GOP Silence On Dramatic Rise In Anti-Semitism Is Truly Frightening And Shameful

Can there be any question that the Republican party is now an authoritarian white nationalist party. If the invitation of Milo Yiannopoulis and the presence of Richard Spencer (as well as Steve Bannon) at CPAC did not solidify that premise, then the deafening silence coming for all levels of the Republican party about the extraordinary wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the county should tell us all we need to know.

From the refusal to mention Jews in the Holocaust Day Memorial statement to the refusal to answer the question about what the government will do to stem the tide of anti-Semitism, instead making the question about his own professed lack of anti-Semitism, Trump has certainly shown he is unwilling to confront that element of his base and in the Republican party. The Trump administration has made its bed and will have to lie in it.

But, faced with now two massive desecrations of Jewish cemeteries and a fifth round of nationwide bomb threats against Jewish community centers, I don’t believe I’ve heard hardly a peep of condemnation from any GOP leader. I hope I’m wrong and would love to be corrected.

I would hope any true conservatives in the Republican party (if there are any) would take a long hard look at what the GOP has become. Is passing long-dreamt of conservative legislation really worth empowering these fascistic elements in your party? And who knows when that element will turn on you?

One of the really big scalps for the Tea Party was the shocking loss of Republican Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, to challenger Dave Brat in the 2014 primary. Originally, this was thought to be another example of the continuing power of the Tea Party. But the election really revolved around Cantor’s support for immigration reform, and you now have to wonder if Cantor’s faith also played a role. In retrospect, that election seems not so much a reflection of Tea Party power, but perhaps more like the first big casualty in the takeover of the Republican party by xenophobic white nationalists.