Four women of the many shades of color banded together as progressives riding the wave of the younger voters. They are bright, quick, and outspoken. As such, the House Republicans have had their eye on the squad ever since they took office. The House Grand Old Partiers (GOP) have been looking for payback after the Democrats kicked the erratic Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) off of her committee seat. Now, they think they have found their revenge target.
The House Dems jumped the gun on Omar’s comments, according to The New York Times. They felt she equated “U.S. and Israeli ‘atrocities’ with those of Hamas and the Taliban:”
‘Representative Ilhan Omar appeared to equate U.S. and Israeli “atrocities” with those of Hamas and the Taliban, prompting outrage at a time when her party needs unity to maintain its slim majority.’
She has been pressing for accountability:
‘We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.’
We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.
We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice. pic.twitter.com/tUtxW5cIow
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 7, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “was expected to offer a privileged resolution stripping the Minnesota Democrat of her seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.” Greene had made any number of racist and Islamophobic statements, according to The Punchbowl News AM.
There has been a problem, though. It appears that Jewish Democrats believe that Omar is anti-Semitic and always stirring a pot they want to remain on simmer. As such, she takes oxygen out of what the Democrats hope to accomplish.
Twice, the House voted on resolutions that were related to Omar’s “comments on Israel and American Jews’ support for Israel. It appeared that the House leadership planned to back her against any McCarthy-led legislation. In an attempt to smooth the waters, Omar “clarified” her earlier remarks well enough to appease rank-and-file Democrats, “even the ones who dislike Omar, according to Democratic lawmakers and aides.”
The progressive Squad has been staunchly behind the representative from Minnesota. In spite of disapproving of Ilhan’s remarks, Progressives agree with the squad over U.S. support for Israel:
‘[T]hey also don’t think the United States should continue to just give a blank check to Israel in its dealings with the Palestinians. The ouster of longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may help alleviate some of these concerns, although new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett may take an equally hard line.’
Not everything has been a cakewalk for the Republicans either. After all, the Dems would be able to offer a “censure resolution” against Greene for harassing Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) (AOC) to counterbalance whatever McCarthy may decide to do to Omar.
When it comes to voting to censure Omar, that could already be a done deal. For those Democrats who disliked her, they could just vote “present:”
”That would display their “unhappiness with Omar’s comments yet remain loyal to the leadership.’
Unfortunately, Democrats only have a four-seat majority in the House after Representative-elect Malanie Stansbury (R-NM) is sworn in this week (220-211). President Joe Biden (D) plucked some of the best representatives to feather his nest with. The Squad is a subset of the Progressive Caucus.
That’ would be a preferable alternative for Speaker Pelosi than voting with the GOP or abstaining.
Back in 2019, Omar tied money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to political support in Washington for Israel. The Squad tightened rank around her, and she had remained relatively static.
Three White Lions podcast, Gloria Christie reads her week’s most important news/ commentary stories in the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Gloria Christie Report her newsletter for people on the go. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor in a briefer version of Bipartisan Report. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery. Find her here on Facebook.
