Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) was confronted Monday by If Not Now activists Ezra Oliff-Lieberman (pictured) and Elias Newman. (Image: screenshot/If Not Now/YouTube)
Oct 15, 2019
Rep. Steve Scalise was confronted by members of the Jewish-led activist group IfNotNow on Monday demanding the Louisiana Republican condemn what the demonstrators described as a pattern of racist and anti-Semitic comments from GOP leadership in recent years.
Ezra Oliff-Lieberman and fellow Louisiana-based IfNotNow activist Elias Newman confronted Scalise, who once referred to himself as "David Duke without the baggage," at an event in Mandeville. The congressman deflected questions about President Donald Trump's comments that Jews who do not support the state of Israel are "disloyal" and general anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant statements from a variety of party leaders.
" Donald Trump calls me a disloyal Jew and you say nothing," said Newman. "You stay silent. It's a trope that literally sent my grandfather to Auschwitz, Jews being called disloyal in Germany."
Watch:
Scalise, in response, said that "the facts disagree" and pivoted to attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was relentlessly pilloried earlier this year for tweets questioning the political influence of AIPAC on lawmakers. Scalise also appeared to suggest that Newman should condemn anti-Semitism, a suggestion that was met with incredulity by online observers, including Never Action Action's Sophie Ellman-Golan, who called it one of the "wildest things" in the exchange.
Observers also noted that Scalise's use of Israel as a deflection from Republican anti-Semitism didn't work for the congressman.
"Props to the questioners in this video," tweetedLive Science reporter Rafi Letzer. "When Scalise tries to pivot to Israel politics and the guy just says 'I'm not Israeli.' That tactic's never looked more pathetic or cowardly."
"His refusal to condemn antisemitism in the GOP and from the president is emblematic of his entire party's embrace of white nationalists--the same people who, all across the country, have been opening fire on Jews as we pray, attacking mosques, and setting fire to black churches in Louisiana," Oliff-Lieberman said of Scalise in an email to Common Dreams. "American Jews will not stay silent, and we will not let the party that incites violence against us claim to speak for us."
Newman told Common Dreams that Scalise's comments at the town hall were unacceptable and part of a broader prolem in how the Jewish community is treated by the GOP.
"Rep. Scalise attempted to claim that he condemns antisemitism 'on both sides,' but the fact of the matter is that only one side is inciting the mass murder of Jews and our neighbors," said Newman. "Only one side is spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories from the White House."
"Until he can acknowledge and condemn the role his party has played in the rising violence facing minority communities across the nation, until he apologizes for his own voting record on the rights our communities hold dear, Scalise can never credibly present himself as an ally of the Louisiana Jewish community," Newman added.
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.
Rep. Steve Scalise was confronted by members of the Jewish-led activist group IfNotNow on Monday demanding the Louisiana Republican condemn what the demonstrators described as a pattern of racist and anti-Semitic comments from GOP leadership in recent years.
Ezra Oliff-Lieberman and fellow Louisiana-based IfNotNow activist Elias Newman confronted Scalise, who once referred to himself as "David Duke without the baggage," at an event in Mandeville. The congressman deflected questions about President Donald Trump's comments that Jews who do not support the state of Israel are "disloyal" and general anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant statements from a variety of party leaders.
" Donald Trump calls me a disloyal Jew and you say nothing," said Newman. "You stay silent. It's a trope that literally sent my grandfather to Auschwitz, Jews being called disloyal in Germany."
Watch:
Scalise, in response, said that "the facts disagree" and pivoted to attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was relentlessly pilloried earlier this year for tweets questioning the political influence of AIPAC on lawmakers. Scalise also appeared to suggest that Newman should condemn anti-Semitism, a suggestion that was met with incredulity by online observers, including Never Action Action's Sophie Ellman-Golan, who called it one of the "wildest things" in the exchange.
Observers also noted that Scalise's use of Israel as a deflection from Republican anti-Semitism didn't work for the congressman.
"Props to the questioners in this video," tweetedLive Science reporter Rafi Letzer. "When Scalise tries to pivot to Israel politics and the guy just says 'I'm not Israeli.' That tactic's never looked more pathetic or cowardly."
"His refusal to condemn antisemitism in the GOP and from the president is emblematic of his entire party's embrace of white nationalists--the same people who, all across the country, have been opening fire on Jews as we pray, attacking mosques, and setting fire to black churches in Louisiana," Oliff-Lieberman said of Scalise in an email to Common Dreams. "American Jews will not stay silent, and we will not let the party that incites violence against us claim to speak for us."
Newman told Common Dreams that Scalise's comments at the town hall were unacceptable and part of a broader prolem in how the Jewish community is treated by the GOP.
"Rep. Scalise attempted to claim that he condemns antisemitism 'on both sides,' but the fact of the matter is that only one side is inciting the mass murder of Jews and our neighbors," said Newman. "Only one side is spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories from the White House."
"Until he can acknowledge and condemn the role his party has played in the rising violence facing minority communities across the nation, until he apologizes for his own voting record on the rights our communities hold dear, Scalise can never credibly present himself as an ally of the Louisiana Jewish community," Newman added.
Rep. Steve Scalise was confronted by members of the Jewish-led activist group IfNotNow on Monday demanding the Louisiana Republican condemn what the demonstrators described as a pattern of racist and anti-Semitic comments from GOP leadership in recent years.
Ezra Oliff-Lieberman and fellow Louisiana-based IfNotNow activist Elias Newman confronted Scalise, who once referred to himself as "David Duke without the baggage," at an event in Mandeville. The congressman deflected questions about President Donald Trump's comments that Jews who do not support the state of Israel are "disloyal" and general anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant statements from a variety of party leaders.
" Donald Trump calls me a disloyal Jew and you say nothing," said Newman. "You stay silent. It's a trope that literally sent my grandfather to Auschwitz, Jews being called disloyal in Germany."
Watch:
Scalise, in response, said that "the facts disagree" and pivoted to attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was relentlessly pilloried earlier this year for tweets questioning the political influence of AIPAC on lawmakers. Scalise also appeared to suggest that Newman should condemn anti-Semitism, a suggestion that was met with incredulity by online observers, including Never Action Action's Sophie Ellman-Golan, who called it one of the "wildest things" in the exchange.
Observers also noted that Scalise's use of Israel as a deflection from Republican anti-Semitism didn't work for the congressman.
"Props to the questioners in this video," tweetedLive Science reporter Rafi Letzer. "When Scalise tries to pivot to Israel politics and the guy just says 'I'm not Israeli.' That tactic's never looked more pathetic or cowardly."
"His refusal to condemn antisemitism in the GOP and from the president is emblematic of his entire party's embrace of white nationalists--the same people who, all across the country, have been opening fire on Jews as we pray, attacking mosques, and setting fire to black churches in Louisiana," Oliff-Lieberman said of Scalise in an email to Common Dreams. "American Jews will not stay silent, and we will not let the party that incites violence against us claim to speak for us."
Newman told Common Dreams that Scalise's comments at the town hall were unacceptable and part of a broader prolem in how the Jewish community is treated by the GOP.
"Rep. Scalise attempted to claim that he condemns antisemitism 'on both sides,' but the fact of the matter is that only one side is inciting the mass murder of Jews and our neighbors," said Newman. "Only one side is spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories from the White House."
"Until he can acknowledge and condemn the role his party has played in the rising violence facing minority communities across the nation, until he apologizes for his own voting record on the rights our communities hold dear, Scalise can never credibly present himself as an ally of the Louisiana Jewish community," Newman added.
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.