Below is my column in the New York Post on the growing attacks on Haley Stevens for daring to oppose Abdul El-Sayed as anti-Semitic. The response is all too familiar to Republicans. She has been denounced as mentally unstable and a danger to others in the party.
Here is the column:
Haley Stevens is a dangerous woman. That message is echoing across liberal cable stations and websites. Only recently embraced as the best candidate for the Michigan Senate nomination, Stevens is now being portrayed as unstable and menacing by her self-described friends. Other Democrats launched into sexist attacks or declared her a “traitor” that should be expelled from the party.
Haley Stevens has the misfortune of now being an object lesson for anyone who stands against the far left. They are going to “hoist the wretch” for all to see to deter anyone else standing in the way of the mob. She will not be alone.
As soon as the House flipped, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the expected chair of the House Oversight Committee, posted a two-word message: “Lawyer up.” Rage politics has little room for dissent or compromise. Indeed, with Stevens, the party seemed to become a collection of Madam Defarges knitting names into the list of the walking dead.
After she declared that she would split her ticket and vote for Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, Democrats across the country declared her mentally ill. Some used the attack literally, feigning deep concern over her safety — the way that you describe a friend found raving on the subway about being probed by aliens.
Lawyer George Conway encouraged her to check into a mental facility immediately. He is, after all, a Juris Doctor.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D., Md.) explained to CNN in the tone of an intervention that “I have been worried about her all last week. She’s a human being.”
Former Republican Bill Kristol was more direct that Stevens “seems to have had some kind of breakdown or something.”
Zeteo editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan said that Stevens is “clearly a disturbed, deranged, dishonest woman.”
The left often portrays Republicans as mentally ill, from Barry Goldwater to Donald Trump. Liberal psychiatrists often supply the patina of medical authority. Indeed, after Goldwater was falsely portrayed as mentally unstable in his presidential run, the American Psychiatric Association adopted the “Goldwater Rule” to bar doctors from making such unethical diagnoses of individuals without evaluating them.
The rule was violated during the first presidential run of Donald Trump when he was also declared mentally ill by psychiatrists.
It is a tactic made infamous by the Soviets, who invented conditions such as “sluggish schizophrenia” to lock up dissidents in mental hospitals. Nikita Khrushchev explained that mental illness was the only plausible explanation for anyone who opposed communism.
From the perspective of many politicians, Stevens must be mentally ill to risk everything for mere principle. Establishment politicians have caved to the far-left mob in promising to pack the Supreme Court and calling the defense of our constitutional institutions as mere “nostalgia” or dangerous “incrementalism.” In such company, Stevens looks like an escapee from St. Elizabeths Hospital for the criminally insane.
Other Democrats are turning to sexist attacks, including Democratic strategist James Carville who described her as a “used condom.” Others claimed that she was simply under the influence of her fiancé, Jason Turkish.
Susan Wild, a former Pennsylvania representative suggested that Stevens was just doing what her boyfriend told her to do. She wrote, “All I can say is that any woman who abandons her friends when a new guy comes along is no friend at all.” Journalist Ray Wert said that Steven’s voice “more often than not… is now her fiancé.”
This sexist claim has long been denounced by many on the left as the idea that a professional woman could not reach such decisions on their own.
Stevens notably only made this decision after El-Sayed refused to denounce an anti-Semitic commercial that was supporting his candidacy while arguing that Jews were taking money from Michigan families for food. Not only did El-Sayed tell Stevens not to attend a rally, but in his final campaign speech, he echoed the same basic claim that money was going to Israel rather than feeding Michigan families.
Whether she is insane or just a brainless woman or just a “traitor,” Democrats are calling for her expulsion from the Democratic caucus.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., ominously suggested to POLITICO that action would be taken for “her terrible decision” in which she “isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus. We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
In higher education, this is all too familiar. Universities have long had a groupthink culture with little tolerance for dissent.
The attacks on Stevens expose the sheer hypocrisy of the “big tent” claims of the Democratic Party. Stevens challenged those very Democrats, like Jeffries, to support the claim. He responded by suggesting that she may be formally expelled for the sin of opposing one candidate over what she viewed as anti-Semitic views.
The result is an entire party that has become a version of Lord of the Flies where children become so deranged by groupthink that they chase a child deemed an outsider around an island to try to kill him. What is missing is the single voice of “Simon”: “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”…
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
Prominent Democrats are sh!tty people. No news there.
Professor Turley seems so sure why Stevens endorsed Rogers when Stevens really struggled to explain her decision when Anderson interviewed her on his program a few days ago.
Concerned, when you have a Stalinist mob after you, there is no safety and no way to respond to leftists who are controlling the discussion.
Just yesterday, Donald Trump announced a cut-off to aid for Israel. Trump, to his credit, is simply responding to a plummet in support for Israel by a majority of Americans. This is relevant because Stevens took $30 million in AIPAC money for her failed campaign. AIPAIC money is now considered toxic to most American voters.
