By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — A tweet by U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) prompted some Jewish organizations and a member of Congress to call for an apology. Weber initially wrote: Even Adolph Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons.” After calls for an apology, he issued this statement on Tuesday, Jan. 13: “I need to apologize to all those offended by my tweet. It was not my intention to trivialize the Holocaust nor to compare the President to Adolf Hitler. The mention of Hitler was meant to represent the face of evil that still exists in the world today. I now realize that the use of Hitler invokes pain and emotional trauma for those affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust and victims of anti-Semitism and hate.”
That prompted Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, to comment: “Members of Congress are entitled to criticize the President, even as in this case, in an absurd and inane way. But invoking the Holocaust and comparing the United States and its government to the Nazis are never appropriate, and never acceptable. Rep. Weber’s apology is an important acknowledgement that his tweet was hurtful and that those analogies only trivialize the Holocaust.Holocaust analogies have become far too common and too frequently used by public figures. Invoking the Holocaust or Hitler’s name does little to advance the public debate or any credible critique. It is an affront to Jews and other victims of hate and to many Americans who fought heroically against the Nazis. We hope this incident is a wake-up call and a reminder of the dangers of carelessly reaching for these analogies.”
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The Jewish Citizen
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Before the apology was issued, David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, made this statement: “The notion that President Obama and Adolf Hitler would be mentioned in the same sentence is beyond reprehensible, but that is exactly what happened in a tweet sent by Rep. Randy Weber of Texas last night.
“We fully understand the legitimacy of the debate over U.S. representation at the major rally in Paris on Sunday. However, resorting to comparisons with the leader of the Third Reich, who was responsible for nearly 60 million deaths, including six million Jews, as well as brutal occupation policies, including in Paris, should have no place in American political discourse.
“We urge Congressman Weber to withdraw his language immediately and issue an appropriate apology.”
The National Jewish Democratic Council issued a news release: “For any public official to compare our nation’s president to the perpetrator of the Holocaust is simply unacceptable,” stated Greg Rosenbaum, chair of the NJDC Board of Directors. “As a member of Congress and especially as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, one would hope that Rep. Weber would know better than to make such an outrageous remark. Any comparisons to Hitler are absolutely out of line and just the latest example of the sort of damaging and vitriolic language Republicans routinely use to describe our president. We demand that Rep. Weber apologize for his comments immediately.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) commented: “Rep. Weber’s tweet is vile and stoops to a new low level by desecrating the victims of the Holocaust to make a political point. At a time when we should be coming together in the wake of the attacks in Paris, Rep. Weber turned instead to hate. While I, too, disagree with the President’s absence in Paris, there is a proper way to express that disagreement, unlike Rep. Weber’s tweet. I call on all Members of Congress to immediately condemn this language, and I demand that Rep. Weber apologize for his complete lack of judgment. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s (R-LA) speech at a gathering hosted by white-supremacist leaders in 2002, Rep. Webster’s tweet is evident of a disturbing trend of hate emanating from House Republicans.”
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On Monday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest responded to questions about why President Obama wasn’t among the world leaders, including Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who marched in solidarity in Paris against terrorism. Earnest answered: “… I think it’s fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there.
“That said,” he continued, “there is no doubt that the American people and this administration stand foursquare behind our allies in France as they face down this threat. And that was evident throughout last week, when you saw that the President’s top counterterrorism advisor here at the White House was in touch with her French counterpart minutes after the reports of this terror attack first emerged. You saw later in the day that the President of the United States telephoned President Hollande to not just express his condolences on behalf of the American people to the people of France but also to pledge any needed cooperation and assistance to conduct the investigation and to bring to justice those who are responsible for those terror attacks.”
Earnest went on to say that President Obama would have liked to have attended the rally, but that security requirements precluded his attendance. Had the march been made secure for Obama, he added, it would have interfered with the expressions of solidarity of the over-a-million French citizens who did participate, said the press secretary.
Executive Branch
TRANSPORTATION — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced his Chief of Staff Sarah Feinberg will serve as interim administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). “This critical position should be permanently filled as soon as possible, but an interim assignment of such a senior official reflects well on the Secretary’s priorities,” commented U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) The FRA needs new leadership and policies — to make safety and reliability real priorities at Metro-North and around the country – requiring a permanent Administrator. I commend Secretary Foxx for acting and hope he will continue to move forward on critical, life-saving reforms necessary on our nation’s rail network.”
