editorials
Warnock, Sinema, Trump and Biden
D emocratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory over
Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a
Georgia runoff election last Tuesday was significant.

When it occurred, it sealed a 51-49 Democrat majority
in the Senate, which was seen as a big deal.

That’s because 51-49 would make it much easier
for Democrats to move legislation through their
chamber without having to worry about assuring
sometimes difficult party unanimity on every issue,
and because the margin would give Democrats
control on all Senate committees, making it easier,
for example, to confirm federal judge appoint-
ments more quickly.

But all of that was thrown into some doubt
three days later when Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema
announced she is leaving the Democratic Party
and registering as a political independent. While
not yet clear, Sinema’s shifted allegiance probably
won’t change the power balance that was in place
just before her announcement since Sinema’s vote
with Democrats was never a sure thing.

But whichever way Sinema goes, the Warnock
victory boosts the Democratic Party and raises
expectations. With control of the White House, the
Senate and only a very modest Republican major-
ity in the House, Democrats are going to have to
deliver on their promises if they want to hold the
Senate and regain control of the House in 2024.

President Joe Biden
can spend the next
two years focused on
doing what the
American people
elected him to do.

Beyond its impact on Senate numbers, the
Georgia runoff has other significant implications:
It is another blow to the dwindling popularity and
diminished star power of former president Donald
Trump. Quite apart from the ever-mounting legal
challenges Trump and his company are facing,
Walker is the fourth Trump-backed Senate candi-
date to lose a very winnable race.

As in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, Georgia
was a state in which a quality Republican candi-
date would reasonably be expected to win. But like
several other Trump candidate choices, Walker was
not a quality candidate. He was, of course, a very
talented and popular football player. But when it
came to politics, policy and issue detail, Walker
was wanting. He lost the election even though
every other statewide Republican candidate in
Georgia sailed to victory.

Ever since the stunning collapse of the Republican
Party’s anticipated “red wave” in November — much
of which is attributed to the Trump allegiance of
election deniers and others on the far right of the
party — more and more Republicans are talking
about the need for new faces to lead their party
and their 2024 presidential ticket.

The good news for Republicans is that they have
a deep bench with a full range of choices to lead
their ticket. The bad news is that Trump will not get
out of the way graciously. As a result, Republicans
will need to navigate a complicated minefield in
their own nomination process.

This brings up another potential dividend of
the Warnock win: President Joe Biden can spend
the next two years focused on doing what the
American people elected him to do. And given his
well-developed political savvy and skills, he has
the tools to get that done. Biden has the time and
the support to build on his successes. He should
spend the next 24 months finishing that important
work. JE
No Time to Waste on Ceremony
L ast week, the White House hosted a roundtable
meeting on antisemitism led by second gentleman
Douglas Emhoff. Numerous administration officials
and several representatives of Jewish organizations
attended. The urgency for the meeting was clear and was
reflected in the words of one of the attendees,
Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department’s spe-
cial envoy to combat antisemitism, who declared
that antisemitic beliefs “must be stopped by any
means necessary.” It begs the question of how to
get that done.

Emhoff, who is Jewish and married to Vice
President Kamala Harris, spoke of an “epidemic of
hate facing our country.” That’s certainly true. Days
before the roundtable meeting, former President
Donald Trump outraged a bipartisan chorus of
his critics and longtime supporters and friends
by hosting a dinner with the gleefully antisemitic
Kanye West, and white nationalist and Holocaust
denier Nick Fuentes. Trump giving oxygen to
hate-mongers is as offensive as the hate they spew.

Rising antisemitism has Congress worried as
well. On Dec. 7, a total of 122 members of the
12 DECEMBER 15, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Senate and House sent a letter to President Joe
Biden, urging him to develop a unified, national
strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism. The
bipartisan letter called for a “whole-of-government
approach” to combat the “anti-Semitic voices” that
are “finding new audiences, with anti-Jewish con-
spiracies gaining traction.”
Similar recognition is coming from the states.

For example, a recent report from the state-char-
tered Virginia Commission to Combat Antisemitism
tracked the growth of antisemitism in that state,
which has recorded nearly 350 reports of such acts
this year. But the Virginia report does more than just
record numbers. It explains the commonwealth’s
monitoring process, reviews the history of antisem-
itism in the state and in a frank manner admits
that “some of the most high-profile antisemitic
incidents in recent history have occurred in the
Commonwealth” — most notably, the deadly “Unite
the Right” rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.

In addition to its comprehensive review of antise-
mitic trends and activity in the commonwealth, the
Virginia report makes 21 recommendations to
address the problem. First among them is adopt-
ing the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism,
including its “Contemporary Examples.” It calls
on the state to expand Holocaust standards of
learning and include the study of Jewish history
in world history courses. And it proposes banning
public entities from adopting and practicing BDS
positions. We are encouraged by the Virginia report. It goes
beyond traditional hand-wringing and inflated
rhetoric and suggests tangible action. That’s the
kind of comprehensive approach we need from the
federal government.

We agree with the members of Congress' letter
that urges a “whole of government approach” to
address poisonous antisemitism. But we need the
right people leading the effort. In that regard, the
designation of Emhoff to chair the task force seems
more ceremonial than substantive, as he lacks the
necessary background or experience to lead the
comprehensive government effort that is needed.

We need an experienced hand leading this
crucial government effort. We don’t have time to
waste on ceremony. JE