### Author:  [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/242 "2019-03-16T21:54:33Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Which at least implies that Obama is, basically, a reprehensible person—polished and possessed of a pretty face, which lets him get away with literal murder.
I don’t get that. I mean, I can see how it _can_ be interpreted that way, but I don’t see that as the same as she meant it that way.
If you look for insult, you will manage to find it in the most respectful of comments.
She was not making the most respectful of comments, she was in fact being critical. She was criticizing policies. And when there is criticism, it is even easier to root around and find something that “implies” insult.
If she had said, “'I disagree with Obama’s policy on drone strikes, and believe we should examine and highlight the problems with that policy to avoid making the same mistake in the future.” then people would be all over her for “implying” that Obama couldn’t get anything right and did everything wrong.
If you see something, and think that it “implies” something, then it is always a good idea to step back, and try to tell if they actually _meant_ it that way. If them meaning it that way means that they are underhanded and nasty, then maybe take a moment to determine whether or not they actually are, or if it only your interpretation of the implication that you think that their comments could have, or whether they are actually coming from a place of hatred and vileness.
So many people are blaming all the country’s ills on the man who currently resides in the white house. Now, to be fair, he is creating some new ills of his own, but he is not responsible for quite a bit of the mess that we have gotten ourselves into.
I don’t really agree with her on quite a bit, actually, but it does bother me that she is treated with such contempt and such little latitude. She’s a normal person who suddenly got thrown into the spotlight. Now, it was her decision, and she knows that, but it still takes some getting used to that every single word that you utter will be analyzed and cast in the worst possible light.
---
### Author:  [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/243 "2019-03-16T22:09:20Z")
To interpret her words about Obama in such an anodyne way is to totally ignore the cultural context she comes from. Not her religious faith or her immigrant background—not at all. It’s the far left, Glenn Greenwald/Democracy Now/truthout cesspool where characterizing Obama as just a smooth talking empty suit whose soothing, hip exterior provides cover for a fascist, imperialist military-industrial complex is the air they breathe. So much so that I think it comes out without conscious recognition of what a scathing condemnation it really is.
---
### Author:  [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/244 "2019-03-16T22:14:34Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#):
>
> To interpret her words about Obama in such an anodyne way is to totally ignore the cultural context she comes from. Not her religious faith or her immigrant background—not at all. It’s the far left, Glenn Greenwald/Democracy Now/truthout cesspool where characterizing Obama as just a smooth talking empty suit whose soothing, hip exterior provides cover for a fascist, imperialist military-industrial complex is the air they breathe. So much so that I think it comes out without conscious recognition of what a scathing condemnation it really is.
So, your implications on where she is coming from informs your implications on what she means, and your implications on where she is coming from is informed by your implications on what other people mean.
Maybe it is perceived as “scathing condemnation” more than it really is because of your perceptions on where you think taht she is coming from.
Can you actually quote her saying “Obama as just a smooth talking empty suit whose soothing, hip exterior provides cover for a fascist, imperialist military-industrial complex”? If not, then why would you attribute such a stance to her?
You have now said that she comes from a cesspool. How charitably should we take that comment?
---
### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/245 "2019-03-16T23:03:50Z")
Obviously I disagree with you, iiandyiiii. You seem to offer special pleading on behalf of Omar that doesn’t stand up, logically:
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> … I saw nothing close to calling him “reprehensible”. …
> I still see this as an attempt at a nuanced criticism of the system overall, and how broken it is, and that Obama wasn’t entirely perfect, rather than anything close to a personal attack on Obama.
Of course saying someone “isn’t entirely perfect” is a personal attack, rather than an attack on policies.
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> …As for her comments on Israel, I think some of them were indeed using anti-semitic tropes (whether intentional or not), and are worthy of criticism (the good, nuanced criticism; not the blanket silly bullshit mostly coming from the right, or **some Democrats who have said that it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship and Israeli policies** ).