U.S. Senate
NATIONAL PARKS — U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet was among a bipartisan group of senators introducing legislation to require the federal government to reimburse states that provided funds to temporarily reopen national parks during the 2013 government shutdown. “When Congress couldn’t get its job done, Colorado stepped up to keep Rocky Mountain National Park open at a critical time,” Bennet said. “Not only was it one of the park’s peak seasons for visitors hoping to see Colorado’s golden Aspen trees, but nearby communities like Estes Park were already reeling from the floods that had devastated homes and businesses. Keeping the park open was crucial for small businesses that rely on the park’s visitors. It’s time for the federal government to keep its promise to pay Colorado back.”
IRAQI REFUGEES — U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and seven other senators sent a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi asking that he do everything possible to speed humanitarian aid for the nearly two million Iraqis displaced by the violent campaign of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). “We have heard firsthand about the suffering and harsh conditions facing these men, women, and children—many of whom have taken refuge in Iraq’s Kurdistan region,” wrote the Senators. “These civilians are in dire need of basic necessities—food, clean water, and shelter. In particular, we are concerned about the welfare of women and children—who make up a majority of the displaced population.”
MEDICARE — U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, and Reps John Larson (D-Connecticut), and Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), both members of the House Ways and Means Committee, have introduced joint legislation to protect seniors and those who rely on durable medical equipment, prosthetic and orthotic devices, and supplies from predatory business practices. They said the Medicare Competitive Bidding Improvement Act (MCBIA), S.148, would ensure a fair competitive bidding program by disallowing intentional low-ball bidding for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts. “Good governance and good business practices are both founded on transparency. Our bill would increase transparency in CMS bidding to help those reliant on affordable medical supplies as well as the small business that supply them,” said Cardin. “This is commonsense, bipartisan legislation to help better serve the American people.”
CYBERSECURITY– Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has responded to President Obama’s call for legislation requiring companies to notify customers when their data has been illegally accessed: “I’m pleased the president reiterated his support for a strong national standard to notify consumers when their personal data has been compromised,” Feinstein said. “I have sponsored legislation in the past requiring companies to notify individuals when their data is breached so they can be on guard against identify theft, and I plan to introduce a similar bill soon. I firmly believe we need a three-pronged approach to cybersecurity. First, we must enact stronger requirements for the security of electronic information. Second, we must allow private companies and the government to share information about cyber threats and vulnerabilities to better defend against them. And third, on those occasions when attacks do happen, we must inform consumers that their personal information has been stolen so they can defend themselves.”
CLIMATE CHANGE — Sen. Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont.) announced the filing of an amendment that would put the Senate on record acknowledging that climate change is being caused by humans and is a major threat to the planet. Sanders plans to offer the amendment to a bill that would force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The controversial project would ship oil from Canada’s tar sands region in Alberta to refineries in Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. “The American people need to know whether Congress is listening to the overwhelming majority of scientists when it comes to climate change,” Sanders said. “On this issue, the scientists have been virtually unanimous in saying that climate change is real, it is caused by human action, it is already causing devastating problems which will only get worse in the future and that we need to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel. Do members of Congress believe the scientists or not?” the senator asked. Sanders has argued against construction of the pipeline because it would promote greater exploitation of some of the dirtiest oil on the planet and increase greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
PIPELINE — U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) spoke for opponents of the Keystone Pipeline on Monday, but the project’s proponents won on a bipartisan 63-32 vote to permit the project to go ahead without the normal environmental reviews
House of Representatives
DEADLY FORCE– U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) has reintroduced his National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act, which he said is needed to close a loophole in federal law that prevents adequate collection of comprehensive national data regarding justified and unjustified fatal interactions with police. Without accurate and comprehensive data, racial disparities, abuses, and instances of excessive use of force are difficult to identify and unlikely to be fixed, he said. “Before we can truly address the problem of excessive force used by law enforcement we have to understand the nature of the problem and that begins with accurate data,” said Cohen. “I am introducing this bill so that our country can do a better job of honestly assessing racial disparities and other problems in our justice system and begin to fix them. It is a step in the right direction and a critical component of the healing process.”
MAIL DELIVERY — U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) has re-introduced a bipartisan House Resolution stressing that the United States Postal Service should not end door delivery. Rep. Peter King (R-New York) and Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) joined Davis as lead cosponsors of H. Res. 28. “Proposals to end all door delivery are not good for postal customers, businesses or the Postal Service in the long run,” said Rep. Davis. “My constituents who have to use cluster boxes report all kinds of problems with them. My constituents with door delivery are very vocal about wanting to keep this critical service and I support them.”
