Ilhan Omar Deletes Response to Steve King’s Israel Tweet Because It ‘Didn’t Land’
Former Republican Rep. Steve King tweeted this week about the Olympics and Israel and, um, George Soros. That tweet elicited a response from Democrat and member of “The Squad” Ilhan Omar. A tweet she later deleted on apparent advice and because, she says, her response didn’t “land.”
Both King and Omar have faced accusations of anti-Semitism in the past, and King’s tweet was explicitly on the subject of anti-Semitism. He shared an article about Artem Dolgopyat and said, “Israeli Olympic gold medalist can’t marry the love of his life in Israel. Under Israeli law, he is not a Jew. Even though his father is a Jew, his mother is not.”
That was all just background info, though. His point, if indeed we can call it that, was to say that Soros does not meet that standard, and that therefor criticizing him “is NOT antiSemitic.”
Omar quote retweeted that with a reaction shot featuring herself and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Their expressions conveyed a sort of “omg” feel, or distaste with something. That tweet, though later deleted, was shared as a screenshot many times.
It’s also available in Google cache.
There were many responses, running to various parts of the political spectrum, but several accounts suggested that Omar’s image was not meant to attack Steve King’s tweet but to echo his sentiment, suggesting she was, as one account phrased it, “sourcing white supremacist” King as a way of “bashing Jews.” In other words, some people were treating their expressions as being directed at Israel or Jews rather than at King and white supremacist anti-Semitism.
Omar deleted the tweet, then tweeted that her motivations were miscommunicated by the medium. “Lesson of the day: When mocking people like Steve King, don’t use a meme,” Omar wrote. “Twitter humor isn’t for everyone.”
After someone suggested she should not have deleted it, Omar said that she did so by request. And, she added, when a meme doesn’t land, sometimes it’s best to just ditch it. “When jokes don’t land, you have to ?.”
Twitter users continue to respond to Omar over the tweet and delete. It’s hard to see how the photo she tweeted could be read as an endorsement or echo of King, but as she notes, if something doesn’t land, it doesn’t land.
Believe me, I’ve been there.
