It was never uncertain where Biden would come down on the controversy engulfing his once and potential political rival, one of the world’s most famous musical artists, and a social media platform that has reopened its doors to them both. His spokespeople have criticized Trump for his dining companions. And the president’s own record is lengthy and clear. He hasn’t just repeatedly denounced white supremacy, he’s made it the primary script of his final political act. No one questions his commitment to these matters. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want more. “We need him,” said JONATHAN GREENBLATT, the head of the Anti-Defamation League. “Every single opportunity he can, he needs to make crystal clear that anti-Semitism has no place in our lives…. I don’t think it’s too much to ask in light of where we are today.” For Greenblatt, Biden’s decision not to speak up in the immediate aftermath of the Fuentes dinner was as much obligation skirted as opportunity lost. As he and other Jews, myself included, see it, the trouble with the dinner and accompanying Hiter-apoligia from Ye is not that it happened; it’s that people of a certain political stature will consciously or subconsciously move on from it. “It’s the normalization of anti-Semitism,” said Greenblatt. Certainly, it’s not hard to see a chilling familiarity to it all — a dangerous road we’ve all traversed before. It’s underscored by periodic reminders that have popped up alongside the commentary: Trump, as it goes, has survived similar moments. Eventually, those moments stop being alarming and become the surrounding. It's not Biden’s job alone to try and prevent this. Nor can he be expected to weigh in on every trace of anti-Semitism that bubbles up on the political landscape. But the way he responded to Fuentes raises difficult questions: Would it have made a difference had he spoken out sooner? More to the point: Can this toxin even be eradicated from our politics? There are no firm answers. Certainly, a denunciation from Trump himself would help. But Trump has issued several statements now, only saying he didn’t know who Fuentes was. Others, like the Republican Jewish Coalition’s chairman NORM COLEMAN have “vehemently” condemned the gathering. And yet, the prevailing descriptor used by some Trump defenders has been that the dinner was “ill-advised” — like an extra glass of bourbon after one too many. “In an early time you would call a serious person with aspirations for highest office, meeting with an Nazi, was disqualifying,” Greenblatt said. “Now it is simply ill-advised. That’s a sign of where we are.” These are fraught times. Anti-Semitic incidents tracked by the Anti-Defamation League are at the highest level the group has ever registered. Hate crimes are surging too . On Thursday, Ye went on Infowars, the network run by conspiracy theorist ALEX JONES, wearing a mask over his face. He repeatedly praised Hitler. Later, he posted an image on Twitter that intertwined a Swastika and the Star of David, after which his account was suspended. It was hard not to gawk at the entire episode — a trainwreck somehow colliding with another trainwreck — until you realize that Ye has 32 million followers. Not everyone will know better. It was after Ye’s suspension that Biden weighed in with his own tweet, which the ADL praised . The concluding words read, “silence is complicity.” It may not be his job to respond to it all. But it is his burden. MESSAGE US — Are you NORM COLEMAN? We want to hear from you! And we’ll keep you anonymous. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com . WHAT YOU MESSAGED: A few White House alums emailed us about Thursday’s top on the agita over Biden holiday party invitations. This is what some said: BRITTANY RICHMAN: I used to work for Bush 43. Staffers (entire offices, really) were all automatically invited to at least one holiday party — weeks in advance… WH staffers work their butts off. In the speechwriting office we worked 80+ hours a week. Any perk of the job, no matter how small, helped fuel us to keep going. Biden’s Chief of Staff might want to rethink his party invitations if staffers really are being excluded. PETER CLARK: I was a Senior Staff Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers from September 1976 until August 1978…The Ford party was one of the best I have ever attended. The punch was about 60 proof, everyone seemed to have had two or three rounds, a rock band was playing great dance music… What a zoo! Conversely, the Carter party in 1977 was one of the worst of all the parties I went to during the six years I spent working for the federal government. Sparsely attended, no music, and critically, no alcohol (banned by the Carters in the name of Southern Baptism) … I lasted about 15 minutes.
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