Kevin Sullivan

Keith Ellison – Idiot

Posted by Kevin Sullivan under Uncategorized

I was honestly excited when Keith Ellison became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress.  He ran a solid campaign (albeit a safe seat), and I thought it was clever of him to take his oath using Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Koran.  I viewed it as a success story for American Muslims, American Liberalism, pluralism and all that other gushy stuff.

But Ellison’s latest comments, carefully crafted so not to sound entirely unhinged, have sort of ruined the honeymoon for me.  Comparing the attacks on 9/11 to the 1933 burning of the German Reichstag not only implies nefarious coercion behind the terrible attacks on that day, but it also plays up the same old Bush=Hitler nonsense that even the worst equivocator would hesitate to conjure.

Ellison was of course careful enough to qualify his statement, not by recanting such a silly argument, but instead seemingly lamenting the strategic folly in it.  According to Keith, you can’t draw these parallels, because "you know, that’s how they put you in the nut-ball box – dismiss you".

That’s right, rather than marginalizing yourself via stupidity, blame the people who would rightly call you out on it.  This is a daffy argument, and it’s terribly disappointing.  The other irony is the audience–a gathering of 300 Minnesota atheists.  Ellison sanctimoniously declared that the audience would "always find this Muslim standing up for your right to be atheists all you want."  As if the lone Muslim in Congress, serving a very Liberal district, had any other choice. 

AJ is all over this, and wonders whether or not Ellison will get the David Dukes treatment from the Democratic Party.  While I don’t think Ellison deserves that kind of ostracizing just yet, I think it’s up to Democrats to call a moratorium on stupid analogies.  Can we get a House Whip to reign in on this guy, please?