Voices: Republicans gave away their credibility in criticising Democrats on antisemitism by touting RFK Jr

Amid all of the concerns about the American right courting antisemites, Republicans should have had a perfect opportunity to turn the tables on Democrats and accuse them of having an antisemitism problem.

Over the weekend, Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) landed in hot water at the Netroots Nation conference when while confronting pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago, she called the State of Israel “racist.” She received swift condemnation even from members of her own party even as she later clarified that she did not think Israel as a nation is racist.

Republicans hoped to split Democrats by having a resolution that rejected the idea that Israel is a racist or apartheid state and reaffirmed US support for Israel.

In addition, some of the most outspoken progressive members of the House Democratic Caucus, including Ms Jayapal, Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Ilhan Oman (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) elected not to attend Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress.

While that comprises less than a slice of the House Democratic Caucus, their outspoken nature would allow Republicans to say Democrats have a problem with Israel on the state’s 75th anniversary.

Instead, the resolution landed with a thud. Only nine Democrats voted against the resolution and one – Rep Betty McCollum (D-MN) – voted present. Similarly, Democrats frequently moved to their feet during Mr Herzog’s address and at one point, when Mr Herzog noted that Tel Aviv had one of the largest LGBTQ+ pride parades, most Republicans in the chamber remained in their seats.

Instead, House Republicans have elected to have unimaginable gall – chutzpah, some might say – by inviting noted conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to testify.

On Thursday, the anti-vaccine activist and Democratic candidate for president will testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, the farcical subcommittee that the House GOP set up to avenge perceived slights from the “deep state” and its sidekick “Big Tech” against former president Donald Trump and his supporters.

Inviting Mr Kennedy, a longshot primary challenger to President Joe Biden for the Democratic party’s nomination for the White House, was always an exercise in “owning the libs,” a way for Republicans to wink and nod and say that tech companies persecuted and suppressed Democratic as well as Republican voices.

Despite posting not negligible numbers of support among primary voters, Mr Kennedy poses no credible threat to Mr Biden and holds views that are out of line with even the most unorthodox of Democratic Party voters.

But what was initially a move that was too clever by half has now blown up in Republicans’ face given Mr Kennedy’s recent outburst of antisemitism. Over the weekend, he revived the baseless, racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory that “Covid-19 is targeted to attack Cucasians and Black people,” while adding that “the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”

Under no pretenses are Mr Kennedy’s words even remotely defensible. But more than that, they completely undermine the House GOP’s attempt to box Democrats in a corner. Kennedy will no longer come off as a sympathetic voice who was being “silenced” or “canceled” by the “intolerant” left.

Rather, he will come off as a raving antisemite and conspiracy theorist who probably should not be allowed in polite company, let alone anywhere near the Capitol where his father and uncles once roamed when they served in the Senate.

But Republicans are too deep on their joke for them to admit they screwed up. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise responded coyly about the invitation of Mr Kennedy, saying “he’s a Democrat that’s ... talking about how, you’re seeing kind of a selective shutdown of opposing viewpoints,” before he tried to say “We’re talking about our stance against antisemitism” and “That’s a problem the Democrat Party’s got.”

This is the statement of someone thinking he is clever rather than someone who actually is clever. This is not pointing out a speck in someone’s eye when there is a tree; it’s an entire redwood in the House GOP’s eye.

Rather, the testimony will serve as a reminder how far off the House GOP is and how they not only court people like Mr Kennedy but have members of their caucus who meet with Nick Fuentes and talk about Jewish space lasers all while claiming their opponents have an antisemitism problem.