OPINION:
On March 21, 1973, John Dean, Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, alerted the president that his presidency was in serious jeopardy. Dean confronted the president with a stark warning: “We have a cancer within … the presidency, that’s growing. It’s growing daily.”
Dean’s words were prophetic. It soon became clear that the Nixon presidency was infected by toxic ideology. Ultimately, it was determined that Nixon had not only failed to prevent the consequences of this pathology but had also encouraged it and sought to cover it up. Some 16 months later, Nixon was forced to resign and left the White House in disgrace.
Today, a different but also dangerous cancer is seeping into part of our political establishment. This time, however, it is not the presidency that is infected by a metastasizing cancer; rather, it is the Democratic Party. In fact, this destructive illness is in many respects far more pernicious than the cancer that destroyed the Nixon administration.
The Democratic Party is steadily succumbing to an invasion of virulent and destructive ideology from radical members. Epitomized by rampant wokeism, antisemitism and anti-Americanism, this infection is steadily grinding away at our oldest political party. It is, as was the cancer that destroyed Nixon’s presidency, growing daily. Most important, it is not being confronted by Democratic leaders.
We have watched for some years as Democratic members of Congress have raged against Israel, seamlessly moving into the realm of antisemitism. Today, an ever-larger group of Democrats is espousing similar ideas and doing so shamelessly. Nothing demonstrates this more than the longtime refusal of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, to denounce calls to “globalize the intifada,” the poorly hidden call for the elimination of the state of Israel and the destruction of all its Jewish citizens. Democratic leaders have mostly been silent.
The leaders of the party show no inclination to take any action to stop the spread of the reprehensible, radical and racist ideology infiltrating the Democratic establishment. This stands in stark contrast with what would assuredly be happening among the leaders of the Democratic Party if people were to openly espouse anti-Black or anti-Hispanic positions. Their silence is truly deafening.
It’s important to remember that Nixon’s downfall was far less about the behavior of some members of that administration than it was about the failure to confront that behavior in a timely and appropriate manner. History suggests Nixon did not personally authorize the criminal behavior of his colleagues, but once he became aware of it, he sought to cover it up and did nothing to stop it. By failing to end this behavior, Nixon not only became complicit in it but also was deemed to have fully endorsed it.
There are lessons to be drawn from the Nixon experience. When it is apparent that political comportment is inappropriate, those responsible for overseeing the purveyors of such comportment must confront it and bring it to a prompt end. Failing to stop the spread of prejudice and hate, whether against Jews, Blacks or any other group, is tantamount to promoting such terrible behavior.
History will be harsh in its judgment of the Democratic Party and its leadership if steps are not taken to confront and expel the left-wing radicals infiltrating and steadily seizing control of members’ hearts and minds. Yes, there are potentially adverse electoral consequences for Democratic leaders if they move against the radicals, but these are minor compared with the dire impact on our nation if there is no pushback against the dissemination of hatred.
The Bible provides guidance to Democratic leaders. The book of Deuteronomy declares: “Justice, justice will you pursue.” Why, the rabbis ask, is the word “justice” repeated? To inform us that it must be pursued when it is to our advantage and when it goes against our interests.
Thus, although it may very well be that confronting liberal radicals will be electorally detrimental to the Democratic Party, it is nonetheless just and must be done. The time has come for Democrats to rid themselves of the cancer being spread by radical left-wing members of their party.
• Gerard Leval is a partner in the Washington office of a national law firm. He is the author of “Lobbying for Equality: Jacques Godard and the Struggle for Jewish Equality During the French Revolution.”
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