This type of claim (my emphasis) has been made in this thread before, and the maker was challenged to back it up with actual evidence.
Again: please provide evidence for your claim. Name the Democrats, please, and what they said that’s equivalent in meaning to “it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship and Israeli policies.”
---
### Author:  [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/246 "2019-03-16T23:09:49Z")
K9, you didn’t understand my post.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/247 "2019-03-16T23:19:19Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Of course saying someone “isn’t entirely perfect” is a personal attack, rather than an attack on policies.
That’s just ridiculous. That could accurately apply to every single human that’s ever lived, and it’s not a personal attack on humanity.
> [@](#):
>
> This type of claim (my emphasis) has been made in this thread before, and the maker was challenged to back it up with actual evidence.
>
> Again: please provide evidence for your claim. Name the Democrats, please, and what they said that’s equivalent in meaning to “it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship and Israeli policies.”
>
From Rep. Juan Vargas: “questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable.”
---
### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/248 "2019-03-16T23:42:49Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#):
>
> … If she had said, “'I disagree with Obama’s policy on drone strikes, and believe we should examine and highlight the problems with that policy to avoid making the same mistake in the future.” then people would be all over her for “implying” that Obama couldn’t get anything right and did everything wrong.
I’m not seeing how anyone would get “couldn’t get anything right” or “did everything wrong” from your example.
But of course the larger question is how we derive meaning from what people say. Part of Trump’s success has come from the fact that **he doesn’t say things outright—he _implies_ them.** For example:
> [@](#):
>
> Trump, who was speaking at a rally in Wilmington, N.C., warned that Clinton opposes the Second Amendment and would appoint Supreme Court justices who would block gun rights… There is currently an opening following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, and Republicans have refused to vote on President Obama’s nominee.
>
> "If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks,” Trump said before adding: "Though the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.”
> **[Trump suggests '2nd Amendment people' could stop Clinton](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/08/09/trump-suggests-2nd-amendment-people-could-stop-clinton/88479722/)**
>
> Trump seemed to imply that supporters of the second amendment could harm Clinton.
There’s “plausible deniability” in saying things without saying them directly. Trump’s habit of speaking indirectly—requiring his listeners to infer what he’s implying—was recently remarked on by his longtime associate Michael Cohen:
> [@](#):
>
> Mr. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress. That’s not how he operates.
>
> In conversations we had during the campaign, at the same time I was actively negotiating in Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and tell me there’s no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing. In his way, he was telling me to lie.
> **[Read Michael Cohen's opening statement here](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-read-the-statement-about-donald-trump-here.html)**
>
> President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is poised to deliver an explosive testimony before Congress on Wednesday.
Another way of looking at this:
> [@](#):
>
> He [Trump] makes vague implications with a raised eyebrow or a shrug, allowing his audience to reach their own conclusions. And that conversational style can be effective. It’s more intimate than a scripted speech. People walk away from Trump feeling as though he were casually talking to them, allowing them to finish his thoughts.
> **[Donald Trump’s strange speaking style, as explained by linguists](https://www.vox.com/2016/8/18/12423688/donald-trump-speech-style-explained-by-linguists)**
>
> Is Donald Trump a throwback to ancient oratory — or an undisciplined rambler?
Again, Omar, whether by instinct or by design, appears to have adopted Trump’s indirect style—requiring her listeners to infer what she’s implying. She chooses not to state her views outright, but instead to insinuate. The benefit, as with Trump, is that defenders will rush in to “explain” or “translate” what she’s said. She can throw bombs with impunity.
> [@k9bfriender](#):
>
> …I don’t really agree with her on quite a bit, actually, but it does bother me that she is treated with such contempt and such little latitude. She’s a normal person who suddenly got thrown into the spotlight. Now, it was her decision, and she knows that, but it still takes some getting used to that every single word that you utter will be analyzed and cast in the worst possible light.
