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You posted a link of the person whom he defended showing their views but did not actually post anything on Ellison's defense of this person. I posted a link addressing that issue where he very clearly shows regret for his mistake and explains why he made that choice in his past. You didn't respond. Why's that? Is it because you don't value debate?
Become thoughtful and get back to me. If you refuse to, never speak to me again. Ideally, you just wont' speak to anyone at all. Someone who refuses to think or be open minded is of no value to anyone, at least not in what they say.
What's debatable ? It's a fact that for a period in his life Ellison felt black empowerment, equality, pride were more important than Farrakhan's anti-white, anti-Semitic ideology. Whether he sincerely changed his mind or realized he couldn't succeed politically with that outlook is a matter of opinion.
On the Wikipedia page for Ellison, the "Issues and Controversies" section has a specific entry regarding Louis Farrahkan and history with the Nation of Islam. The entry cites sources from CNN, The Washington Post, and MinnesotaDaily. See citations 108-112 in the references section.
In summary, Ellison did, in fact, have ties with Nation of Islam, and did indeed defend Farrakhan, and other openly anti-Semitic figures per cited sources above.
Have had ties is different than having ties, he clearly has distanced himself from the group and Farrakhan, and has gone on to state that he was wrong for believing in them before realizing what kind of bigotry they supported. I am fine with that.
"All three senators — Warren, Schumer and Sanders — endorsed Ellison for DNC chair. None has walked back their endorsement despite the Anti-Defamation League calling for Ellison to be disqualified from consideration for the top spot in the Democratic party."
I guess you can get away with a lot when you have that D in your name!
It's like a free pass to be as hateful as you want!
It seems odd that you would expect three U.S. Senators to immediately change their positions based on a proclamation by a private interest group. There are many reasons to think Ellison is unsuited to an important leadership position in American politics. The fact that the ADL doesn't like him is quite far down on that list of reasons.
You think it was a mistake? When was the last time you made a 'mistake' that lasted a decade???
Farrakhan speaks pretty clearly about how much he hates whites and Jews.
How long did it take Ellison to come to the realization that Farrakhan hated whites and Jews?
One should question his judgement at the least.
For a FRICKIN DECADE this guy was a Farrakhan follower!
Read below.
This wasn't him just stumbling into a Farrakhan speech one time.
___
"For nearly a decade, from law school through his first run for state representative in 1998, Ellison openly identified with the Nation of Islam. This was not simply a question of religious observance. He was dedicated to slamming “Zionism” and Jews, while repeatedly and vocally defending Farrakhan. As a law student and proud NOI member in 1990, Ellison helped sponsor a speech titled: “Zionism: Imperialism, White Supremacy or Both?,” according to the respected Scott Johnson of Power Line Blog, who also noted that “Ellison reject[ed] the appeal of Jewish law students to withdraw sponsorship of the lecture.” In 1995, Ellison wrote in a local Minneapolis newspaper under his nom de guerre, “Keith X Ellison,” a stirring defense of repugnant and unabashed anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam, stating emphatically, “Farrakhan is a role model for Black youth.” He even went the extra step of denying decades of evidence, saying, “[H]e is not an anti-Semite.”
I'm going to start with this: The link you posted is utter garbage. It provides no context and honestly just seems to be making **** up at times. It's using it's own bias as fact, painting a letter of Ellison's as dishonest without justifying or explaining how it's dishonest. If you take that seriously, please do not waste either of our time with responding. I have better and more useful people to talk to.
As for his decade long involvement, I've found nothing to confirm that. Any direct involvement he had with that Nation of Islam lasted a year and half, and he, according to himself, never actually joined that Nation of Islam and only worked for them. If you want to insist that the one source of news you read can read his mind, that's fine, but I don't believe in magic or any of that bull****, so I'm not going to. He had defended Farrakhan throughout the 90s, and from what I'm gathering, is mainly for the man's views on black nationalism. If your belief that Ellison is anti-Semitic because he's voiced support for a man who was though never (from what I've seen) supported the actual anti-Semitism, I'm going to have a hard time taking that seriously, and preemptively call you a hypocrite since it's unlikely that you've never supported someone who had one or several morally repugnant views. I for one am a fan of Abraham Lincoln. I think he was a great first Republican president. He also thought black people were genetically inferior. Does that mean I think black people are inferior? If I am understanding your logic correctly, the ONLY way your reasoning can be consistent is if you think that.
So just bear in mind how dangerously vacuous that is. If you are a Lutheran, for example, I can call you an anti-Semite because Martin Luther, the founder of that religion, hated Jews, basically wanting to see them expelled from Europe, either by death or forced relocation. Do you see the problem? I don't deny that Ellison once supported Farrakhan. To be totally frank, I'm not sure if I even care that he still does because from what I've found, he's never voiced support for the man's anti-Semitism, rather had instances in the 90s where he defended the man from those criticisms and described him as a strong black leader.
So here's what I'll say. Provide a link directly to a primary source of Ellison being anti-Semitic, and I'll take you seriously. But if I get another Daily Caller op-ed, I will carry on thinking of you exactly as you are and not speak to you as this would be a waste of my time.
False equivalency Jimbo. The man renounced his past association decades ago and he's been DEAD for over 6 years. So try again.
The modern day KKK loves your boy Trump.
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