State Sen. John Braun Decries Dems’ Tolerance of Antisemitism

Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun has a spicy new op-ed in the Daily Chronicle. Braun, a Republican from Centralia, has represented Washington's 20th district since 2017.

The op-ed is striking for its no-holds-barred language. Braun assails the Democratic Party for tolerating - and sometimes espousing - what he views as undisguised antisemitism.

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"Unfortunately," Braun writes, "going easy on Hamas - despite its longtime designation as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State - has become a pattern for many Washington Democrats."

Braun is referring specifically to the Washington State Democratic Convention, held in Bellevue on June 21-23. The Dems took up a slate of resolutions pertaining to the ongoing carnage in Gaza.

"Good luck finding the text of the three resolutions on the state Democrats’ website," Braun quips. "But judging from news coverage, they call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of all hostages and an end to our nation’s military aid to Israel."

(Ceasefire calls are not necessarily outré or beyond the pale. President Biden - as vociferous an ally as Israel has on the world stage - has been urging a ceasefire since at least late May.)

"What seems missing is any condemnation of Hamas for starting the war, with its Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of some 1,200 Israeli citizens."

According to Braun, the Dems' misdeeds are manifold.

Gov. Inslee committed a shameful faux pas this year, Braun says. Back in January, Inslee apparently failed to reprove a clutch of pro-Palestine demonstrators after they disrupted traffic along Interstate 5 in Seattle. Attorney General Bob Ferguson was similarly mum on the issue, according to Braun.

"Seeing how these prominent leaders did nothing to discourage disruptive protests, it’s no wonder college students in Olympia, Seattle and Bellingham began taking over public property with pro-Hamas encampments in late April and May," Braun writes. "Sure enough, their demands were largely met by weak-kneed administrators."