When you hear a Democratic Party official accuse Republicans of using Israel as a political football, you know one thing for sure: someone in the Democratic Party did or said something patently offensive toward Israel and is being called on it. The accusation that someone on the right is politicizing Israel is an indication that Democrats believe whatever just happened could cost them among Jewish voters—a constituency they take for granted.
So what does it mean when multiple party officials, liberal pundits, and even television “reporters” start making that accusation all at once? Panic. That’s what set in last night after the Democratic Party’s convention delegates angrily voted down adding pro-Israel language back into the party’s platform yesterday—though the language was added anyway over their objections—after party officials were left trying to explain why they and President Obama wanted such language deleted in the first place. Politico notes that Obama approved the deletion, though there wasn’t much doubt of that, and then adds this delightful anecdote:
The division over Israel also flies in the face of a prediction Obama strategist David Axelrod made days earlier on “Fox News Sunday,” when he crowed that Obama’s convention would be free of the sideshows that plagued the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa.
“We don’t have the problems that the other party has,” Axelrod said then. “We’re not divided. We don’t have to worry about, you know, what people are saying on the side or about their affection for the president or — we don’t have those problems.”
In fact, not only is the Democratic Party divided on Israel, but as Ari Fleischer pointed out on CNN right after the debacle, the Democrats are practically split down the middle on this. He cited a Gallup poll from earlier this year showing that only 53 percent of Democrats—versus 78 percent of Republicans—side with Israel in the Middle East conflict.
Which leads to a larger point about the issue and the reason the Democrats went into damage control last night: the Democratic Party’s base is pulling it away from Israel. It’s disturbing that only half of Democrats sympathize with Israel, but as yesterday’s events showed, among the base sympathy for Israel is not nearly that high.
As Abe wrote last night, yesterday’s disastrous convention session and the fact that Obama will take criticism from all sides on this issue are the price the Democrats are paying for a party divided. But the uproar among Democrats was over adding the pro-Israel language; omitting the language inspired no such soul searching. It is becoming easier in the Democratic Party to ignore Israel than to pronounce support for the Jewish state.
Axelrod was wrong that the party has no divisions. But the question now is: For how much longer will Axelrod be wrong? That 53 percent constitutes a tenuous grasp on a majority. Democratic Party officials can pretend they have no “Israel problem” all they want, and they may soon get their wish. The original version of the 2012 Democratic Party platform was uncontroversial among party faithful. Republicans did the Democrats a favor by stating the obvious, since it gives the Democrats a chance to try to convince their base of the merits of supporting Israel and try to turn the tide. But that there is a tide to turn is undeniable.
So…..if the Democrats came out with a platform that completely withdrew support for Israel, called for it's dismantlement…would they lose the Jewish vote?
Not until there was incontrovertible proof that the withdrawal of support cost Israel many lives. Till then they'd pretend they were using tough love and had Israel's best interests at heart by being an honest broker and holding Israel accountible to it's ideals.
But afterwords, they'd say, "Well, it's a shame that happened, but Israel brought that upon itself. Turning the US over to the Republicans won't bring back all those dead Jews, and besides it's the Republicans who forced us to do it because the only other choice was voting for their evil policies."
No not for the Kontingent of KAPOS which sings their praises now. The Dems could call for Nuremberg Race Laws in America and they wouldn't waiver. They're nothing if not pathological and predictable.
Yeah, Yeah. I think most Jews and Israelis who seriously think about the support Israel receives from Evangelists realize they have a certain motive behind their support the the Jews obviously disagree with, but most also realize that they truly do care about Israel and the safety and security of the Jews that live there first and foremost. Evangelists are more attuned to what is going on there, have studied the situation beyond the surface level, are moral and therefore side with Israel. Sure, there are always cranks like this guy and probably some Evangelist cranks that this guy refers to, but those, I think, are the outliers.
Always good when the truth comes out. Better American Jews should learn now, than later. n nThey have been warned. n n
"…only 53 percent of Democrats—versus 78 percent of Republicans—side with Israel in the Middle East conflict…." nBased on comment threads when Martin Peretz was still posting at The New Republic, a segment of that 53% only support an Israel that understands it is a 'client', not an ally; believe Ramat Shlomo and Gilo are illegal settlements (versus neighborhoods in Jerusalem); and rarely criticize anything said by the palestinians. Those of us who disagree with those pandering poses are libelled and cyber-bullied. And those are the pro-Israel Dems at TNR, which successfully bullied Peretz out.. n nInside Obama's official campaign in 2008, the base totally buys the palestinian narrative and that the sovereign nation of Israel is actually one big mistake. n nNo one listened to me in 2008, about the ugly truth. nI am glad this is now forever captured by C-Span. n n
The issue of Israel isn’t just a “Jewish” issue. All Americans should be concerned about the Administration’s abandonment of our strongest (only?) ally in the Middle East. This isn’t the U.K. versus Argentina folks. The bad guys have genocide in their hearts. We can’t let this become our Czechoslovakia.
Nobody has ever really consider liberals as particularly intelligent. Liberals get along with a very minimal intellectual vocabulary and an adolescent mentality. I really do not enjoy abusing the unfortunate creatures and hope that they soon realize their intellectual capabilities!!!
Perhaps it should be sobering for Jewish Democrats to watch the video of the “discussions” about changing the platform back to support Jewish rights in Jerusalem to see the Arab American (and his apparently non-Arab girlfriend) stand up and shout against the resolution. Jews have been in the forefront of the fight to open US immigration, especially for 3rd world types, and in the fight for Muslim “civil rights”. As the saying goes, “you reap what you sow.” The Jews are rapidly (in some cases, willingly) losing their influence as Jews in the Democratic Party. You think they’d learn to attenuate their support for “3rd world” immigration into this country? Naaah!
Who leads, the cart or the horse? Perhaps, President Obama recognized long before the pundits did, that his Democratic party had turned anti-Israel. And ever the consummate politician, he was following the Party's lead with his own set of anti-Israel initiatives.
The real problem is "the Jews and Israel" and this is the heavy problem of the American Jews not the Israel`s.They`l understand this later.
As one who would like to see the current president voted out of office (and impeached), I have to tell you that using terms like "Ohbongo" distracts attention from your arguments and is not likely to convince anyone who does not already agree with you. n nAnd risks alienating some of the latter.