VETERANS — U.S. Rep. Susan Davis also applauded the unanimous passage in the House of Representatives of legislation to hep U.S. veterans with mental health problems. Named in honor of late Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran and noted suicide prevention advocate who committed suicide on March 31, 2011, The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (H.R. 203) will establish: 1) A peer support and community outreach pilot program to assist transitioning servicemembers with accessing VA mental health care services; 2) A one-stop, interactive website to serve as a centralized source of information regarding all mental health services for veterans; 3) A student loan repayment pilot program aimed at recruiting and retaining psychiatrists will help address the shortage of mental health care professionals; 4) An annual, third-party evaluation of all mental health care and suicide prevention practices and programs at the VA to find out what’s working and what’s not.
CUBA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS — U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-California), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), the Committee’s Ranking Member, issued the following statement on the State Department’s disclosure of the names of the 53 political prisoners the Cuban government committed to releasing: “We appreciate Secretary Kerry’s response in providing us with this information, which will help keep the Castro regime accountable to its commitments. We urge the Administration to continue pressing for greater human rights protections on the part of Cuba. We look forward to holding hearings on Cuba to review all of the Administration’s actions. The release of the 53 is a positive step, but merely a step by the Cuban government toward what is truly needed. We urge the Cuban government to build on this action by allowing for greater political freedom on the island and respecting the human rights of all Cubans. We will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Cuba very closely.”
ECONOMY—In advance of House hearings on the economy, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Michigan) had praise for the Obama administration. “The economy of this country has been put back on its feet and it’s moving ahead,” he said. “The stock market has climbed to record highs and the deficit as a percentage of GDP has been cut by two-thirds since 2009. The Affordable Care Act has helped to dramatically cut the percentage of Americans without insurance and health care premiums are growing at the lowest rate in 50 years. This major reversal from deep decline to economic growth occurred despite Republican opposition to President Obama’s proposals, repeated GOP threats to default on our debt obligations and an incredibly harmful 16-day government shutdown fueled by an unending ideological opposition to the Affordable Care Act. This year must see a different environment. It needs bipartisan action on important issues.”
STUDENT PRIVACY– U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) joined President Obama on Tuesday at a meeting of the Federal Trade Commission where Obama announced his support for the student data privacy pledge, which Polis had helped to develop. The Pledge would make clear that school service providers are accountable to: 1) Not sell student information; 2) Not behaviorally target advertising. 3)Use data for authorized education purposes only 4) Not change privacy policies without notice and choice 5) Enforce strict limits on data retention; 6) Support parental access to, and correction of errors in, their children’s information; 7) Provide comprehensive security standards, and 8) Be transparent about collection and use of data
AMBER ALERTS – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz (D-Florida) responded to the announcement by Facebook that it would include Amber Alerts in its notifications to users. “The inclusion of Amber Alert messages into Facebook’s newsfeed is a savvy and empathetic strategy that will save lives,” she said.. “In an ever-evolving media landscape, more and more Americans are turning to their mobile devices to stay informed of developments in their community, nationwide and around the world. As a mother of school-aged children, I can’t imagine the panic that a parent must feel when their child is missing. Comprehensive child security is constantly top-of-mind for me as both a parent and a policymaker, and I look forward to this rollout and its role in rescuing more kids by providing quick, real-time information for quick action.”
California Legislature
State Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) has proposed sweeping changes in California’s tax code, including a proposal to charge state sales tax on services, instead of only on products. Health care and education services would be exempted from the tax, as would small businesses grossing less than $100,000 annually. His bill (SB 8)would also incentivize increases in the miniimum wage, and call for an examination of ways to simplify the personal income tax while maintaining proggressivity. With added revenues, Hertzberg, who is a former Speaker of the Assembly, calls for increased spending on education at all levels.
Local Government
CHARTER REVIEW – San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald has been tapped by Council President Sherri Lightner to join her and Council members Chris Cate and Mark Kersey on the Council’s Charter Review Committee. Besides cleaning up obsolete or contradictory language, the panel is expected to make recommendations on how to remove a mayor or other elected officials who are incapacitated or found to be engaged in criminal practices. The issue arose when then-Mayor Bob Filner was being prosecuted for sexual harassment.
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Items dealing with Jewish women serving in Congress are sponsored by Laura Galinson in memory of her father, Murray Galinson.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. Your comment on any of these items may be posted in the box provided below or sent to the author at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com