I've long said the Republican Party often gets itself into trouble due to its self-branding of the party of God, family values, and morality. This sets them up for ridicule and mockery if and when a member of their party speaks or behaves in a manner which runs contrary to said branding. Sure, any and every politician should face criticism after being caught paying off a hooker, especially if a spouse and/or kids are in the picture. However, this behavior receives even more scrutiny (and deservedly so) when the politician in question has repeatedly labeled himself as a man of God, family values, and morality; has bashed and voted against the LGBT community; and then gets caught paying a man to have sex with him while his wife and kids are at home waiting. Democrats are running into a similar problem when it comes to political correctness.
One major reason why I favor the Democratic Party over the Republican Party is their inclusivity. Democrats have essentially branded themselves as the party of equality and diversity. Unlike modern-day Republicans, Democrats don't typically classify homosexuality as an abomination; they don't generalize Muslims as terrorists; and don't describe blacks as lazy or Latinos as illegal. They've attempted to strip straight white Christian males of privilege in favor of equality for all - you know, the principles on which this nation was founded (well, after we stole it from the Natives, and freed the slaves, and so on and so forth). In conjunction with this action toward equality, Democrats have attempted to alter rhetoric for sensitivity purposes. This is often termed political correctness, and while I largely stand behind the PC-cause, there are times Democrats get themselves into trouble by embracing it to an extreme.
The most recent example of this is with regard to freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. She has recently come under fire for some tweets she posted which were critical of an Israeli lobbying group (AIPAC) and United States Congressmen and women whom are, according to her, seemingly more (or just as) loyal to Israel than to America. While many progressives on the left have defended Rep. Omar's comments as "free speech" and anti-Zionist, many on both sides of the aisle have contended that her remarks were anti-Semitic. Led by Donald Trump, Democrats are now being branded as the party that's anti-Jew and anti-Israel. The media has been asking the questions ad nauseum, "How divided is the Democratic Party? Is it serious? Will it hurt their chances in 2020?"
All those questions are speculative at this point. The odds are, however, that the media is blowing things out of proportion and is just reporting click-bait material. Over the past half a century, approximately 7 in 10 Jews have voted Democrat. Not only that, but of the 36 Jewish members of Congress, 34 are Democrats. Some of these very individuals have even stood behind Representative Omar and her comments, including presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Looking at the bigger picture, Democrats need to find a way to tone down the PC-policing, without being unPC, so they don't consistently fall victim to their own policing. Should we use incidents like Ilhan Omar's tweets as teachable moments to learn more about different demographics, their histories, and use it to progress? Yes. However, does criticizing a lobbyist and its financial influence on politicians mean the individual is an anti-Semite simply because the firm is AIPAC? No, and Democrats need to learn how to embrace diversity in thought like they have diversity in ethnicity, creed, and orientation.
One major reason why I favor the Democratic Party over the Republican Party is their inclusivity. Democrats have essentially branded themselves as the party of equality and diversity. Unlike modern-day Republicans, Democrats don't typically classify homosexuality as an abomination; they don't generalize Muslims as terrorists; and don't describe blacks as lazy or Latinos as illegal. They've attempted to strip straight white Christian males of privilege in favor of equality for all - you know, the principles on which this nation was founded (well, after we stole it from the Natives, and freed the slaves, and so on and so forth). In conjunction with this action toward equality, Democrats have attempted to alter rhetoric for sensitivity purposes. This is often termed political correctness, and while I largely stand behind the PC-cause, there are times Democrats get themselves into trouble by embracing it to an extreme.
The most recent example of this is with regard to freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. She has recently come under fire for some tweets she posted which were critical of an Israeli lobbying group (AIPAC) and United States Congressmen and women whom are, according to her, seemingly more (or just as) loyal to Israel than to America. While many progressives on the left have defended Rep. Omar's comments as "free speech" and anti-Zionist, many on both sides of the aisle have contended that her remarks were anti-Semitic. Led by Donald Trump, Democrats are now being branded as the party that's anti-Jew and anti-Israel. The media has been asking the questions ad nauseum, "How divided is the Democratic Party? Is it serious? Will it hurt their chances in 2020?"
All those questions are speculative at this point. The odds are, however, that the media is blowing things out of proportion and is just reporting click-bait material. Over the past half a century, approximately 7 in 10 Jews have voted Democrat. Not only that, but of the 36 Jewish members of Congress, 34 are Democrats. Some of these very individuals have even stood behind Representative Omar and her comments, including presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Looking at the bigger picture, Democrats need to find a way to tone down the PC-policing, without being unPC, so they don't consistently fall victim to their own policing. Should we use incidents like Ilhan Omar's tweets as teachable moments to learn more about different demographics, their histories, and use it to progress? Yes. However, does criticizing a lobbyist and its financial influence on politicians mean the individual is an anti-Semite simply because the firm is AIPAC? No, and Democrats need to learn how to embrace diversity in thought like they have diversity in ethnicity, creed, and orientation.
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