Vox was in no mood for humor Sunday as it went into outrage mode over Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Ron Demer, joking that his tweet supporting the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl was against “protocol.”
The liberal media site is upset that Dermer would make light of the awkward situation that has followed after the ambassador arranged for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress — without first consulting the White House. That displeased the Obama administration and its supporters, with some claiming it’s harmed the relationship between the two countries. (RELATED: Chris Wallace: White House Was ‘Flabbergasted’ Netanyahu Accepted Boehner Invite)
Vox writer Max Fisher took this a step further by accusing Dermer of “working to undermine the sitting president of Israel’s most important ally” and scolding him for having the audacity of using the Super Bowl to make light about the uproar.
Dermer offending tweet read: “Breaking Protocol, Choosing Sides: Go Patriots.”
Breaking Protocol, Choosing Sides: Go Patriots.
— Amb. Ron Dermer (@AmbDermer) February 1, 2015
“He’s making a funny about how his plot to gin up a little short-term political support for Netanyahu has blown up in his face, harming not just his boss’s political chances but the very alliance that is his primary responsibility. It’s funny stuff,” Fisher wrote.
While Fisher was very, very, very mad about the tweet, he admitted that Dermer had addressed criticism of Netanyahu’s planned speech in a reasonable manner to another outlet. But this could not assuage his rage at this apparent speech infraction.
This isn’t the first occasion Vox has gone nuts over speech they don’t like this week. On Wednesday, the outlet tried to claim political correctness “doesn’t exist” and criticism of this supposedly imaginary concept often comes from “those in a position of privilege to silence debates raised by marginalized people.”