Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Public office is a tough job, made even more challenging by how toxic our political climate has become. I know firsthand because I have worked for elected officials of both parties. Criticizing politicians is easy and expected, and I will always prefer a system with ever-present political grumbling to one prohibiting such complaints altogether. But when our politicians show real guts, we should not shortchange our praise, especially if political bravery is something we value.
Despite facing death threats and a difficult reelection campaign next year, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., has demonstrated such courage. In response to the unimaginable tragedy in Israel — the most devastating terrorist attack in the nation’s history and the worst loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust — Rosen proclaimed unwavering support for Israel and its citizens.
While she recognizes the complexities of a nearly century-old dispute between Israelis and Palestinians and wears the mourning of the loss of all innocent life in her actions and words, she never once equivocates between good and evil.
In standing up for Israel, Rosen has not been afraid to call out and disagree with some of the most prominent voices in her own political coalition, putting her at odds with some vocal Democratic members of Congress. She also took on those who tried to justify the brutal murder and kidnapping of innocent Israeli citizens. She minced no words: “I will stand up to anyone, including extremists in my own party, to see that American support for Israel remains unwavering,” she said.
Rosen has not only challenged radical views within her own party, she has done so while standing shoulder to shoulder with prominent Republicans, including Gov. Joe Lombardo, in strong support of Israel. Rightly so, as our most pressing and serious trials rarely come prepackaged in partisan script.
That Rosen is willing to go wherever her convictions and good sense take her should not be surprising. Over the course of her years in elected office, Rosen has established a long, independent record, with experts naming her one of the top 10 most bipartisan senators. Over 90% or her legislation has been bipartisan, and she has made Republican friends along the way. Her bipartisan bona fides are likely why she has been ranked one of the most effective Democratic senators for getting bipartisan bills passed and signed into law.
Rosen must know that her words and actions on Israel could cost her votes. She has rejected the political (and personal) safety of partisan silos, silence or hedging, retreating nowhere. Standing with the opposing party or standing up to the upstarts and rebels in your own political home is not easy, as evidenced by the ever-growing political graveyard of elected officials in either party who crossed swords with insurgents.
What’s more (and more important), political fortunes are not all that Rosen risks by backing Israel. Recently, federal prosecutors charged a Las Vegas man with making antisemitic death threats against her, calling the senator “subhuman” and “vermin,” and claiming he would “finish what Hitler started.” Allegedly, he even went to see Rosen at her office. Security turned him away.
Some may dismiss her support as a product of her faith, heritage or prominence in the Jewish community. Putting aside the latent antisemitism in questioning the dual loyalties of elected Jewish Americans, rationalizing away the why of her actions elides their actual importance. She is the only Jewish woman in the Senate. If she won’t champion the cause of murdered Israeli children, who will?Who will stand up to the people who seek to resolve the Middle East conflict by threatening a senator and taking inspiration from Hitler?
As constituents, we get what we support. We cannot demand courage if we are unwilling to praise the courageous. We cannot claim to value independence when we punish those who exercise it. And we cannot cry for convictions when we scoff at those who wear them. Rosen deserves acclaim for taking a stand no matter the costs.
Daniel Stewart worked for Govs. Brian Sandoval and Steve Sisolak. He is now a shareholder with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. This opinion represents his personal views.