Well, the freshman class in this new Congress is, what, ninety-nine strong? And among them, about a quarter are people of color, I believe. And Omar not the only Muslim.
Are all these people receiving equal amounts of negative attention? If not, could their own conduct have something to do with the amount of attention they are, or are not receiving? Or is bias and bigotry the only explanation for why some are being discussed by Democrats? If anti-Muslim hatred is the only reason Democrats are discussing Omar, then shouldn’t we expect to see a lot of vitriol from Democrats about Andre Carson (D-Indiana)?
If we’re not seeing that, could it be that discussion of Omar has something to do with _Omar’s own conduct_?
---
### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/249 "2019-03-16T23:46:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> [https://twitter.com/RepJuanVargas/status/1102636576524374016?ref\_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1102636576524374016&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.post-gazette.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorials%2F2019%2F03%2F15%2FIlhan-Omar-Juan-Vargas-anti-Semitism-apologize-Congress%2Fstories%2F201903150024](https://twitter.com/RepJuanVargas/status/1102636576524374016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1102636576524374016&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.post-gazette.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorials%2F2019%2F03%2F15%2FIlhan-Omar-Juan-Vargas-anti-Semitism-apologize-Congress%2Fstories%2F201903150024)
> From Rep. Juan Vargas: “questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable.”
Thank you for providing the one example.
Of course your claim was that “some” Democrats have said “it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship.” Do you want to revise your claim to
_“One Democrat has said it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship”_—?
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/250 "2019-03-16T23:50:44Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Thank you for providing the one example.
>
> Of course your claim was that “some” Democrats have said “it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship.” Do you want to revise your claim to
>
> _“One Democrat has said it’s unacceptable to question anything about the US-Israeli relationship”_—?
That’s the Democrat I was thinking about, and I used “some” in the colloquial way that doesn’t necessarily specify a number other than \> 0 and \< all, since I wasn’t sure how many others agreed (though I do personally know many non-Congress Democrats who feel the same way). But because this is so incredibly unimportant to my main point, I’ll happily concede this to you – you are the victor, sir, and I congratulate you on this for a well-nitpicked victory!
---
### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/251 "2019-03-17T00:06:17Z")
Argumentation tactics are interesting. Claiming “some” obviously carries more weight than claiming “one guy from San Diego.” Not that there’s anything wrong with San Diego.
But when making a point, it’s always good to have evidence available to back up that point.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/252 "2019-03-17T00:09:11Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Argumentation tactics are interesting. Claiming “some” obviously carries more weight than claiming “one guy from San Diego.” Not that there’s anything wrong with San Diego.
>
> But when making a point, it’s always good to have evidence available to back up that point.
Well, it was a bunch of Democrats I’ve spoken to personally, plus at least one Democratic US Congressperson. But please, by all means, revel in your victory, as I will grovel to your rhetorical superiority. Kudos!
---
### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/253 "2019-03-17T00:15:20Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> Well, it was a bunch of Democrats I’ve spoken to personally, plus at least one Democratic US Congressperson. But please, by all means, revel in your victory, as I will grovel to your rhetorical superiority. Kudos!
You may assume the non-groveling position.
…You know, it’s entirely possible that Omar will quit with the insults and become the new Lion of the House (if the Senate gets a Lion, why shouldn’t the House?) I will cheer if she does so.
---
### Author:  [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/254 "2019-03-17T01:34:24Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> But when making a point, it’s always good to have evidence available to back up that point.
Sadly, evidence is not required on the SDMB. It’s opinions, all the way down.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/255 "2019-03-17T01:40:28Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#):
>
> Sadly, evidence is not required on the SDMB. It’s opinions, all the way down.
Cite? Or is this just your opinion?
EDIT: 😉
---
### Author:  [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/256 "2019-03-17T02:00:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> Cite? Or is this just your opinion?
See the threads where the OP quotes an opinion piece, as if it were a fact. They are not uncommon.
