Emanuel Cleaver and the Congressional Black Caucus Fail to Condemn Antisemitic Democrat

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), who leads the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), has refused to condemn the antisemitism of Democrat congressional candidate Charles Barron. Moreover, Cleaver and the CBC are staying neutral in the New York congressional primary tomorrow between Barron and fellow Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. Barron has earned the endorsement of white supremacist and antisemite David Duke–and the vocal opposition of other Democrats who are terrified that an antisemite might join them in Congress. But Cleaver and the CBC–who made up charges of Tea Party racism in 2010–are doing nothing to stop Barron. 

Let that sink in for a moment: Cleaver and the CBC have no problem fabricating charges of racism against people–of all colors–who are simply exercising their constitutional right to protest. But when faced with real, documented, and widely-condemned evidence of antisemitic bigotry by Chares Barron, they cannot find their voices. This is worse than hypocrisy. It is a tacit endorsement of Barron’s hatred of Jews–for Cleaver has proclaimed he would be happy to welcome him into the CBC if he won in November. It is simply disgusting.

Here is a list of organizations that have endorsed Barron, to their eternal shame: the Sierra Club, one of the most influential environmental groups in the nation; DC 37 and 1707, the big New York City public sector unions affiliated with AFSCME and the AFL-CIO; outgoing incumbent Democrat Edolphus Towns; and the local Amsterdam News, among others. Many on that roll of shame might have found the courage to stand up against Barron if Cleaver and the CBC had done so. But they did not, and they will welcome Barron with open arms. The CBC can no longer be presumed to represent the majority of black Americans, and their tolerance for anti-Jewish bigotry should banish them to the margins to which they sought to confine the Tea Party.