The State of California is nearing a State of Emergency. There are endless budget woes, immigrations battles, a water crisis, etc. Residents are angry, afraid, and want change. (When I was in San Francisco last October, I spoke with many disgruntled citizens who were desperate to move.) That part is understandable; what’s unimaginable is that this “change” could come in the form of a vicious Anti-Semitic Senate candidate.
According to a recent poll, 18% picked Republican Patrick Little who is challenging longtime Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein. She is polling at 39%. The other contenders aren’t even in the double digits.
Mr. Little is a self-described White Nationalist who makes constant, false, and outrageous statements to anyone who will listen. Some of his nastier ones include that the Holocaust is a hoax, that Israel is responsible for 9/11, that Jews masterminded the African slave trade and that Jews love to kill Christians. (Still not convinced? Read this article from the Jewish News of North California. It is truly jaw-dropping.)
As if that wasn’t offensive enough, one particular quote is so baseless and barbaric, it shows the full extent of his wickedness. When asked about concentration camps, he claimed: “They had ice cream, swimming pools, orchestras, plays, they had soccer fields, soccer teams….I mean, I’d like to take a vacation at Auschwitz.”
A vacation at Auschwitz?!!! OMG….
Think about how warped a mind he has to even say that as a joke, let alone as a serious statement. Such people are either mentally ill, pure evil, or a mixture of both. Whichever it is, in his case, he is 100% unfit to serve in the Senate.
I can accept that one monster has a twisted view of history and a hateful heart, but I can not accept that 18% of potential voters share his delusions. Yes, polls have a margin of error. Yes, people sometimes change their minds as campaigns progress. Yes, it was only a small segment of 540 people included. Even if we cut it in half, though, that’s still a significantly scary amount in proportion.
America is a huge country. We have many different types of people, who hold different views. That is just fine, provided we can tolerate and respect others and treat them with dignity. We don’t all have to agree. We do have to get along!
The California Republican party has denounced Patrick Little. He was banned from their convention and will not receive any funding. The overwhelming majority of Americans, whether they’re liberal or conservative, don’t support Anti-Semitism. For that, I am very grateful. But it’s that razor-thin minority who can do so much damage that worry me to my core. We must, as a society, continue to expose these hateful folks who want to push a fringe agenda. They shouldn’t have a platform, they shouldn’t be taken seriously, and they should never, ever be elected to any office, anywhere.