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MaddowBlog

From The Rachel Maddow Show

The House vote to condemn rising anti-Semitism wasn’t unanimous

A House resolution denouncing rising anti-Semitism passed 420 to 1. The lone opponent was a familiar figure engaging in performative contrarianism.

By Steve Benen

Rep. Thomas Massie was already a unique figure on Capitol Hill. The House has voted on 16 measures in recent months to support Ukraine and oppose Russia, and the Kentucky Republican is literally the only member to vote “no” on all 16.

Last night, Massie stood alone again. Politico reported:

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the sole lawmaker to vote against a resolution that would condemn rising antisemitism, with 420 lawmakers voting to pass the resolution.... The bill is a non-binding resolution that expresses collective sentiment denouncing antisemitism.

A report in The Hill added, “The resolution calls on elected officials, faith leaders and leaders in civil society to use their positions of authority ‘to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism.’ The measure also urges individuals to denounce denials or distortions of the Holocaust and encourages them to promote education focused on the Holocaust and antisemitism.”

There are no policy implications to the measure. It doesn’t require anyone to do anything, and it doesn’t spend any taxpayer money. It’s simply a symbolic gesture, backed by the leadership of both parties.

At face value, it looks like the sort of resolution that could and should pass unanimously. And yet, there was Massie — who knew the measure would pass, but who chose to engage in performative contrarianism anyway.

Both Politico’s and The Hill’s reports said they’d reached out to the GOP congressman for some kind of explanation, though as of this minute, neither outlet has heard back. Massie also hasn’t published any tweets elaborating on his motivation.

It might be tempting to think the Kentucky Republican might pay some kind of price for votes like these, but that’s extremely unlikely. Just this week, Massie won a GOP primary with 75 percent support, and no one seriously believes his district will be competitive in the fall: The incumbent was re-elected in 2020 by a two-to-one margin.

The more salient question is whether Republican leaders on Capitol Hill will care. If there’s a GOP majority in the House next year, for example, will Massie be considered for a committee or subcommittee chairmanship? Or will votes like the one we saw last night carry some consequences?

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."