There was already a plan to eliminate direct aid to Israel in favor of hiding that transfer by incorporating parts of the IDF into US military operations.
Party before religious beliefs. The Democratic Socialists are a bunch of lunatics.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Turley’s article is about growing antisemetism and relatedly he lefts especially vile attacks on those of their own who deviate from left wing Dogma.
I am asserting to all left and right – both with respect to the free market politics I favor and the general well being of humanity that the future is bright.
That does not mean I have no concerns – Europe is inarguably a mess with no real hope. That can be easily be blamed on the left, but the problems are serious and a gradually resurgent right can not fix them. Europe is in a slow demographic death spiral and concurrently deindustrializing.
But eastern europe despite problems is doing better.
The future of south american looks bright – while to a large extent that is due to the declining fortunes of the left – and brazils recent election is a disappointment – the trend throughout south america is rising standards of living. Much of central america is also improving.
The world as a whole is doubling standard of living every 25 years. Everyone is slowly living better and better.
The standard of living in the US is rising atleast that fast. The US is re-industrializing. We may well find ourselves re-immigrating some of the illegal immigrants we have been deporting as we go shift into labor shortage.
Fear of Global Warming has fizzled. We have had 40 years of malthusain diatribes and people do not perceive that anything has changed fo the worse.
The left can rant about various forms of discrimination – but the only group that has seen rising rather than declinging hate crimes is jews.
The american melting pot is mostly working. Consequential racial predjudice is close to non-existant. Women college graduates outnumber men and under 35 their average wages are higher than men.
Liberals has fundimetally won the culture wars. People neither know nor care is you are gay. If you are an adult and identify as a women so long as you do not fiddle with kids and stay out of womens sports and lockerrooms almost no one cares.
AI is near certain to be bigger than the industrial revolution, and for many many reasons the US will inevitably be the epicenter of AI.
It will be disruptive – particularly of white collar jobs, but the productivity gains are massive and that raises standard of living rapidly.
Ireland has been at peace for 3 decades, and there is actual reason to hope for peace in the mideast. The conflict with Iran is not over – but it will end soon enough. Beyond eliminating the nuclear threat from Iran – eliminating the negative impact Iran has on the mideast make widespread peace possible.
Gaza is being managed by an international tribunal and there is every reason to beleive that it can be peaceful and prosperous.
Hexzbollah is being pushed aside in Lebanon and a failed state is recovering.
For all the anti-Israel, Anti-semetic forces this conflict has brought in the open – there is a real possibility of peace and prosperity for Palestinians and that significantly undercuts antisemitism globally.
The Houthis are a problem – and globally there will be problems – the world is not becoming utopia.
But it is becoming better
One of the major reasons I beleive the left has at most a fringe future is the things we have to fight about become smaller and smaller and less and less important.
Democrats are cheering over the first muslim senator – and aside from the fact that he is anti-semetic SO WHAT ?
Outside of narrow bastions – people ware not voting for, or against, hiring, or firing are making consequential choices because others are muslim, gay, trans, male, female, and increasingly the only ones who are – are on the left.
Democrats made this election about affordability – but increasingly that means the ability of the working class to afford things that the upper middle class could not a few decades ago.
We are all almost all better off than we have ever been and we will be even better off tomorow.
SAY, no one has any clue as to ‘who’ you’re referring to with this ‘ATS’ code.
ATS Anon too stupid?
Turley fails to mention that Stevens took $30 million in AIPAC money, the most of any candidate this election. After an investment like that, Stevens had nowhere to go. And now she’s gone nowhere!
ATS – without any doubt – stevens is the most pro israel of Michigan candidates – SO WHAT ? Those of you on the left claim that being anti-Israel is not the same as being anti-semetic if that is true that Why does being pro israel mean that you see antisemitism where it does not exist.
El Sayed has angry short man syndrome and he is anti-semetic.
The camp david accords were signed in 1978. El Sayed was born 6 years later. Israel has been at peace with Egypt longer than El Sayed has been alive.
When Israel returned the Sinai they wanted to give Egypt Gaza – Egypt refused. Palestinians are violent difficult people that no one wants – not even other arabs and muslims.
El Sayed’s own anti-Israel extremism is inconsistent with his egyptian background.
Egyptians are Egyptian. Palestinians are Arabic. Why would Egypt want an Arab group to manage?
Frankly, the Left doesn’t see being anti-Israel as anti-Jewish. Only the AIPAC and Conservatives broadcast that position.
Also, and for the record – Palestinians are also Semites.
also for the record, “antisemitism” doesnt mean “hatred of semites”–it means “hatred of Jews.” seriously, don’t you people have access to dictionaries?
You are a pinhead. Do you know Egypt’s official name? The Arab Republic of Egypt. Egypt is culturally Arab. Did you ever hear of the Arab League? Egypt is one of its founders. Arabic is its official language. You are a pinhead. Nothing more needs to be said nor does one have to address the rest of your slop.
