Marching on Washington, The Left's Contradictions, Senators Grill Barr

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Marching on Washington
 
There are two big marches this week in Washington, but I suspect you will hear about only one. 
 
The 46th annual March for Life will take place Friday, January 18th.  Speakers will include: Abbey Johnson, Ben Shapiro, Dr. Alveda King, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Dan Lapinski (D-IL) and State Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-LA).  Vice President Mike Pence will address the annual Rose Dinner Friday evening. 
 
You can learn more about the March for Life here.
 
In stark contrast to Friday's events celebrating the sanctity of life, the pro-abortion, anti-Trump Women's March will take place the following day, Saturday, January 19th.  While the media will ignore the March for Life, there will be wall-to-wall coverage of the Women's March.
 
But here's something most of the left-wing media won't tell you:  The "progressive" Women's March has a big problem with anti-Semitism.  Many Jewish women are boycotting the Women's March, and for good reason. 
 
Its leaders have publicly praised Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam.  Farrakhan has been denounced by the Anti-Defamation League as "America's leading anti-Semite."
 
Tamika Mallory, one of the co-leaders of the Women's March, appeared on The View yesterday.  Incredibly, Mallory doubled down on her defense of Farrakhan as "the greatest of all time."  And while "disagreeing" with his bigoted remarks against Jews, she repeatedly refused to condemn his comments. 
 
Radical Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour is another co-leader of the Women's March.  During a speech last month in Sacramento, Sarsour denounced President Trump as a "fascist" and condemned him for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.  (Is it possible to be a pro-Israel fascist?)
 
Sarsour said, "I will declare to all of you here in Sacramento that Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine."  Last time I checked, "Palestine" was just a Post-It note in Rep. Rashida Tlaib's office!
 
But Sarsour was just getting warmed up.  She said, ". . . my beloved Prophet Muhammad was . . . a human rights activist."  I've heard Muhammad called a lot of things, but that's a first!
 
She also declared that Islam was the solution to every progressive cause, saying:
 
"We don't need a workers' rights movement or an environmental justice movement.  We don't even need a Black Lives Matter movement, because our religion has taught us that black lives mattered way before there was ever a hashtag. . . Our religion has always been an anti-racist, feminist, and empowering religion. I don't need people . . . in the United States of America to teach me what feminism is."
 
The hypocrisy is stunning.  This is coming from a woman who routinely attacks Israel, the only true "progressive" state in the Middle East.  She has also viciously attacked female Muslim reformers like Ayaan Hirsi Ali
 
Sadly, the celebrity status of Mallory and Sarsour is another disturbing reminder that a large swath of the left is increasingly tolerant of anti-Semitism.
 
 
 
Speaking of Tlaib. . .
 
After Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, Linda Sarsour was on Capitol Hill to celebrate with her "mentor," Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). 
 
Tlaib is in the news today for hanging out with Hezbollah apologist Abbas Hamideh.  See the photo here
 
Hamideh has previously declared that "Israel does not have a right to exist."  In 2016, he tweeted a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with the caption:  "Happy Birthday to the most honorable Arab-Muslim leader of our lifetime."   
 
This past weekend, Hamideh attended a victory party for Tlaib in Detroit, and says he was invited to "a private dinner" with Tlaib's "entire family." 
 
As supporters of Israel spoke up about the access this Jew-hater has with a newly-elected member of Congress, Hamideh tweeted this obscenity: 
 
"Criminal Zionists are going apesh-t over one picture. Imagine when we take selfies in a liberated Jerusalem?"
 
 
 
The Left's Contradictions
 
There are two completely contradictory themes that the left and the media have been using since Trump burst onto the political scene.  The first theme is what they see as his inappropriate Americanism. 
 
When Trump says, "America First," the left claims it is a dog whistle referring to the isolationist movement in the 1930s that did not want us to fight the Nazis. 
 
When he says, "Make America Great Again," the left says he really means, "Make America White Again."
 
When Trump says, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris," the left accuses Trump of isolating America. 
 
When he defends Western civilization, the left accuses him of defending "white nationalism."
 
When Trump defends our flag, the left defends the NFL anthem kneelers. 
 
While the left has been attacking the notion of American exceptionalism for years, its assaults have accelerated dramatically under Trump.
 
But the left's second narrative, as the New York Times demonstrated this weekend, is that Trump is committing treason by colluding with Russia.
 
Well, which is it? 
 
Is Donald Trump the most over-the-top, hyper-patriotic president ever?  Or is he a traitor? 
 
Clearly, you can't be both.
 
 
 
Senators Grill Barr
 
Former Attorney General William Barr, President Trump's nominee to replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. 
 
Barr's nomination made headlines when it was revealed that he authored a memo last year critical of the idea that Trump committed obstruction of justice simply by exercising his authority to fire James Comey. 
 
Senate Democrats have suggested that Barr would be hostile to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  Some have demanded that Barr recuse himself from the Russia investigation, as Jeff Sessions did. 
 
Barr resisted those demands.  But he did tell senators that he felt it was "vitally important" for Mueller to finish his investigation, and that the public should be made aware of his findings. 
 
I suspect he believes that the Mueller investigation ultimately will clear the president, as ABC's Jonathan Karl suggests, and the sooner the better. 
 
I know William Barr.  He is a man of deep faith, with a strong commitment to the rule of law.  As a former attorney general, he knows the Department of Justice well, and can exercise discipline and leadership on Day One of his tenure.  I believe he will be an outstanding attorney general.