Rep. Keith Ellison (D. MN) is in the running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. He has been endorsed by many party leaders — including Chuck Schumer, Bill DiBlasio, and Bernie Sanders — but he has also drawn opposition due to his presumed (or imagined) positions on Israel. It is important for the record to be clear on Ellison, so here is the full text of his recent statement on the issue, as it appears on his website:
Keith Ellison Statement on Support for Israel
Via Press Release
Washington, DC – Keith Ellison released the following statement today on his support for the state of Israel and a two-state solution:
"I support Israel. And I have long supported a two-state solution and a democratic and secure state for the Jewish people, with a democratic and viable Palestinian state side-by-side in peace and dignity.
"As I told Senator Schumer before he endorsed me, as Chair of the Democratic National Committee, I will continue to support the DNC platform, which I voted for as a member of the Platform Drafting Committee. The platform affirms:
Support for a strong and secure Israel, including its right of self-defense
Opposition to the BDS Movement
Support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”
Ellison has also been criticized because of his earlier association with the Nation of Island and Louis Farrakhan (whom he once called a "role model for black youths"). Here is his apology and explanation, taken from his open letter to the Jewish community of Minnesota:
I did not adequately scrutinize the positions and statements of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, and Khalid Muhammed. I wrongly dismissed concerns that they were anti-Semitic. They were and are anti-Semitic and I should have come to that conclusion earlier than I did. I regret that I didn’t.
Ellison is a thoughtful and dynamic political leader who believes in building bridges and alliances among communities. Like everyone, he has made mistakes. Unlike many others, he has acknowledged and learned from them. I don't have a strong opinion about his candidacy for the DNC chair, and there are other good candidates, including Labor Department Secretary Tom Perez. But it is certainly wrong to oppose Ellison because of his position on Israel, which is absolutely mainstream in the Democratic Party.
UPDATE: Ellison also published an oped this month in the Minneapolis Start-Tribune, in which he said:
In my effort to pursue justice for the African-American community, I neglected to scrutinize the words of those such as Khalid Muhammad and Farrakhan who mixed a message of African-American empowerment with scapegoating of other communities. These men organize by sowing hatred and division, including anti-Semitism, homophobia and a chauvinistic model of manhood. I disavowed them long ago, condemned their views and apologized.
You can read the whole thing here.
Steve, now that Ellison's position on Israel has 'evolved' to your position, how do you feel about his comparison of 9/11 to the Reichstag fire? Is that absolutely mainstream in the Democratic Party?
Boy, the Democrats have sure learned their lessons from the election. Great choice….
I have run into a lot of folks who have embraced Farrakhan. Most are willing to listen and several actually said, "he really said that shit about you guys?" They are embarrassed actually. There are a lot of ordinary folks that shouldn't be painted with the anti-semetic Farrakhan brush. I have sat in congregations where Rabbis have said arguably objectionable things. Would anybody hang their rap on me? Probably not.