One of the left’s favorite refrains is falsely caricaturing Republican candidates as “racist” and “xenophobic,” throwing out “dog whistles” to fuel racial sentiments. In a deep twist of irony, the only evidence we have of such efforts to stoke religious and racial contempt is from the Democratic Party itself.
The leak of nearly 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails not only reveals a rigged system against Senator Bernie Sanders from a purportedly unbiased DNC but also a rather revealing correspondence that exposes a concerted effort to exploit Sanders’ “Jewish heritage” and to mischaracterize Sanders as an atheist in an effort to further the chances of Hillary Clinton winning the nomination.
Chief Financial Officer of the “unbiased” DNC, Brad Marshall, wrote the following in an email chain titled “No Sh*T”: “It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.”
In an ironic twist, Marshall attempts to do exactly what Democrats accuse Republicans of doing, using race and religion in an effort to further their interests. In a grossly cavalier manner, Marshall suggests invoking heritage and religion to undermine Sanders. Not only does it reveal scheming divisiveness from the organization that leads the Democratic Party but it also reveals the simplistic and insulting way they view southern voters in Kentucky and West Virginia, as being naively receptive to racial and religious attack lines.
It is also noteworthy that the recipients of the email, top DNC communications officials, did not aggressively push back on the suggestion of using heritage and religion as lines of attack. In fact, Chief Executive Officer of the DNC Amy Dacey replied with an “AMEN.”
We hear so much from Democrats about the need for Trump to take “accountability” for various missteps in his campaign, but yet when Marshall was asked by The Intercept about the email, he responded by saying, “I do not recall this. I can say it would not have been Sanders. It would probably be about a surrogate.” This response was deeply questionable given that Sanders was the only Jewish candidate in the race and the email came shortly before the Kentucky and West Virginia primaries. Hours after Marshall’s denial, Marshall seemed to strike a different tone, writing “I deeply regret that my insensitive, emotional emails would cause embarrassment to the DNC.”
Likewise, under pressure, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz reportedly gave up her speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention and role of presiding over the DNC, though a statement put out by Wasserman Schultz suggests she will indeed gavel the convention in and out and speak before the delegates. Under heavy pressure to forgo her position as head of the DNC, she agreed to do just that after the convention.
The entire situation is quite ironic given that Democrats have made a concerted effort to demonize and caricature Republicans as racist and xenophobic. The effort to portray Donald Trump as fitting these descriptions has been fervent and endless. The same line of attack was used by Jimmy Carter against Ronald Reagan, accusing Reagan of engaging in “stirrings of hate” and by Carter’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, warning that Reagan’s candidacy “raised the specter of white sheets” since the Ku Klux Klan had endorsed him. Meanwhile, the only evidence we have of attempted use of religion and heritage as manipulative tools is from Democrats.
While some may be surprised at the DNC’s suggestive use of heritage and religion as a line of attack, it comes as no surprise to many who have repeatedly observed the Democrats balkanize American society into vying racial, gender, and socioeconomic segments. Indeed, after seven years of the Obama administration, our society has never been more divided along the fault lines of race and gender. Perhaps now we know why.
