Gary Franks: Democratic leaders fail antisemitic test

What has gone wrong with the Democratic Party? When candidates espouse hatred or disdain toward people in a racist or antisemitic way, they cannot be allowed to rise in a major political party. Today the Democrats are tolerating, endorsing, and financially supporting such people. The Republicans had their moral compass tested in the 1990s with the Ku Klux Klan, which I remember well because I was in Congress at the time. And the GOP met the moment in appropriate fashion. Today for the Democrats the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have arrived. And so far, the party's leadership is failing to meet the moment. Today we have had a candidate for the U.S. Senate who has sported a Nazi SS skull, a symbol which stood for a period in which millions of Jews were killed. This candidate also won the endorsement of many Democrats before dropping out of the race. Other Democrats refuse to address the matter altogether. In another state, we have a member of the Democratic Party winning the nomination despite his attempt to justify the killing of Jews in a synagogue. Neither of these candidates was stupid. They knew that once these facts were revealed they had to act quickly, and they did. The guy with the Nazi tattoo issued a lame story about why he had it displayed prominently on his chest before getting it surgically removed. The latter gentleman apologized for his remark. Sorry, for me, what is in your heart will remain in your heart regardless of what is politically expedient. Democratic leaders are failing Democrats across the country by accepting these half-hearted explanations. At least party leaders got the tattooed individual to do the right thing and end his candidacy for the Senate. But for the latter, time will tell. There are less than 16 million Jewish people with 90% of them located in either Israel or the United States. Compare that to the 2.4 billion Christians and 2.0 billion Muslims and a desire to put an end to the only Jewish state becomes unimaginable. While I was in Congress the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan was thinking about running for Congress. As a little boy, I had firsthand experience of dealing with the hate of the klan. They had burned a cross on our lawn in front of our house because we dared to live in a predominantly all-white neighborhood. We were only able to purchase the house because the developer was going bankrupt and my parents had offered a huge downpayment. A dog was shot dead on our lawn, nightly death threats arrived via the telephone, and a dead possum was placed in our mailbox with a cryptic note saying that we would be like the possum if we did not move out immediately. The ordeal went on for three months and ended in three days after the FBI got involved due to tampering with a mailbox, a federal offense. Though a junior member of the Republican caucus, I lobbied the state delegation of this candidate first, then the entire conference to rebuke his candidacy. I met with many politicians repeatedly. And after what seemed like an eternity, the chair of the state's delegation and all its members stood tall and said they would not welcome this member of the klan as a member of their state's delegation in Congress. It was unanimous. As a result, this person ran for governor instead and lost. So I have seen this movie before. Being a racist or antisemite should not be a quality anybody should be embracing, certainly these days, especially if such a candidate can influence the direction of our nation. Just imagine if the opposite scenario would have played out – GOP party leaders proudly standing with the leader of an organization, the KKK, which terrorized and killed millions of Black people. Over a century ago, the results of the klan's actions resulted in the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the North and West. The group also helped to firmly establish the racial segregation of Jim Crow and nearly erased the right of Black people to vote while greatly limiting their economic opportunities. No, I am not naive enough to believe that there are no 'closet' racist and antisemitic people left in Congress. But to condone and support someone who has overtly endorsed either or both of those characteristics, now or in their past, it must make you pause. Past racist practices and ideas represent an ugly chapter in America's history and today they continue, often in less overt ways. But we have nevertheless come a long way on race relations. Today we have red and blue states. The lack of harmony and cooperation between them has caused nearly total political gridlock. It was the same position the nation found itself in just prior to the Civil War. The far-left wing of the Democratic Party, the DSA, has seemingly hijacked the entire party. Its members have won the endorsements of many higher ups in the party. This situation will not make ending our congressional gridlock any easier. Working together is a form of love and today members of Congress have no interest in working together. They simply hate. In a marriage they would need to file for divorce as they are the epitome of irreconcilable differences. If we had the total collapse of marriage and the family we would not have a happy and productive America. Thus, the wise realize that compromise and seeking common ground are requirements for happiness and success. Like in my ordeal with the Grand Wizard of the KKK, Democrat leaders, especially Democratic senators, should denounce and not support a candidate who in their past or present harbors such views that espouse hatred of a group of people – racist or antisemitic. As for the racist side, that is easy to do, but Democrats have a problem with the antisemitic side. And I ask why? To win an election? That is pathetic and very sad. But gaining the majority in the Senate is paramount in their eyes. However, this demonstrates a complete lack of principles and a backbone – a sad reflection on their character. Let us put it this way… if today's Grand Wizard of the KKK ran for office in either party, I believe members of those parties would roundly condemn the candidate. They would not endorse, fund, or support his candidacy. And I hope I am never proven to be wrong on that. But the same cannot be said about what they do with those who hold antisemitic views. Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut's 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. Host: Podcast "We Speak Frankly" www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org