Remember when I said earlier this week that there's no need for Democrats to have some very involved and unending internal debate about how to deal with Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer who simps for terrorists and authoritarian communist regimes? As I said, Ro Khanna has it pretty much right: Democrats can appear on his stream or engage with him as long as they aren't afraid to call out the dumb stuff he says about America deserving 9/11 and China being great and Hezbollah being cool. That's all I ask.
Well, Abdul El-Sayed, the far-left candidate for Senate in Michigan, didn't even come close to clearing this low bar. He is proactively campaigning alongside Piker, who he has invited to give speeches on his behalf. And when asked about Piker's history of asinine comments, here's what he said.
Look dude, you weren't being asked to cancel Piker, you were being asked if you have disagreements with him, because he's standing next to you and representing your campaign. You aren't going on his podcast, you're featuring him as your surrogate, and that reflects on your judgment as someone who aspires to higher office. As a former resident of the state of Michigan, I know I wouldn't want to be represented by someone who chooses as an avatar of his views a figure who sides with communist dictators over dissidents, and with terrorists over America's friends and allies.
Similarly, El-Sayed equivocated when asked about the attack on Temple Israel, a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township in Michigan, which was perpetrated by an anti-Semitic extremist.
Is it so hard to just say the attack was wrong, and evil, and unacceptable, and leave it at that? You're running to represent in the Senate the residents of Michigan, not victims of warfare half a world away.
This is my issue with Piker and the left. Yes, America has problems, and yes, the U.S. government is very flawed in terms of its foreign policy. Like Piker, I'd prefer if more U.S. taxpayer dollars were spent here in America rather than overseas -- or better yet, if the taxes were just refunded to Americans and then abolished. But this relentless focus on the unique evil of Israel is so exhausting, particularly when it comes from people who won't lift a finger to complain about Russia or China. It means they're obsessed with Israel, and thus it's hard for them to beat the accusation that there is something anti-Semitic underlying their agenda.
It's the difference between tolerating Hasan Piker in your coalition, as one guy among many, and asking him to join you on the campaign trail and make him the centerpiece of your pitch to voters. That, I find, is a bridge too far.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill's commentary show "Rising" and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.