UNITED STATES - JUNE 15: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arrives to the U.S. Capitol for the last votes of the week on Thursday, June 15, 2023. ((Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))
Yet House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signed on to the invitation.
"The divide is overstated. The Republicans have repeatedly tried to make Israel a partisan, political issue and divide Democrats. And they have failed," replied Jeffries when asked about consternation surrounding a Netanyahu address.
The Brooklyn Democrat then proceeded to explain how his caucus held together to lift the debt ceiling, avert multiple flirtations with a government shutdown, and aid Ukraine.
However, Jeffries did not cite the vote on the bill to aid Israel in April. The House adopted that package 366 to 58. But 37 Democrats voted nay.
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However, unlike the majority party, Democrats have not tried to unseat two different Speakers this Congress.
Politics is about contrasts and perspectives. And perhaps that’s how Jeffries attempted to offer a pollyannish view of his party compared to the routine, internecine fisticuffs which paralyzed the majority.
"It’s nothing but puppies and rainbows on the House Democratic Caucus side," said Jeffries, drawing laughter from the Capitol press corps.
But it’s far from it when it comes to tensions among Democrats about the Middle East and the speech to the Joint Meeting of Congress by Netanyahu. The easy thing for Democrats who disagree with Netanyahu or view him as a threat is to hold a press conference or two, sit out the speech and maybe stage a counterprotest of some type. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., says he wants Congress to "bring the temperature down." But it’s hard to keep the thermometer in check if everything isn’t puppies and rainbows.
(Tom Williams/Getty Images)
There will be another time for that. Perhaps this fall when Congress tries to fund the government. Or maybe early next year when a new Congress is in place, President Biden is entering his second term or former President Trump is entering his second term.
But one thing is for certain, it’s not all puppies and rainbows when it comes to the Middle East for Democrats. And the chasm is deep enough that this issue alone could block Democrats from picking up the House and re-electing President Biden.
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Sure. Republicans suffer their divides, too. But an even deeper schism for Democrats lurks around the corner if Democrats fail to flip the House after the performance of Republicans over the past two years. That’s to say nothing of a possible repeat of former President Trump. If Democrats stumble at the polls this fall, they will tear at each other like limbs from a ragdoll.
As we wrote earlier, everything in politics is about contrasts and perspective. And if Republicans succeed this fall, one can look back at this period for the Democrats as one of "puppies and rainbows" compared to what’s ahead.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
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