Why Did a Bunch of Republicans Vote Against a Bill Condemning Bigotry?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

This wasn’t supposed to be hard.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted on a resolution denouncing hatred. The bill was introduced as Democrats grappled with how to respond to what pro-Israel lawmakers have considered anti-Semitic sentiments expressed by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), but its language encompassed pretty much every form of bigotry prevalent in the United States. All 234 House Democrats voted in favor of the resolution. The same can’t be said for their colleagues across the aisle, 23 of whom voted against the measure condemning white supremacy.

Here they are:

Link to tweet

The controversy surrounding Omar’s comments began last month when Omar tweeted “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” in pointing out the control the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel PAC, wields over lawmakers. She ultimately apologized for using an anti-Semitic trope, but stood by her criticism. She was accused of anti-Semitism again a few weeks later for comments made during an event at a Washington, D.C., bookstore. “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” she said. “I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?”

Critics accused Omar of drawing on the trope that American Jews have “dual loyalty” to the United States and Israel. Omar continued to push back against allegations of anti-Semitism. “I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel,” she tweeted. “I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks.” Nevertheless, she has drawn fierce criticism from Republicans (Trump said Omar should resign) and establishment Democrats. The latter debated privately all week about how to address the issue before introducing H.R. 183 on Thursday.

The Republicans who voted against it ostensibly did so because it was not focused specifically on Omar or anti-Semitism.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/omar-bigotry-vote-republicans-805154/

[dlk]

1. The Answer to That Question is Obvious

Unfortunately, there are some people who require someone to hate.