ADL in Crisis: Abandons 'Glossary of Extremism and Hate' After TPUSA Backlash

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

The Anti-Defamation League, which has served as an ideological goon for the left in much the same fashion as the Southern Poverty Law Center has, suddenly deleted its infamous "Glossary of Extremism and Hate" after it was overwhelmed by the backlash against its slander of Turning Point USA. 

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ADL produced a long report on just how evil Turning Point was, and TPUSA was on its infamous list of hate groups. To put that into perspective, the ADL is perfectly fine with and defends Antifa from its critics, despite a long history of violent attacks and an annoying tendency to riot and commit arson. But they find having conversations to be dangerous. 

The backlash against the ADL has been intense and well-deserved. It long ago weaponized its status as a defender of a legitimately endangered group--Jews--for the purpose of slandering conservatives (who are, ironically, often the most vociferous defenders of Jews)--to benefit Democrats and very liberal causes. 

With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years. At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused. Moreover, our experts have continued to develop more comprehensive resources and innovative ways to provide information about antisemitism, extremism and hate.

At ADL, we always are looking for how we can and should do things better. That's why we are moving to retire the Glossary effectively immediately. This will allow ADL to explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively. It will keep us focused on ensuring we do what we do best: fighting antisemitism and hate in the most impactful ways possible.

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That backlash is not only well-deserved but will also have long-term implications for the group. The FBI, which has long relied on the ADL as a source for training its officers, has severed its relationship with it. 

Perhaps if some other Republican were president, he would hesitate to make this move out of fear of criticism implying he is antisemitic. It's hard to make that accusation against Trump, and so far, I haven't seen anybody try in this case. Trump, first of all, is used to being slandered and unafraid, and of course, he is the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish president in American history. 

Visit the US Embassy in Jerusalem if you doubt that. 

It's hard to know whether other organizations will follow the lead of the FBI, but I suspect that many will. Organizations like the ADL and the SPLC get their power to bully others largely because the Establishment signals that they should be seen as authorities. They have power through a transitive property--they are seen as something of a proxy for the real power. If their patrons turn their back, it matters. 

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The ADL's power has been immense. They have helped guide the censorship complex by labeling people or organizations as dangerous, leading advertisers to avoid being seen as supporting "hate." A few words from the ADL can cripple the financial health, or at least substantially harm, almost anybody they like.

Their influence goes beyond censorship--they also actively promote leftist causes, many of which are only in the most tangential way related to their stated goal of fighting the defamation of Jews. As with many liberal groups, they abuse the moral capital they have acquired by serving what people see as a good cause and use it to promote unrelated ones. 

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The left has romanticized the ADL to create a mystique that it is a uniquely moral institution with an earned authority to lecture us--and censor us. 

The TPUSA misstep, though, was an "Emperor has no clothes" moment. Everybody who knew much about the ADL was aware that they were little else but a partisan Democratic Party front group, but until now, everybody pretended otherwise. 

Will this backlash cripple the ADL? Probably not, because the left will rush to their defense in all likelihood--although even among leftists the defense will be muted since Jews are not particularly well-loved by Democrats these days. 

But it will definitely hurt. Prior criticisms of the ADL have resulted in the organization doubling down, not retreating. So this is something new entirely. 

Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.

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