And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/257 "2019-03-17T02:03:15Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#):
>
> See the threads where the OP quotes an opinion piece, as if it were a fact. They are not uncommon.
>
> And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.
Interesting cite-free opinions you offer on a criticism about how “evidence is not required” on this board and it’s “opinions all the way down”. Fascinating!
---
### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/258 "2019-03-17T03:44:08Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> Interesting cite-free opinions you offer on a criticism about how “evidence is not required” on this board and it’s “opinions all the way down”. Fascinating!
I teach my third graders how opinion pieces ought to contain opinions that are buttressed by facts.
Sadly, D’anconia isn’t one of my third graders.
---
### Author:  [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/259 "2019-03-17T16:06:28Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#):
>
> K9, you didn’t understand my post.
Then you failed to make yourself understood. You made a claim as to where she was coming from. I questioned you on that claim.
If you didn’t mean to make that claim, then please clarify what you are talking about.
> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> I’m not seeing how anyone would get “couldn’t get anything right” or “did everything wrong” from your example.
Motivated reasoning. If someone wants to take exception to what someone has said, then they will find something offensive to take exception to.
> [@](#):
>
> But of course the larger question is how we derive meaning from what people say. Part of Trump’s success has come from the fact that **he doesn’t say things outright—he _implies_ them.** For example:
>
> [Trump suggests '2nd amendment people' could stop Clinton](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/08/09/trump-suggests-2nd-amendment-people-could-stop-clinton/88479722/)
>
> There’s “plausible deniability” in saying things without saying them directly. Trump’s habit of speaking indirectly—requiring his listeners to infer what he’s implying—was recently remarked on by his longtime associate Michael Cohen:
>
> [https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-read-the-statement-about-donald-trump-here.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-read-the-statement-about-donald-trump-here.html)
>
> Another way of looking at this:
>
> [Donald Trump’s strange speaking style, as explained by linguists - Vox](https://www.vox.com/2016/8/18/12423688/donald-trump-speech-style-explained-by-linguists)
And then there is what Trump says directly, as well as his actions, to also inform what he implies. It actually requires quite a bit of interpretation of Trump’s messaging to find a way that it is _not_ offensive.
> [@](#):
>
> Again, Omar, whether by instinct or by design, appears to have adopted Trump’s indirect style—requiring her listeners to infer what she’s implying. She chooses not to state her views outright, but instead to insinuate. The benefit, as with Trump, is that defenders will rush in to “explain” or “translate” what she’s said. She can throw bombs with impunity.
I think if anything, Trump has primed people to look for “the deeper meaning” in the words of others, even if they have none.
It is not defenders “explaining” or “translating”, I don’t really have a great defense for her. I don’t know her, she’s not my rep, and most of the policies that I have seen her advocate for I do not think are practical _as written_, but I see the criticisms of her, and I find them to be quite the stretch. I do not stick up for her because I agree with her, I stick up for her because I see someone being, IMHO, unfairly attacked. And attacked in a way that mostly leads to internecine warfare within the party, to the benefit of only the republican party. There is no explanation or translation needed, I have only looked at the actual things that she has said, asked where she has said the things she is accused of saying, and finding the examples to be lacking.
Now, her attackers are certainly “explaining” and “translating”. I have seen many “paraphrases” of her words that do not contain anything that she has actually said. I have seen uncharitable interpretations of what I consider to be common innocuous phrases. I have seen charges leveled at her for her criticisms of a group that had anyone else criticized any other group in the same way, no one would have blinked.
[/quote]
Well, the freshman class in this new Congress is, what, ninety-nine strong? And among them, about a quarter are people of color, I believe. And Omar not the only Muslim.
[/quote]
Yeah, all one other Muslim woman.
> [@](#):
>
> Are all these people receiving equal amounts of negative attention? If not, could their own conduct have something to do with the amount of attention they are, or are not receiving? Or is bias and bigotry the only explanation for why some are being discussed by Democrats? If anti-Muslim hatred is the only reason Democrats are discussing Omar, then shouldn’t we expect to see a lot of vitriol from Democrats about Andre Carson (D-Indiana)?
