There are some crazy myths running through American politics today, things like the U.S. government was behind the twin towers attack on 9/11, Barack Obama was born in Kenya (or was it the planet Vulcan), and George Bush knew that Iraq had no WMDs he just wanted to finish the job his father didn't, just to name a few. Perhaps the most ridiculous myth is believed the most; the myth that support of Israel is bi-partisan and should remain that way. The truth is Israel is not a bi-partisan issue and hasn't been bi-partisan issue for over two decades.
On Thursday House Democrats once again proved that Democratic Party support of Israel is not strong. On the same day as the watered down Corker-Menendez Bill requiring a congressional vote on any Iran deal was passed by the Senate, 150 out of the 188 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent the president a letter supporting his flawed framework for agreement with Iran, a framework which disagrees with the understanding of the deal as published by both Iran and France. No Republicans signed the letter.
The Democratic Party response should not be a surprise when one remembers their partisan response to the March invite of Bibi Netanyahu to speak to congress. In a partisan manner Democrats attacked the Netanyahu visit as being partisan. Charlie Rangel for example who sat through the recent congressional speech by Japanese Premier Abe, said that Bibi had no right to come to congress and criticize US policy, he should stick to speaking to AIPAC. In 2010 when then-Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke to a joint session of congress and slammed Arizona's immigration policy Rangel was quiet. But with the Israeli premier, Rangel along with former DCCC chair Steve Israel, and most of the Democratic Party's leadership condemned Netanyahu's visit-- even though the visit wasn’t a matter of politics it was a matter of survival.
When considering the history of the Corker-Menendez bill and reaction to the Netanyahu visit politicians (and the media) are asking "Are Republicans trying to make Israel a partisan issue?" That’s not the correct question to ask. The question should be, "are the Democrats going to finally admit their love affair with Israel which began with Harry Truman in 1948 has been over for years?"
Israel bi-partisanship is a myth perpetuated by the Democratic Party in order to keep the Jewish vote, and AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who needs to keep the donations coming from the liberal Democratic Party Jews who comprise the majority of their membership.
On Thursday House Democrats once again proved that Democratic Party support of Israel is not strong. On the same day as the watered down Corker-Menendez Bill requiring a congressional vote on any Iran deal was passed by the Senate, 150 out of the 188 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent the president a letter supporting his flawed framework for agreement with Iran, a framework which disagrees with the understanding of the deal as published by both Iran and France. No Republicans signed the letter.
The Democratic Party response should not be a surprise when one remembers their partisan response to the March invite of Bibi Netanyahu to speak to congress. In a partisan manner Democrats attacked the Netanyahu visit as being partisan. Charlie Rangel for example who sat through the recent congressional speech by Japanese Premier Abe, said that Bibi had no right to come to congress and criticize US policy, he should stick to speaking to AIPAC. In 2010 when then-Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke to a joint session of congress and slammed Arizona's immigration policy Rangel was quiet. But with the Israeli premier, Rangel along with former DCCC chair Steve Israel, and most of the Democratic Party's leadership condemned Netanyahu's visit-- even though the visit wasn’t a matter of politics it was a matter of survival.
When considering the history of the Corker-Menendez bill and reaction to the Netanyahu visit politicians (and the media) are asking "Are Republicans trying to make Israel a partisan issue?" That’s not the correct question to ask. The question should be, "are the Democrats going to finally admit their love affair with Israel which began with Harry Truman in 1948 has been over for years?"
Israel bi-partisanship is a myth perpetuated by the Democratic Party in order to keep the Jewish vote, and AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who needs to keep the donations coming from the liberal Democratic Party Jews who comprise the majority of their membership.
According to a Gallup poll published in Feb. 2015 American support for Israel is as high today as it ever was. According to that same Gallup report in 1989 47% of both Democrats and Republicans sympathized with Israel more than the Palestinians. But the opinion by party began to divide soon afterwards, as GOP support for Israel grew. Today 48% of Democrats sympathize with Israel more than Palestinians while 83% of Republicans are on the Israeli side
Pew Research shows a similar pattern, with Republicans sympathizing with Israel slightly more than Democrats in 1973 (49%-44%) and GOP support increasing to where it now stands at 77% vs. 44%.
