The fury of the "pro-Israel" lobby lately has truly been something to behold.
It has abandoned bipartisanship by setting up front organizations like the so-called Emergency Committee for Israel, which is running ads across the country calling on voters to defeat Democratic members of the House and Senate for signing a letter urging President Obama to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
With all the problems average Americans are facing, the lobby is so out-of-touch that it thinks that hard-hit Pennsylvanian voters (the ads runs most often in the Keystone State) will actually cast their votes based on the lobby's litmus test of who is and who isn't hawkish enough on Israel.
Then there is the American Jewish Committee, which has now issued an unusual second political poll this year. The first, issued in March, was its traditional annual poll of American Jewish opinion on matters foreign and domestic.
This second poll, issued just before the congressional elections, is more limited and clearly is designed to demonstrate that Jewish voters are deserting President Obama because of his efforts to bring Israelis and Palestinians to the peace table. (The AJC press release carries the title: "AJC Poll Shows Jewish Disapproval of President Obama Rising.")
Actually, the poll's intent is to create the shift it claims to portray, a shift that is, in fact, not happening because, as Republican Whip Eric Cantor said on October 2, American Jews are voting Democratic, as they always have, because "Jews are prone to want to help the underdog."
But not the American Jewish Committee, the most established and establishment of lobby organizations which, under its current leadership, is a bastion of neoconservative war-mongering and has put its once-respected polls to the service of the GOP.
The good news is that Eric Cantor is right: American Jews (not him) are liberals and Democrats. But the "pro-Israel" establishment just follows lockstep behind Prime Minister Netanyahu who wants Republicans to win in November (he has a history of supporting the GOP) and President Obama gone in 2012.
One, they are tired of even Obama's timid pressure on settlements and (2) they want a President who will give Israel permission to bomb Iran. George W. Bush said "no" to that scheme as has Obama. But President Palin or Huckabee? They know that they would say "bombs away" in a heartbeat.
That is why they are running these ads. That is why the American Jewish Committee has become a Republican cutout. It's all about the Middle East: preventing Israel from achieving peace with its neighbors and preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, not through diplomacy but war.
And check out this ad the "Emergency Committee for Israel" is running against a Democratic Congressman in Connecticut. (They are using the same ad against a host of Democrats). Happily, it won't work. But it does demonstrate what this game is all about. And it's not jobs, jobs, jobs.
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Oh, and fund all elections with public money instead of lobbyists'
The ads, the vitriol and the political smears are in no way confined to the *Zionist*, ahem - issue. It is an American *game* and it is all over the place. Those of us who came to the U.S. decades ago as legal immigrants, and have become U.S. citizens, long ago, are still turned off by it, and we are more and more turned off each election. Just last week my Norwegian sister in law declared to me that she NEVER votes other than in Presidential elections. American elections are like long dragged out fights in divorce court, with all the dirt dug up and then some added to it, by all parties. She will have none of it. Tells me a number of her Norwegian friends do not either. As for me, I ALWAYS vot in elections, all of them, and I always vote Democrat, even though some on the comment thread will probably know *good and well* what I vote for, and all my *hasabara connections* too. And so it goes, I am sure, for most of those *earmarked* by the lovely Alysheba 3 and others.
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iam7545 r 10 hours ago (10:02 AM)
Great. As they should. After finding out that Jstreet has been funded by Soros after denying it for years I lost any faith in the liberal thought regarding Israel. Soros is open about his hatred for Israel and lust for her demise. So supporting Republicans for Jews is a must now.
Even some of the most liberal Rabbis are writing and preaching about Obamas anti Israel positions. Jews like me believe Israel is our heartland and must protect her from those that work to her demise.
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Spin Sniper 9 hours ago (11:04 AM)
Israel isn't a bipartisan committee. It's a country which has the right to defend itself. American Jews helping to oust Democrats from office is an obvious and necessary step in that direction. The only real question is what took them so long to figure that out?
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Then of course, you have dual citizen Israelis encouraging this in the Israeli press:
Whither goes our loyalty: To Italy as Italians, or Israel as Jews?
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/whither-goes-our-loyalty-to-italy-as-italians-or-israel-as-jews-1.319624
Pointing out apparent IDF excesses and calling for more investigations is very far from an assault on Israel. The Republican culture of hyperbole and lies does seem to work well for right-wing Israelis- but not for Israel.
A vote for Republicans is a vote for an unstable Middle East; it is a vote for fear and vote for war.
How could instability and war be in the interests of Israel?
Well at least you make your intentions clear. You could care less of the fate of Palestinians (learn to spell it!).
Secondly, I don't know about others, but the biggest threat to me and in my humble opinion the progress, evolution, peace and tranquility of the world is you and your Neocon ilk who like to start wars and leave a trail of bodies, destruction, misery and ruin in your wake.
You really did not address my statement directly.
The fact remains that Israel asked the Bush-W admin for permission to strike.
Washington refused. Obama continues this same policy. Therefore, Jews can not reasonably single out Mr. Obama on this issue.
Not exactly. You extrapolated this in your mind. If Mr. Obama insists that Israel withdraw to pre-1967 borders, he will be the first US president to do so while in office.
(Carter waited till he was out of office and his foundation was receiving donations from oil producers to make that demand.)
Mr. Obama is not far off from doing it and the only thing holding him back is the anticipated wrath of the American voters (not AIPAC). Lest see what shakes out after this election.
In the mean time, the US has begun funding the PLO, officially listed as a "terrorist" organization who has never before received U.S. funding.
Jews (by in large) love the peace table. Just not for the tenth time with no change in the position of the opposing party. Under these conditions the so called "peace table" is merely a euphemism for the 'surrender table'.
Jews love the peace table, for killing time, while they expand settlements to x,y,zeee! Your peace table is set with dishonest brokers!