Unsavory Truth About Barletta
My mother always said, “You are who you associate with.” She may have ended the sentence with a preposition, but hey, pretty good advice, I would say. My mom’s words came to mind last week when Exponent editor-in-chief Joshua Runyan, authored a column detailing recent examples of congressmen/want-to-be congressmen and their lapses of judgment regarding issues near and dear to the Jewish community (“Truth and Consequences,” June 28). I cannot help thinking that if Runyan had waited one more day, he would have mentioned another example.
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, running against Sen. Bob Casey in November, has decided to move forward with a fundraiser where Nigel Farage, an alleged racist and anti-Semite, is a guest.
Farage recently made headlines when he warned that a “Jewish lobby” controlling America posed a greater threat to the country than Russia. Those comments, which were immediately condemned by the ADL, follow Farage’s history of peddling white nationalism and associating with extreme-right European politicians, including Holocaust deniers. When the Barletta campaign was asked about those comments, they defended the event with Farage and called allegations of anti-Semitism “outrageous.”
What makes Barletta’s response especially concerning is that it represents the latest in a series of instances in which he’s defended or made excuses for his decisions to associate with anti-Semitic extremists. In January, CNN reported that Barletta had attended a rally with neo-Nazis and given an interview to a Holocaust-denying publication.
By not canceling the event, Barletta is sending the message that Farage and his repugnant anti-Semitic tropes have a place in our politics. He is sending a message that associating with Farage, given his cadre of Holocaust deniers and white nationalists, is no longer a disqualifying act for an elected official.
As Runyan concluded, “I would have been satisfied with an apology, but at least the truth came out.” Barletta provides as much transparency as I certainly need.
Harris Devor | Philadelphia
Call Out Illegal Immigration
Please do not assume your readership agrees with the editorial stance regarding immigration (“Immigration Rally Includes Large Jewish Contingent,” July 5). No doubt, some do, but many do not.
There seems to be a disconnect: My wife and I are all for immigration — legal immigration.
No nation-state can sustain the incredible burden of millions of un-vetted, unskilled illegal migrants.
Our ancestors came through Ellis Island — legally, the proper way.
Illegal immigration is a globalist invasion to destabilize this great country.
Doug Marshall | Yardley
