isn't the point. Words have consequences, especially with groups who have backgrounds of discrimination, oppression and genocide.
3/ It behooves people with large public followings to be mindful of this. For what it's worth, AIPAC's power today isn't mainly about money. It's partly about leveraging support among American Jews but even more about mobilizing the far more politically consequential ...
4/ support of US evangelicals. But again, the point is a broader one. Words have consequences. We all know that there are African-Americans who are lazy, just like there are in every other ethnic or racial group. But it's just as obvious that we should be extremely careful ...
5/ about using language or constructs that are built on generations of denigration and dehumanization, ones that have been used to justify legal oppression and violence. The same applies here. We should expect people in the public sphere not to casually toss around words ...
6/ that fit so easily into centuries old stereotypes and libels against Jews. This isn't complicated. We need to expect more from people in public life. As I said in my original tweet. McCarthy is a clown. Criticism of Israel does not equal anti-Semitism, as much ...
7/ as some see the political value of equating the two. But this was a deeply unfortunate tweet and it remains so regardless of exactly how the Congresswoman meant it.