You are right. Have they said anything at all that is in any way critical of the country or its direction?
Is it just that they know that they need to stay quiet, to not draw any attention to themselves, for fear receiving the same treatment as their colleague?
Looking into Carson’s twitter feed, I see that he recently posted:
> [@](#):
>
> Great article about a welcome trend. Not only should Congress look more like our nation as a whole, but so should the folks who help my colleagues and I serve our constituents. Let’s keep it up!
One of the first replies:
> [@](#):
>
> ARE YOU SPEAKING AS A MUSLIM?
>
> DID YOU SWEAR ON A QUR’AN TO PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION?
>
> DOES THE QUR’AN PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION (I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE ALREADY)?
>
> PROTECT THE 1ST AMENDMENT.
Rashida Tlaib had this to say:
> [@](#):
>
> The anniversary of the uprising against the oppression in Syria was yesterday. We must recognize the struggle of those who organized and stood up against injustice. It is my hope that we can see a Syria that is truly free one day.
To which one of the first replies is:
> [@](#):
>
> It would be nice to see a USA that remains free and healthy !! If you want to represent the interests of Syria, apply for a position in their totalitarian republic !!
> [@](#):
>
> If we’re not seeing that, could it be that discussion of Omar has something to do with _Omar’s own conduct_?
Yeah, she criticizes the govt and its actions, which makes it easier for the trolls to “translate” or “explain” to you why what she said should offend you.
She’s just the current lightning rod. Once she is cowed into silence, then the trolls will find some implication in another minority that they don’t like, and take offense to what is “implied”.
I’ll agree that she should be more careful with her messaging. She has said some things that were tone deaf as to the implications that could be assumed to her words, making her an easy target. But, the only way for her to stop receiving any of this criticism of her character is to no longer criticize the US govt or its actions.
---
### Author:  [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/260 "2019-03-17T17:29:33Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#):
>
> I’ll agree that she should be more careful with her messaging. She has said some things that were tone deaf as to the implications that could be assumed to her words, making her an easy target. But, the only way for her to stop receiving any of this criticism of her character is to no longer criticize the US govt or its actions.
Actually, it’s “shut up and disappear completely”. Anything less won’t get these trolls to shut up, and even then they’ll just move on to the next target.
The sheer amount if bad-faith bullshit flung at Omar would be stunning if I hadn’t been following politics during the Obama years. What is stunning is how much of it is coming from within the democratic party. It’s kind of insane, really, when you look at party discipline - Republicans can stop anyone in their party from breaking rank on account of people like Steve King or Donald Trump; the freshman congresswoman has a few pointed comments on zionist lobbying groups or the ways Obama was less than perfect, and immediately the dems get their knives out. It’s kind of incredible, honestly. I really can’t wrap my head around it.
I mean, it could just be racism and islamophobia. That explanation makes a fair bit of sense.
---
### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-be-working-to-defeat-ilhan-omar-in-her-next-election-if-shes-still-around/830818/261 "2019-03-17T17:41:12Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#):
>
> Actually, it’s “shut up and disappear completely”. Anything less won’t get these trolls to shut up, and even then they’ll just move on to the next target. … What is stunning is how much of it is coming from within the democratic party. It’s kind of insane, really, when you look at party discipline - Republicans can stop anyone in their party from breaking rank on account of people like Steve King or Donald Trump …
It’s true. The GOP side can tolerate all kinds of hate speech and sexual predation. The Dem side does not. What up with that?
There are trolls no question. And it is wrong to dismiss all criticism and requests for less insulting and insensitive wording as trolling or as wanting her to disappear or as attempts to censor all discussion of subjects of disagreement.
Trolls and hate on the GOP side does not excuse anything and does not constitute any argument against criticism from those who want to be on your team.
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