STOP THE PRESSES!!!! One of the above-the-fold headline stories on the news networks is the feud between Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. It seems to have started when Boebert made a joke – well, sort of a joke — involving Omar. And what was the joke?
Here is the text of what Boebert said to constituents about an event that occurred on the House elevator.
“So, the other night on the House floor was not my first jihad squad moment. I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers and he and I were leaving the Capitol. We’re going back to my office and we get in the elevator and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator. I see fret all over his face. And he’s reaching. The door is shutting. I can’t open it.”
“What’s happening? I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar, and I said, ‘Well she doesn’t have a backpack, we should be fine,’ So we only had one floor to go and I say, do I say it or do I not? And I look over and I say, ‘Look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today.’ Don’t worry, it’s just her staffers on Twitter that talk for her. She’s not tough in person.”
When the story hit the news thanks to left-wing trolls – and spun as being an anti-Muslim religious slur and an implication that Boebert was actually calling Omar a terrorist – Omar tweeted:
“Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout. Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims (sic) tropes get no condemnation.”
Seeing the entire initial exchange, one can only wonder why this has become such a major story – two opposing members of Congress insulting each other.
Of course, the left-leaning press hyperbolically spins the incident into a major story of racism, Muslim slander and specious accusations against Boebert – with Omar as some frail innocent victim. This would not be so bizarre if it were not for Omar’s rather extensive history of making pejorative comments about Republican colleagues. (Notice she called Boebert a “buffoon” in her tweet and implies she is a liar.)
The Boebert/Omar political mudwrestling led to Boebert issuing a public apology to those of the Muslin community who might have believed the spin that the comments extended beyond Omar. The media spun the exchange with words like “disgusting” and “outrageous.” The reporting could not have been hyped more if Boebert had bludgeoned Omar with a copy of the “Congressional Record.”
Personally, I saw a personal jibe — not an anti-Muslim trope. More of a sarcastic allusion. But it did not stop there. Boebert – with the encouragement of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – made a couple attempts to reach Omar by phone. She eventually did – and the situation went from bad to worse.
If reporting is to be believed – and that is fair warning — Omar demanded a more supplicating apology and in response, Boebert demanded that Omar issue a public apology for her various provocative statements – generally dismissed by the elitist east coast press. That is when Omar hung up.
Democrats — and the news media they control — have been inflating this momentary heated exchange into a broad-brush attack on Republican leaders, officeholders and voters as being a bunch of evil people – racist, Muslim haters and worse.
Republicans who did not respond – and had no reason to respond — were disparaged for what they did not say. And as is the practice, even President Trump was brought into the mix even though he had no role in the exchange of barbs.
By any rational measure, this was a non-story that has been dragged onto the front burner of the news cycle – yet another example of the bubble-encased left-wing media’s attempt to spin all things against Republicans. Their methods may be disgraceful and clumsy, but their purpose is clear. They are abusing their so-called news platforms and violating the once adhered to “Ethics of journalism” in the hope of preventing Republicans from taking over the House in 2023. It is the “demonize Republicans in every way and at all costs” strategy.
Elevating this relatively meaningless exchange — between two members of Congress who obviously do not like each other — into a national political story is a journalistic obscenity. I am not making a case that gratuitous insults – even by allusion or implication – are the most civilized approach, but it is also not a capital crime. It is more or less a very common political misdemeanor.
This story got more reporting and analysis than the then upcoming Supreme Court abortion hearing … more than the trial of alleged hate crime faker, Jussie Smollett … more than Russia’s military chess-moves against Ukraine … more than the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a female “ygor” for Jeffery Epstein … more than the court appearance of the “Christmas Parade” Killer … more than Tiger Woods semi-retirement from golf … more than the contempt of Congress vote for Trump lawyer Jeff Clark … (obviously) more than the new book tying Biden to his son’s business dealings … more than … oh, you get the idea.
If verbal insults by politicians were consistently reported with such hype, analysis and accusation, there would no time for real news that is important to people. In fact, the talking-heads on the small screen would be spending a lot of time talking about the insults, false accusations and baseless pejoratives emanating from their own reporters and panelists.
On a mythical meter of public concern, the needle on this one hardly reaches the “who cares” level.
So, there ‘tis.
