(From Dave Emanuel’s blog. Reproduced with permission.)
The headline, “Georgia Democrats Stand with Hamas” seems preposterous, but that’s exactly what they did. The Georgia House of Representatives has 180 members; 102 are Republican and 78 are Democrats. On December 4, 2023, during a special session of the General Assembly, 129 representatives voted in favor of House Resolution 4 (HR4EX- ex denoting a vote during a special session.) condemning the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. The Resolution was sponsored by five Republicans (Brent Cox, John Carson, Chuck Efstration, Lauren McDonald and Mitchell Horner, and one Democrat (Ester Panitch). Votes in favor of the resolution may have come from both sides of the aisle, but 31 Democrats declined to vote, two Democrats, Rhonda Taylor and El-Mahdi Holly, voted NO, and another 17 Democrats opted to be “Excused”, as was a lone Republican.
While Democrat hearts bleed for most minorities, they seem to be hardened against Israel and Jewish people, both in this country and abroad. It was therefore not surprising that 64% of the democrats in the Georgia House of Representatives refused to take a stand in condemning the barbaric Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
It’s virtually impossible for anyone with a conscience to understand how an elected representative could condone such actions; declining to vote for a resolution condemning the Hamas butchery is functionally the same as voting against it. It’s just safer. Constituents and party leaders can’t condemn a legislator for voting in favor of or against a bill if he or she did not vote; and it’s easy to excuse a decision not to vote by taking cover under the umbrella of indecision or inadequate information.
In most situations, when a legislator declines to vote, it is an act of cowardice, a gutless means to avoid controversy and accountability. That isn’t to say all decisions to not vote arise out of cowardice. On occasion, a legislator may not have sufficient information or constituent input to decide whether to vote for or against a particular bill or resolution.
In some cases, legislators can ask to have a vote rescheduled so they have sufficient time to determine their position. If that’s not possible, their options are to vote “Not voting”, or to excuse themselves prior to a call for a vote.
There was absolutely no lack of information prior to a call for a vote on HR4EX. The legislature launched a quick response to the Hamas attack. In an October 15th letter of condemnation, legislators stated “We, the undersigned members of the Georgia House of Representatives, unequivocally condemn the barbaric slaughter of Israelis, Americans and other foreign nationals at the hands of Hamas terrorists. These heinous murders must be called out for what they are- a disgusting display of hatred and evil, offensive to every decent human being.
The Hamas attacks included shooting the elderly at point-blank range, murdering babies, raping young women, and torturing families in front of loved ones. The terrorists also took hundreds of innocent hostages, including Americans, back to Gaza for further torture and abuse.”
It should come as no surprise that the signatures of most Democrats are absent from the letter of condemnation. With that letter originating almost two months prior to the vote on HR4EX, there was more than enough time to gather the information necessary to make a decision. .
Outside of a script for a television show, it would seem that no one with a shred of integrity would vote “NO” or refrain from voting in favor of a resolution that condemns the killing of defenseless civilians, including children, the raping of women and a celebration of murder by the desecration of dead bodies. Yet that’s precisely what 50 of 78 Democrats did.
Their excuse for their actions, or lack thereof, will undoubtedly be that they don’t agree with the section of the resolution that states, “WHEREAS, our prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones in these attacks and to the brave Israeli soldiers who are exercising their nation’s right to self-defense by fighting back against the Hamas terrorists who seek the eradication of the Jewish people; we stand with Israel.”
Undoubtedly, in light of the Israeli retaliatory attacks in Gaza, the non-voting and “no” voting democrats will cite the, “we stand with Israel” phrase as the reason for their vote or non-vote. However, that doesn’t justify their refusal to sign the October 15th letter of resignation, which was drafted prior to Israeli retaliation.
Apparently, in the eyes of those who voted no, or declined to vote, it is acceptable for Hamas to attack Israel, but not acceptable for Israel to defend itself and attempt to stop future attacks. Clearly, Jewish people are not embraced by the woke agenda.
You can read the complete resolution by clicking on “Current Version” at the link below.