SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) rallies with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the U.S. Capitol March 08, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Americans Must Do More Than Simply Reject Trump's Racism, Ilhan Omar Argues in 'Absolute Must Read' NYT Op-Ed
"Not enough to condemn the corruption and self-dealing," says Democratic Congresswoman. "We must support policies that unmistakably improve working people's lives."
Jul 25, 2019
An opinion piece by Rep. Ilhan Omar for The New York Times Thursday calls on Americans to do more than just condemn President Donald Trump's racism--the country, says Omar, needs to "protect and expand basic democratic rights" while pressing for the kind of bold progressive agenda that represents the best of its values.
"It is not enough to condemn the corruption and self-dealing of this administration," writes the Minnesota Democrat. "We must support policies that unmistakably improve working people's lives, including by strengthening collective bargaining, raising the minimum wage and pursuing a universal jobs guarantee."
\u201c\u201cRacial fear prevents Americans from building community with one another \u2014 and community is the lifeblood of a functioning democratic society.\u201d\n\nRead my essay in the @NYTimes today. \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd https://t.co/J6slREAiED\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1564057212
Omar--along with fellow lawmakers Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)--has been a frequent target of the president's racist rhetoric. On July 17, crowds at a Trump rally chanted "send her back" at the mention of Omar's name after the president criticized her at length for what he described as her insufficient love of country.
Omar's Thursday piece presents a clear alternative to that kind of Trumpism and a call for progressive principles tied to progressive economic policies.
"Every time Mr. Trump attacks refugees is a time that could be spent discussing the president's unwillingness to raise the federal minimum wage for up to 33 million Americans," Omar writes. "Every racist attack on four members of Congress is a moment he doesn't have to address why his choice for labor secretary has spent his career defending Wall Street banks and Walmart at the expense of workers."
Progressives praised Omar's piece and message.
The article is "an absolute must read," tweeted lawyer and activist Kumar Rao.
"Some profound insights in here on the nature of the fight ahead," saidAJ+ editor Tony Karon.
In a tweet, Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid said that Omar's message was something that shouldn't be ignored by Democrats.
"I really don't understand why more Democratic presidential candidates don't focus their talk about Trump's race war as an integral part of his class war," Shahid said.
Making that distinction, Omar argues in her op-ed, is essential for the future of the country.
"The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values," writes the congresswoman. "It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump's racism."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
An opinion piece by Rep. Ilhan Omar for The New York Times Thursday calls on Americans to do more than just condemn President Donald Trump's racism--the country, says Omar, needs to "protect and expand basic democratic rights" while pressing for the kind of bold progressive agenda that represents the best of its values.
"It is not enough to condemn the corruption and self-dealing of this administration," writes the Minnesota Democrat. "We must support policies that unmistakably improve working people's lives, including by strengthening collective bargaining, raising the minimum wage and pursuing a universal jobs guarantee."
\u201c\u201cRacial fear prevents Americans from building community with one another \u2014 and community is the lifeblood of a functioning democratic society.\u201d\n\nRead my essay in the @NYTimes today. \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd https://t.co/J6slREAiED\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1564057212
Omar--along with fellow lawmakers Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)--has been a frequent target of the president's racist rhetoric. On July 17, crowds at a Trump rally chanted "send her back" at the mention of Omar's name after the president criticized her at length for what he described as her insufficient love of country.
Omar's Thursday piece presents a clear alternative to that kind of Trumpism and a call for progressive principles tied to progressive economic policies.
"Every time Mr. Trump attacks refugees is a time that could be spent discussing the president's unwillingness to raise the federal minimum wage for up to 33 million Americans," Omar writes. "Every racist attack on four members of Congress is a moment he doesn't have to address why his choice for labor secretary has spent his career defending Wall Street banks and Walmart at the expense of workers."
Progressives praised Omar's piece and message.
The article is "an absolute must read," tweeted lawyer and activist Kumar Rao.
"Some profound insights in here on the nature of the fight ahead," saidAJ+ editor Tony Karon.
In a tweet, Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid said that Omar's message was something that shouldn't be ignored by Democrats.
"I really don't understand why more Democratic presidential candidates don't focus their talk about Trump's race war as an integral part of his class war," Shahid said.
Making that distinction, Omar argues in her op-ed, is essential for the future of the country.
"The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values," writes the congresswoman. "It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump's racism."
An opinion piece by Rep. Ilhan Omar for The New York Times Thursday calls on Americans to do more than just condemn President Donald Trump's racism--the country, says Omar, needs to "protect and expand basic democratic rights" while pressing for the kind of bold progressive agenda that represents the best of its values.
"It is not enough to condemn the corruption and self-dealing of this administration," writes the Minnesota Democrat. "We must support policies that unmistakably improve working people's lives, including by strengthening collective bargaining, raising the minimum wage and pursuing a universal jobs guarantee."
\u201c\u201cRacial fear prevents Americans from building community with one another \u2014 and community is the lifeblood of a functioning democratic society.\u201d\n\nRead my essay in the @NYTimes today. \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd https://t.co/J6slREAiED\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1564057212
Omar--along with fellow lawmakers Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)--has been a frequent target of the president's racist rhetoric. On July 17, crowds at a Trump rally chanted "send her back" at the mention of Omar's name after the president criticized her at length for what he described as her insufficient love of country.
Omar's Thursday piece presents a clear alternative to that kind of Trumpism and a call for progressive principles tied to progressive economic policies.
"Every time Mr. Trump attacks refugees is a time that could be spent discussing the president's unwillingness to raise the federal minimum wage for up to 33 million Americans," Omar writes. "Every racist attack on four members of Congress is a moment he doesn't have to address why his choice for labor secretary has spent his career defending Wall Street banks and Walmart at the expense of workers."
Progressives praised Omar's piece and message.
The article is "an absolute must read," tweeted lawyer and activist Kumar Rao.
"Some profound insights in here on the nature of the fight ahead," saidAJ+ editor Tony Karon.
In a tweet, Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid said that Omar's message was something that shouldn't be ignored by Democrats.
"I really don't understand why more Democratic presidential candidates don't focus their talk about Trump's race war as an integral part of his class war," Shahid said.
Making that distinction, Omar argues in her op-ed, is essential for the future of the country.
"The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values," writes the congresswoman. "It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump's racism."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.