At this hour both #IStandWithPresTrump and #IStandWithIlhan are trending on Twitter.
If I had a hashtag it would be #ICantStandEither.
There are many reasons to criticize Ilhan Omar. Her national origin isn't one of them. Chants of "send her back" at tonight's Trump rally in North Carolina continues the legitimacy of nativism and all the ugliness which accompanies it.
Yet equally ugly is Omar's resolution in Congress in support of the BDS Movement, an entity which seeks not only the elimination of the State of Israel but the delegitimization and marginalization of Jews. BDS activists in Europe have been associated with Holocaust denial and have also targeted non-Israeli Jews. I would stand against Omar whether she was born in Mogadishu or in Minneapolis.
Simply put, my contempt for President Trump does not obligate me to stand in solidarity with Ilhan Omar. Nor does my contempt for Ilhan Omar obligate me to stand in solidarity with President Trump.
That might be a difficult concept for some especially those who worship at their respective altars. Both those who worship at the feet of false idols cannot stand up for themselves and see what is right in front of them.
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