Dan Gerstein

Something is going horribly wrong in the Senate race in Michigan. And I am going to keep calling it out. On the one hand, the Republicans are conducting a campaign of blatant anti-Muslim fear mongering. Mike Rogers, Donald Trump and the rest of the GOP need to knock it off. Mike needs to personally and repeatedly denounce hate against Muslims. But now, at the same time, we have TWO ads from the Democratic side that ALSO traffic in hate and intolerance — causing alarm for some Black and Jewish voters. Seriously— WTF ???? The first ad was from Rebellion PAC (NOT the official Abdul El-Sayyed campaign). It suggested that Americans can’t buy groceries because the USA sends so much money to Israel. That is a lie. The USA spends less than 00.1 percent of our federal budget on support for Israel. But this ad pretends bananas cost too much because the Jewish state is bleeding us dry. TOTALLY nuts. And yet — this kind of thinking has always put Jewish lives at risk. Blaming Jews for everyone’s economic problems has a long, bloody history. Abdul did try to separate himself from the ad. He accurately noted that his campaign didn’t produce it. But the problem is: if you listen, Abdul actually NEVER DENOUNCED the CONTENT of the ad. He never said, “This ad is wrong.” He just said, “Hey, it wasn’t me.” 😬😬😬 That ad — and Abdul’s refusal to forthrightly denounce it — is scaring some Jewish Democrats in Michigan, who now are more reluctant to vote for him. In other words, that one ad alone is jeopardizing our party’s shot at taking back the U.S. Senate. BUT IT GETS WORSE! Then Abdul’s formal, official campaign put out its OWN ad — which features none other than the vile and contemptible Tucker Carlson (!!!). As you know, Tucker Carlson is a rabid, anti-Black bigot who also traffics in anti-Jewish stereotypes. He is anathema to most Black people and most Jews. No Democrat should ever celebrate the words of a white nationalist who actively undermines the safety of Black people and Jewish people. Moreover, given the importance of Black and Jewish Democrats to our victory in Michigan, the decision to include Tucker Carlson in any Democratic ad there is truly baffling. Why am I speaking out about this now? Because I want Democrats to build a winning coalition — now and into the future. Chasing off any Black or Jewish voters is a path to defeat — both in the short term and the long term. As proud Democrats, it can feel uncomfortable or risky to speak against intolerance in our own party, especially just days before a national election. It would be easier for us to let this stuff slide, shut up and close ranks. But that would make us hypocrites. For 10 years, we Democrats have watched with dismay and disgust as Republicans (who know better) have refused to challenge ANY bad ideas or bad actions in their own ranks. As a result, their party curdled into a cult — one that is now wrecking the country AND falling apart. As Democrats, we should not make the same mistake. Anti-Muslim hate is wrong. Period. Anti-Jewish hate is wrong. Period. Tucker Carlson’s white nationalism is wrong. Period. All candidates in Michigan need to say that clearly— and then pull down/denounce any ads that normalize hate or elevate hate mongers.