On Wednesday, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie was the only member of the House to vote ‘no’ on a resolution that condemned rising antisemitism.
His vote had nothing to do with tolerating hate. This didn’t stop many from instantly and eagerly jumping to this conclusion.
Do you support antisemitism, @RepThomasMassie? In this day and age, a resolution condemning #antisemitism should have no opposition. That yours would be the lone vote against this resolution is horrific. https://t.co/rMaIQOEcum
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) May 19, 2022
We should spend some time talking about the fact that Donald Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” to Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who today was the only member of congress to vote against a bill to condemn antisemitism.
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) May 19, 2022
We are outraged to see Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) just vote no on a bi-partisan House resolution condemning antisemitism.
So far Massie is the sole no vote.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 18, 2022
Using the logic of the folks above, anyone who voted against the Patriot Act in 2001 or its renewal at any other time was not a patriot – which is how many Americans over two decades ago after 9/11 viewed those not on board with giving the U.S. government sweeping new surveillance powers.
As Massie noted in a tweet:
If we just voted based on the names of the bills, I’d vote for almost all of them.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 19, 2022
Massie voted against this resolution for reasons similar to why he has tried to repeal the Patriot Act in the past: It could violate Americans’ basic liberties.
I don’t hate anyone based on his or her ethnicity or religion. Legitimate government exists, in part, to punish those who commit unprovoked violence against others, but government can’t legislate thought.
This bill promoted internet censorship and violations of the 1st amendment https://t.co/MWkvcOba7K
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 19, 2022
The bill asks that social media “institute stronger and more significant efforts to measure and address online antisemitism while protecting free speech concerns.”
Politicians dictating to social media and other platforms how to operate is a problem for anyone who still cares about free speech.
Granted, many don’t anymore.
It is never appropriate for senior political officials with immense power over media corporations to tell them which views they can and can't broadcast (leaving aside Schumer's lie about what Fox hosts are arguing).
But this is now normal because Dems 100% believe in censorship. https://t.co/E9zHQkwWcI
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 17, 2022
But that’s not all. As Reason’s Christian Britschgi observed, the “resolution also calls on Congress to work more closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism—an international working group whose membership includes lawmakers from the U.K., Canada, Israel, the U.S., and Australia.”
“The task force’s first briefing in November 2020 featured presentations from groups also calling for Section 230 reform and holding platforms and their executives accountable for antisemitic speech,” Britschgi.
Here’s how Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz wants to “reform” Section 230:
It's past time to pass sane gun safety laws, but we also need to revisit Section 230 to remove social media company immunity if they amplify radicalizing content and conspiracy theories that promote violence like we saw in Buffalo.https://t.co/DkfKPnqzh7
— Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@RepDWStweets) May 15, 2022
So it is dishonest to portray this legislation as a mere condemnation of antisemitism.
But this is still not all. “The House’s antisemitism resolution also endorsed increasing funding for a Department of Homeland Security program that provides security grants to ‘at-risk houses of worship, schools, and community centers’,” Britschgi pointed out.
He added, “Given that the Department of Homeland Security shouldn’t exist, expanding its funding doesn’t sound like a good idea. One can see why a libertarian-leaning budget hawk like Massie wouldn’t like that provision either.”
One would. One would also wonder why in an environment where so many Democrats are intent on censoring or labeling “disinformation” and many Republicans are opposed to such efforts, why didn’t more Republicans didn’t join Massie in voting against this resolution?
It should be easy for a member to say that they roundly condemn racism and antisemitism specifically, but do not support the other troubling aspects of this bill, just as Massie has.
So why did every other Republican support it? Was Thomas Massie the only one who actually read the legislation he was voting on?
Shame on you for not reading the resolution. https://t.co/XhN0NEb0KB
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 19, 2022
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