A Media Quick to Demand Denouncements Remains Quiet on Democrats With Ties to Farrakhan
We are in an age where denouncing is the new norm. A person or group said or did something awful and is followed by anyone associated with said individuals to reject whatever was said or done. Numerous businesses were pressured by gun control activists to drop their discounts for NRA members in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Republicans were pressured to distance themselves from Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused of child molestation. Democrats reluctantly forced out Sen. Al Franken for allegations of sexual misconduct. Nearly all of Hollywood condemned Harvey Weinstein after his history of predation was exposed.
However, there seems to be a glaring anomaly from the current denouncement culture; Louis Farrakhan.
Farrakhan, founder of Nation of Islam, is an outspoke anti-Semite, homophobe, racist, misogynist, and vile human being.
He’s called white people “potential humans,” Adolf Hitler a “very great man,” and literally blamed Jews for 9/11. As recently as last month, he said “the powerful Jews are my enemy” at his organization’s “Saviours’ Day” celebration. Both he and his group have been rightfully condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.
Yet, numerous Democratic lawmakers and leaders of the Women’s March are having a difficult time doing the same.
Last month, it was reported that DNC Deputy Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison had maintained a relationship with Farrakhan in recent years after he insisted back in 2006 when he ran for office that his ties to him were ancient history. He clearly lied, but somehow he has managed to retain his position as a prominent Democrat on Capitol Hill as well as a top official in his party.
That was apparently the tip of the iceberg as at least six more Democrats have had ties to Farrakhan including vocal Trump critic Rep. Maxine Waters, who reportedly attended a speech of his in 2002. Illinois Rep. Danny Davis not only confirmed his relationship with Farrakhan, he said he was “unbothered” by his offensive remarks and even called him an “outstanding human being.” And three of the prominent leaders of Women’s March, Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, and Tamika Mallory have followed the minister. Perez called the outrage towards Farrakhan a “distraction” and even compared him to Martin Luther King Jr. Mallory has echoed Farrakhan’s rhetoric on social media and previously expressed her support for him. And after being pressured, the Women’s March finally released a statement saying that Farrakhan’s views “are not aligned” with their principles… and that was literally the most negative thing they said about him. Fortunately for President Obama, he managed to last his entire presidency unscathed regarding his ties to Farrakhan since a photo of the two of them when he was a Senator was released long after he left office.
Remember all the wall-to-wall coverage that then-candidate Donald Trump received when he unexplainably failed to disavow the endorsement of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke during an interview? The amount of uproar made it seem like the two of them were golfing buddies when in reality they had no personal relationship whatsoever. Meanwhile, these Democrats and activists have documented relationships with Farrakhan — a figure who is arguably far more influential than Duke. Just look at their Twitter accounts; Duke has 49,000 followers while Farrakhan has 474,000 (and that’s in addition to his roughly 1 million followers on Facebook). By the way, since Twitter has been so active in cracking down on racist accounts as of late, why on earth is Farrakhan’s account verified with the coveted blue checkmark?
Farrakhan still has his blue checkmark because there simply isn’t enough demand for it to be taken away.
The media has been largely silent on those who back Farrakhan — with few exceptions. CNN’s Jake Tapper might be the only prominent cable news figure to call out Democrats for failing to condemn Farrakhan, mostly on Twitter along with a brief on-air segment on Monday. Jesse Singal of New York Magazine blasted the Women’s March for their weak response to Farrakhan. And Molly Roberts of The Washington Post attempted to wag her finger at progressives while at the same time insisting that the anti-Semitism from the alt-right is a bigger deal.
Just imagine if several GOP lawmakers were palling around with David Duke or if they followed a right-wing evangelical who used the exact same rhetoric as Farrakhan. Do you honestly think the media would let them off the hook? Of course not, as they shouldn’t. So why the double standard? Is it because it involves Democrats and a Muslim leader? It certainly wouldn’t be unreasonable to draw such a conclusion.
It should be a no-brainer that anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and any sort of bigotry ought to be condemned no matter who its coming from. And it should be a no-brainer for the media to publicly shame those who associate themselves with a bigoted zealot like Farrakhan.
[image via screengrab]
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