The American Founders bestowed their imprimatur and granted their blessing upon “free white persons,” while allowing those who were not to enjoy a reasonable period in which to visit—by definition, temporarily—their United States.
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Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798, 1802 (four iterations for maximal clarity)
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof….
The Democrats attack Stevens without mercy and yet during the Talarico campaign here in Texas, no Democrat skipped a beat in giving him full-throated support. I guess not marching in lock-step is far worse than encouraging an eleven year old boy to be a drag queen. Strange world.
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/james-talarico-headlined-pride-event-alongside-11-year-old-child-drag-queen-kween-kee-kee-absolute-cutest-and-youngest-of-our-drag-performers/
“Strange world.”
____________________
The verbatim “manifest tenor” of the Constitution and Bill of Rights must have been upheld no matter what and in all circumstances.
America has been lost, nay, given to antithetical and unconstitutional communists.
The singular American failure is the judicial branch, with emphasis on the Supreme Court.
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“Those who stand for nothing fall for everything.”
– Alexander Hamilton
“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.”
– Walter Lippmann
“If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader—sell ice cream.”
– Steve Jobs
Clothing? That’s your worry? The clothing a child is happy to wear?
The only other interpretation would indicate a pedophilia tendency to make a comment complaining about the clothing; to see something of a sexual nature that isn’t there.
The Dimocrats… ‘We are an open tent party… only if you believe in what we believe. Otherwise you’re mentally unfit. ‘
For those who don’t believe in Buyers Remorse… look to Chicago. Brandon won because he promised to pay off the teachers union. (BTW, they did pass a referendum (non binding) of a millionaire’s tax. ) In fact the only group that got paid off by Brandon was the teacher’s union.
Yet all of the liberals in the dog park I frequent… those who voted for Brandon now have serious buyers remorse. If we could have done a recall… it would have happened ASAP.
Now we need a conservative democrat to step up.
But I digress. The point is that the minute you stop marching lock step off the progressive cliff… you’re now a wanted criminal.
-G
What a bunch of twisted Bs!
This is a lie. It was an anti-Israel commercial.
It could only be considered anti-Semitic if one supposes that all Jewish people want to murder all Palestinians, that the murder of Palestinian children is the core of Judaism.
Do all Jewish people want to murder all Palestinians? Is that what Turley is conveying?
Anon. from the Darkside. (‘This is a lie..’) Only a clueless person would miss the CLEARLY anti-semitic tones of the anti-Israel commercial. Grow up and get a life.
Yup,
Only an antisemite would try to defend the commercial.
The bigger issue… many don’t understand what is meant by ‘From the River to the Sea’. Its a call for a genocide of Jews.
If it was anti-Jewish then it must have called for bombings of American Jewish synagogues and temples and open murders of Jewish people.
Did it? Or is this more AIPAC dogwhistle to use American Jews as a cover for Zionist Israelis slaughtering children by the tens of thousands while calling them vermin and sub-human?
Islam is the enemy.
Islam is the enemy of the United States.
Islam is not a religion, Islam is a government.
Islam and Islamists are antithetical and unconstitutional.
ATS – yes it was anti-israel – it was also antisemetic.
There is a growing undercurrent of antisemitism – more so in the left, but even in the right.
While I find the anti-israel nonsense idiotic – it is not inherently antisemetic.
There is some indication that a part – possibly a significant part of the votes of young MAGA males who voted democratic was antisemtic.
Stevens specifically noted that while she refused to endorse El Sayed because he did not respond to the antisemetism in the ad, that chosing to endorse rogers was a separate issue and was driven by reviewing El Sayeds own personal remarks which on occasion went beyond anti-israel to anti-semetic.
“This is a lie.”
What is a lie? Is it what you say? Is it what El Sayed says?
The truth is, you are both liars, and that makes you a good match.
I am a woman. When I finally saw a picture of Senator-elect El Sayed with his wife, I felt fear. She was enshrouded, while still alive.
When I read the quotes in Professor Turley’s piece above, I again felt fear–again, specific to being a biological woman. There it was, back from the dead: That old trope of a hysterical woman unworthy of being listened to. Ha, ha, snicker, snicker. A dog-whistle to misogynists everywhere. And there it was, the Pavlovian wolfpack responding.
The misogynist dog whistle is almost as sure fire among the weak and lazy-minded as blaming Jews for expensive bananas. There is nothing new under the sun.
Are the enshrouders in El-Sayed circle behind this there-is-nothing-old-under-the-sun campaign against Stevens?
Are his supporters are trying to form up an army of big-mouth, lazy-minded scapegoaters?
That Carville contributed his own gendered put-down to the pile-on against Stevens does surprise me. Truly, thought he was better than that. But maybe I’m just being hysterical.
“She was enshrouded, while still alive.”
Great line.
Notice when he allowed that walking mummy to appear in public: After the election.