Many of the foolish and vicious misapprehensions of Israel’s situation come from the political left—but the left has no monopoly on foolishness or vice. In a recent interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expressed outrage at Hamas’s actions, and sympathy for Israel, before quickly switching gears and arguing (with encouragement from Carlson) that congressional sympathy for the Jewish state is excessive, and ultimately the result of shadowy financial influence.
And then there are various influential, if less prominent, figures in rightwing circles whose statements have been more troubling still. Erick Erickson, a veteran conservative radio host and commentator, intimately familiar with the American right, is disturbed by what he has seen.
The anti-Semitism of the progressive movement is extreme and disgusting. Pay attention to that. But also pay attention to how silent people like [the conservative social-media personality and writer] Candace Owens have been. She’s routinely dabbled in questionable views of both Israel and Jews. Her Twitter feed is rather quiet right now as conservatives unite to support Israel. She’s mostly resorted just to retweeting others who themselves want Israeli restraint. For a woman of strong opinions, those of you on the right should note just how quiet she is.
Friends, the left’s anti-Semitism is loud and proud at this moment. But what is equally loud is the silence of some on the right who are anti-Semites and silent now about these atrocities. Their silence is damning.
They can question wars, the military-industrial complex, isolationism, and warmongering evangelicals but cannot even muster a word of support for Israel or condemn Hamas. They are engaged in performance—tweeting, writing, and speaking of distractions to avoid even offering sympathy to the parents of decapitated children. Americans are dead, killed by Hamas. They are silent there too, blasting everyone else as a “neocon” warmonger. They say, “We’re not anti-Semites, just isolationists,” but have strong views nonetheless on all the world’s affairs except dead Americans and dead babies in Israel.
In several follow-up posts, Erickson provides additional evidence of the phenomenon.
Read more on Show Notes: https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/dear-friends-in-the-conservative