Ilhan Omar has recently endorsed Bernie Sanders, as have two other members of the so-called ‘Squad’, and she is rallying her base to vote for the Vermont senator and his progressive policies next year.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the leading Democratic congressional newcomers, has praised Bernie Sanders as a president that will fight “genocide” and “western imperialism.”
While it’s not precisely clear what Omar meant by the fight against “imperialism,” she might have been referring to Sanders’ campaign pledges to divert part of the “exorbitant” US defence spending to domestic issues and avoid maintaining “unnecessary overseas military bases.”
Sanders stood at 19 percent in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday, trailing 4 percent behind Elizabeth Warren and 8 percent behind Joe Biden. Throughout the year, the 78-year-old senator has consistently polled third nationwide.
Omar, 38, entered the rally riding a wave of criticism from the political left for only marking herself “present” for a House vote that overwhelmingly recognised the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against Armenians during World War I.
Omar responded to the critics that she objected not to the substance of the resolution, but to its timing. The bill was passed at a critical time in US-Turkey relationship, two weeks after Ankara launched a military offensive against Syrian-based Kurdish fighters it deems terrorists.
Omar is a member of a quartert of Democratic female representatives of minority-ethnic backgrounds known as “The Squad.” Three of them – Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib – have endorsed Sanders in recent weeks. The fourth member, Ayanna Presley, is yet to endorse a candidate.
All four have repeatedly clashed with Donald Trump since they took office, largely over his harsh immigration policies.
The US President has repeatedly accused The Squad of hating America; Omar has been targeted in particular for her alleged anti-Semitism. The Minnesota congresswoman openly supports the pro-Palestinian BDS movement and got embroiled in a massive row early this year after suggesting that lobbyists in AIPAC sway US politicians to support Israel.
The scandal prompted the House to vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, and Omar apologised for the wording (but not for the case she made).
Sourse: sputniknews.com
