The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

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...

Freshman Representative Ilhan Omar has come under scrutiny for a pair of tweets she posted over the weekend. Members of both parties have called her messages "anti-Semitic," to which she's now apologized. Delving deeper into the matter, though, were her posts actually anti-Semitic? I don't think they were and think politicians need to do a better job of looking at sensitive matters like anti-Semitism with nuance and not a black-and-white mentality. Rep. Omar's first tweet came in response to the following Glenn Greenwald post: "GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans." Ms. Omar responded with, "It's all about the Benjamins baby" When asked about who she was referring to, Omar said, "AIPAC!" (American Israel Pub...