Rep. Ilhan Omar's anti-Americanism exposed

In case anyone had any doubts about the precise nature of the ideology espoused by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), this week's unearthing of a tweet posted by the freshman congresswoman erased any such doubts: Given the unprecedented number of fanatical sentiments shared by Omar during her brief political career, it's perhaps easy to overlook the uniquely insidious point she is making here.

You see, this tweet is the definitive proof that Rep. Omar is an anti-American fanatic. Whereas her prior controversies exposed her anti-Semitism, political radicalism, and any other number of undesirable views, we now have unequivocal proof that a U.S. congresswoman actually despises the nation she represents. True, there have been prior instances of congressmen and senators acting in ways that called into question their patriotism or endorsement of Western values. But in virtually all such cases, these dissidents have been artful enough to allow for at least a modicum of the benefit of the doubt against charges of anti-Americanism. Even Bernie Sanders — a socialist who adored the Soviet Union so much that as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he hung the Soviet flag outside his office — has been careful to not explicitly declare his aversion for the United States. But Omar doesn't exercise any such discretion when she contends that America was "founded by genocide" and maintains "global power through neocolonialism." Absolutely stunning. She doesn't think America's founding was rooted in liberty, suffrage, rule of law, or constitutional republicanism; she declares it was rooted in genocide. Furthermore, she believes that America has never redeemed itself and continues to perpetuate oppression via "neocolonialism." It's almost immaterial to parse the staggering ignorance underlying Omar's argument by pointing out that the pseudo-"genocide" she speaks of was caused by disease spread by Europeans over two centuries before America was founded, and that "neocolonialism" is an absurd misnomer the far left uses to characterize the United States aiding pro-Western regimes. To ascertain Omar's anti-Americanism, one only has to take what she says at face value: genocide is the foundation of the United States, and "neocolonialism" is the means by which the U.S. maintains its malevolent global power. Ergo, America is a really, really bad country. It wasn't long ago that sentiments like these were confined to ultra-left-wing university faculty lounges or fringe socialist publications. The Godfather of the modern left, Noam Chomsky, has gained a sizable cult following promoting this sort of crackpot anti-Western conspiracies. Interestingly, as vile as his worldview is, Chomsky is at least consistent in that he believes that the United States is evil and doesn't pretend to be a U.S. patriot, whereas Chomsky's intellectual disciple, Rep. Omar, believes that the United States is evil but also has the audacity to serve in a body that represents the evil empire she decries. Rep. Omar's allies in Congress and the media will deflect; play the race, sex, and religion cards; accuse anyone of criticizing her as anti–[insert keyword]; and otherwise do what they always do. But the proof that Rep. Ilmar Omar is an anti-American fanatic is her explicit condemnation of the United States as being born out of an evil it continues to perpetuate. Eugene Slaven is the author of the comedy thriller A Life of Misery and Triumph and the self-help guide Enemy Thoughts. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.