But it goes way beyond statistics. The media which has the biggest pro-Democratic Party bias also has coverage which is the most anti-Israel,
During the recent Gaza war, MSNBC coverage led by Ayman Mohyeldin was decidedly anti-Israel. Even when their factual errors were pointed out, they continued to broadcast falsehoods about Israel. For example, when Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer confronted Chuck Todd who had a daily program on MSNBC at the time:
A couple of days ago, you know, there was an attack on a hospital in Gaza and there was an attack on a refugee camp. One of your reporters actually rushed to judgment; said it was an Israeli drone. It turns out it wasn't an Israeli drone. It was a rocket fired by Islamic Jihad. Four rockets were fired within Gaza. One of them went to the sea, one of them hit that hospital, one of them hit a refugee camp, one of them went to Ashkelon and was intercepted by Iron Dome. So it's important after you make an allegation, I would just ask you, Chuck, and your reporter in Gaza, correct the mistake he made.
Neither Todd nor Ayman Mohyeldin corrected the false story. That was just one of the many instances one sided attacks on Israel seen throughout the MSNBC lineup. MSNBC also has a nasty history of encouraging Holocaust denial, but that is for another day.
Party apologist websites such as the daily Kos and Huffington Post have become the breeding ground for anti-Israel propaganda. The Daily Kos is constantly accusing Jews of running the US and pushing the country toward war, for example
Kos blogger Felipe IV posts a title: "Zionist Jews are now a crowd in the Obama Cabinet," pasting an article from a website called cherada.com. The article complains that "Most of the officials who will integrate [sic] the cabinet of Obama are renowned operators of the Jewish Zionist Financial lobby of New York."
The cartoon above, showing a bloodstained Israeli flag with the "Jewish Star" morphed into a swastika, was posted on the Daily Kos.
The Washington Post and NY Times, both "bibles" of the Democratic Party have long track records of Anti-Israel coverage.
And don’t forget that Democratic Party icons such as Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski are actively anti-Israel, or that Hillary Clinton was the first person associated with any presidential administration who called for a Palestinian State, or with the possible exception of the time from her first campaign New York’s Senate seat in 2000 to her resignation from the Senate to become Secretary of State in January 2009-- except for the time she needed New York’s Jewish voting bloc, Hillary Clinton has never been pro-Israel. Or that this Obama administration is the most anti-Israel administration since 1948.
Yet still American Jewish voters cling to the Democratic Party. Part of it is because American Jews are being lied to. Jewish Organization such as AIPAC, the ADL, AJC, United Synagogue, Rabbinical Assembly, Union for Reform Judaism, etc., all claim to be non-partisan while they are all worshiping the golden calf of Democratic Party big govt. politics. These organizations work harder to perpetuate their Democratic Party ideals than to support their Jewish missions.
Another reason is American Israel-supporting Jews are reluctant to bond with those who probably support Israel more than most Jews I have met, that is evangelical Christians. Folks don't worry they aren't trying to convert every Jew they meet. But they rabidly support Israel and Israel's Jewishness.
There is also that fear if Israel becomes an openly partisan issue, the Jewish State would lose support of the Democratic Party. But that’s already happened.
Here's a piece of political wisdom. Jews tend to turn out on Election Day and thus can be a very important voting block. But as long as Jewish Americans, cling to the Democratic Party, the party will continue to be anti-Israel. Because the Democratic Party leadership believes they can do anything they want to Israel and still keep the Jewish vote.
Remember the 2012 DNC convention when four pro-Israel planks were removed from its platform? Only the Jerusalem plank was added back, the ones about not dealing with Hamas, no Palestinian right of return to Israel territory, and the one about Israel not returning to the pre-1967 borders, remained out of the platform. And Obama still got 70% of the Jewish vote.
It’s time to wake up and smell the chicken soup---if Jews continue to cling to an anti-Israel Democratic Party, Republican leaders will realize they cannot get blood (or votes) from a stone. Sure they believe Israel is a strong ally of the U.S., but why be enthusiastically pro-Israel if it doesn't help get votes? Right now it helps with the Evangelical community, but what happens if that religious movement shrinks? Perhaps GOP support of Israel shrinks also, leaving the Democratic Party freer to be even more anti-Israel than it is today
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