Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin committed moral and political malpractice by responding to concerns about the “globalize the intifada” slogan — a call for violence against Jews — by claiming the Democratic Party should “celebrate” its “big tent” and “differences of opinion” to “win through addition.”
At a moment of visceral fear for Jewish Americans — who are among the most engaged progressive organizers, activists, and voters — it is unfathomable that the chair of a major American political party would celebrate and actively court candidates who champion slogans that call for murdering Jews in the streets.
A “big tent” must never be so broad that it provides shelter for open incitement to violence or the celebration of terrorism. That is not progressivism; it is moral bankruptcy.
Elections are about choices, and for far too long, our choices have been profoundly uninspiring. We are hungry for leaders who are committed to true progressive values: affordability, justice, housing, healthcare, education, food security, equality and opportunity. We deserve, leaders who have the tools, the skills, and the commitment to fighting for all of us, their diverse constituents.
But as true progressives, some ideas are and must be objectively disqualifying — including, without hesitation, calls for violence against any community, whether Black, LGBTQ+, immigrant, Muslim, Asian, or Jewish Americans. Even if there is potential for growth and repair by the candidate, the whitewashing and normalizing of objectively dangerous ideas by party officials is a form of extreme gaslighting that is simply unforgivable.
It is not difficult to condemn calls for murder. It is not difficult to say this rhetoric has no place in our parties, movements, campuses, or civic spaces. And it is not difficult for leaders –– whose job is to lead with integrity and moral clarity –– to stand with Jewish Americans in this moment of rising antisemitism and reject hate and violence unequivocally.
Zioness remains committed to fighting for an America that is inclusive, equitable, and safe for Jews and all marginalized people. Welcoming hate speech targeting any minority into any movement is an appalling moral failure. The American people deserve infinitely better.