Enjoy it while you can. The token conservative on ABC’s The View is leaving at the end of the month. So her battle with Chuck Schumer about anti-Semitism on the left isn’t a topic you should expect to see raised after the end of July.
On Thursday’s The View, McCain, who has repeatedly stood up to her own colleagues on the Jewish hate coming from people like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, challenged the Democratic Senator. She began, “Senator Schumer, you are well known for support of your Jewish supporters and Israel.”
McCain pressed, “Recently you were largely silent with the recent escalation with Hamas. And I actually interviewed Joseph Borgen, who was the man beaten in Times Square for wearing a yarmulke. He said he was disappointed that he did not hear from you directly after his attack as a hate crime. Do you understand critics that think you were too silent during the last attack?”
Schumer tried to dismiss the whole thing as partisanship, blaming Republicans for complaints against him: “A lot of these attacks come from the Iraq Republican national committee, NRSC has actually ran ads trying to attack me. This is very, very bad.”
On May 24, 2021, McCain blasted her fellow hosts for not denouncing left-wing anti-Semitism. Co-host Sunny Hostin appeared to defend an Omar’s latest outburst as simply being a “critic.”
I think it’s very dangerous to use examples of allegedly pro-Palestinian supporters attacking Jews. I think it’s um, criticizing the Israeli government and some of its tactics is not the same as being anti-Semitic. Just as criticizing Donald Trump is not the same as being anti-American. I think that you can’t conflate Israeli politics with Judaism and Jewish hate crimes. In fact, doing so I believe is anti-Semitic.
On June 14, 2021, Hostin defended Omar again, ranting about “Islamophobia” in the GOP: “This is just more of the same of the GOP’s strategy of attacking the squad, of attacking women of color, of attacking Ilhan Omar in particular. It’s evidence of their Islamophobia.”
On June 23, 2021, McCain called out Bernie Sanders, saying “some of your surrogates and supporters have taken things in a different direction, calling Israel an ‘apartheid state,’ publicly pronouncing themselves as anti-Zionist, and implying that Israel is akin to terrorist organizations.”
McCain’s principled stand against liberal anti-Semitism will be missed when she leaves the show in a few weeks. ABC should find an equally thoughtful, articulate conservative host to replace her.
Thursday’s show was sponsored by Ashley HomeStore and ClearChoice. Click on the links to let them know you’d like to see a continued conservative voice on the show after McCain leaves.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
The View
7/22/2021
MEGHAN MCCAIN: Senator Schumer, you are well known for support of your Jewish supporters and Israel. You even tell your Jewish supporters that your name Schumer comes from the Hebrew term Shamar or guard. And that you will be a guard for Israel.
SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER: Yes.
MCCAIN: Recently you were largely silent with the recent escalation with Hamas. And I actually interviewed Joseph Borgen, who was the man beaten in Times Square for wearing a yarmulke. He said he was disappointed that he did not hear from you directly after his attack as a hate crime. Do you understand critics that think you were too silent during the last attack?
SCHUMER: That’s not really — that’s not true. Immediately after the attack I joined the bipartisan resolution by Senators Murphy and Young. I supported it, or the statement that said we need a cease-fire immediately. That was very strong and immediate, and bold, and I’ve talked repeatedly against anti-Semitism. A lot of these attacks come from the Iraq Republican national committee, NRSC has actually ran ads trying to attack me. This is very, very bad.
As long as I’ve supported Israel, we’ve always kept it bipartisan. When I was a Democrat, in the Democratic majority in house and senate, every bill we had had Democrats and Republicans. These days some of the Republican, real — hard-right people, have tried to make it a partisan issue. It is not. I continue to defend Israel. I believe in a two-state solution. I’ve had long talks with the new governor and he’s been fully supportive of me, Lapid, one of the two in the coalition. Those attacks were false. Just false.
MCCAIN: Would you like to say something to Joey Borgen attacked by a Palestinian —
SCHUMER: Of course I regret he was attacked and condemned the anti-Semitic attacks countless number of times and send him everything I said.
MCCAIN: With all due respect it wasn’t coming from Republicans, Palestinian activists and that’s the question people still have.
SCHUMER: I’m telling you. The people, the ads were done by Republicans that were saying, “Schumer didn’t speak up enough.”
MCCAIN: But Republicans weren’t attacking Joey.
SCHUMER: No, no, no. I know that. The attack on him was terrible and regretful. I’ve condemned all of these attacks over and over again. I believe the day after he was attacked I put out a strong statement against the attacks.