Political Mix-Up in Washington
WASHINGTON — What’s in a name, really?
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) stirred things up on Tuesday when she mistakenly referred to two Jewish Democrats named “Josh” while responding to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Gottheimer had voiced concerns over the growing influence of socialism within the party.
“What’s going to happen to the Democrats who sign off on the bomb and vote for it?” Lee challenged Gottheimer. This came after a Garden State newspaper described the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as “not truly part of the Democratic Party but rather socialists attempting to dominate it,” adding there’s “no place for anti-American beliefs that oppose our ideas, our values, and our leaders.”
In response, Gottheimer mentioned he was thinking of “another Jew named Josh,” referring to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had authorized military supplies for Ukraine during a visit from President Volodymyr Zelensky in September 2024. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) then attempted to weigh in, but her comments led to some confusion online.
“He signed the bomb you voted to drop. I hope this clears things up!” Omar chimed in, trying to support her fellow progressives, but her timing was off.
This prompted Omar to write a note on social media, which seemed to reflect her ongoing fixation with Israel, thinking that was the topic at hand among Gottheimer and Lee. Then, Gottheimer hit back, sharing a screenshot that confirmed Omar had voted for $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine back in April 2024.
“Ilhan, do you know who else voted yes? It was you,” he pointed out, calling out his colleague.
Recently, 103 House Democrats voted to cut $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel, which was part of an amendment put forth by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Gottheimer, now 51, has been serving since 2017 and is known for being a vocal opponent of the far-left movement within the House Democratic Caucus. His remarks, which sparked the comments from Lee and Omar, received praise from progressive commentator Van Jones, who has been sounding alarms about the growth of socialist ideologies in politics.
