Democrats at crossroads as Squad sweeps to victory - analysis
The Republican Jewish Coalition said “the national Democrat Party’s lurch to the Left in recent years has been extremely troubling."
By OMRI NAHMIASU.S. Reps Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) hold a news conference after Democrats in the U.S. Congress moved to formally condemn President Donald Trump's attacks on the four minority congresswomen on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.,(photo credit: ERIN SCOTT/REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – Two different events that have no direct connection to each other took place on Tuesday. Both of them emphasize that the Democratic Party is standing at a crossroads.At 4 p.m., Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, announced that Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate in the upcoming election. Harris, while considered progressive, is part of the mainstream of the party.Six hours later, in Minnesota, US media announced that Ilhan Omar won her primary bid against Antone Melton-Meaux. Omar made headlines on several occasions for using antisemitic tropes against the pro-Israel lobby in Washington, mentioning the “benjamins” and the “dual loyalty” stereotype. Last year, Israel barred her entry, together with another member of the “Squad,” Rashida Tlaib, following Israeli law that prohibits entry to those calling for a boycott of the country.“Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar are leading activists in promoting boycott legislation against Israel in the US Congress,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said then.Melton-Meaux that was supported by pro-Israel groups, ran under the slogan “focused on the fifth.” “We need people in Congress who want to get things done – not who get distracted fighting with Donald Trump on Twitter or even with their own party,” he said. And while many people expected a close battle, Omar won big. The latest vote tally has her leading by 18%.Omar’s successful bid is the latest in a series of primary victories for the Squad, the far-left plank of the party. Tlaib won her primary last week, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won easily in her primary back in June. At the end of the primary season, it seems that the Squad is here to stay.The Republican Jewish Coalition said “the national Democrat Party’s lurch to the Left in recent years has been extremely troubling, and Omar’s election in 2018 was one example of the seriousness of this trend.”The Jewish Democratic Council of America, on the other hand, did not issue a statement on Omar’s victory. They did, however, issue a statement on Biden decision to pick Harris as running mate. “She strongly aligns with the values of American Jews, including her support of the US-Israel relationship,” the JDCA said in their statement.And so, not only is the Squad here to stay, but so is the debate between Republicans and Democrats whether the party has shifted to the Left or not.
