Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves
September 30, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh's denial that he assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was as believable as O.J. Simpson's denial that he murdered Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson or Bill Cosby's denial that he date-raped 50 women, the difference of course being that Kavanaugh does not have Cosby's sense of humor and never rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a single NFL season. But pulling out a calendar instead of a glove was a nice touch.
Trump has become an international laughingstock; that's not good for the U.S. or Israel. Trump seemed to voice support for a two-state solution, only to demonstrate just a few hours later that he doesn't understand its importance.
The House passed Rep. Brad Schneider's (D-IL) Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act with no dissent, proving yet again that bipartisan support for Israel remains strong.
We have some important and fun events coming up for Sean Casten, Brad Schneider, Mikie Sherrill, and the fifth in in the wildly successful series of candidate events that Dana Gordon and I have been hosting, with Abby Finkenauer. Details beneath the Video Clip of the Week (one of the best ones ever).
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Friends,
Are you really surprised that the Republicans won't investigate credible allegations against Brett Kavanaugh? If gnathonic Senate Republicans don't care that at least 13 women have
accused Trump of sexual assault, why would we expect them to care that at least
three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault?
The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA)
is right:
Thursday's hearing "demonstrated that Judge Kavanaugh does not have the temperament or character to sit on our nation’s highest court." Kavanaugh touted his ABA ratings during the hearing, but then the
ABA called for an FBI investigation
of Kavanaugh.
If you watch nothing else,
watch Kavanaugh's refusal to answer
Sen. Dick Durbin's questions about an FBI investigation. The White House has imposed
unreasonable restrictions
on its one-week FBI investigation. When it comes to Kavanaugh, Republicans would rather run from facts than face them. Even before Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's accusations came to light, there were
plenty of other reasons
to oppose Kavanaugh's nomination. But thanks to a
confrontation in an elevator
, there's a chance that this one week delay will give at least one Republican senator time to grow a spine.
Trump was right about this: Kavanaugh did show America exactly why Trump nominated him. Kavanaugh came off during the hearing as an entitled, spoiled brat who was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. Republicans identify with him because they can see themselves in his place, so good for him for yelling and crying about it--after all, if privileged white males have to live with the consequences of their actions 30 years later, what's this world coming to? Why can't Dr. Christine Blasey Ford just get over it? It was only attempted rape, after all. What a disgusting display.
David Rothkopf and
Tim Egan perfectly describe the culture that produced Kavanaugh, Trump, and so many GOP leaders and why we must put an end to it.
Chemi Shalev
writes that the Trump administration "has lost its ability to win friends, influence countries and build coalitions that advance American values and protect Israel’s international standing in the process." Israel needs U.S. diplomatic support, and Trump is weakening the value of that support. Shalev concludes by calling out "the inherent dangers of a U.S. president who holds no moral authority, is laughed out of the court of world public opinion and is cheered by his sycophants alone. In the long run, such a world threatens Israel’s very existence."
Trump did call for a two-state solution,
but hours later
, he said that he'd also be fine with a one-state solution, apparently not realizing that a one-state solution, which is the
goal of the BDS Movement
, would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state. The
Jerusalem Post
notes that "the Trump administration has removed references to a two-state solution, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and of 'Palestinian territories' from State Department language."
What those few remaining pro-Israel supporters of Trump fail to realize is that by so closely aligning with the current government of Israel, Trump is weakening the ability of the U.S. to help Israel get to a two-state solution, which remains the only realistic path for Israel to remain both Jewish and democratic.
Aaron David Miller
, who has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, writes that "the Arab-Israeli conflict is not some kind of morality play that pits the forces of good against the forces of evil in some epic Manichean struggle."
"Rather, the conflict is a terribly complicated case of
competing
justices, where both sides have legitimate needs and requirements, even as they (both) behave in illegitimate ways that prolong the conflict and inflict pain on one another."
And now for the part that is going to very hard for some of us to take, but that we have to understand: "If you want to pick a team and root for on, go ahead. It can feel emotionally empowering and it’s much easier to remain in the warm comfort of the tribe. But if the conflict is to be managed and resolved, the effort must be made to try to reconcile two valid and just sets of needs." Miller explains that history has proven his contention, and that our special relationship with Israel, and our strong support for Israel, does not mean that a policy of all vinegar and no honey for the Palestinians will achieve our goals. You can't intelligently advocate for Israel if you don't understand this.
Congress passed the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act.
This bill further restricts Hizballah's access to the international financial system and was originally introduced by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Mark Meadows (R-NC). It passed without opposition, again showing the strength of bipartisan support for Israel.
On Friday,
Brad and Meadows
introduced bipartisan legislation to more closely examine the national and regional security consequences if Saudi Arabia obtains nuclear fuel enrichment capability.
Upcoming Events/Save the Dates: Don’t miss the 9th Women for Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) event this afternoon, September 30, in Highland Park with special guest Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL). Brad is one of Israel’s best friends on either side of the aisle.
RSVP here or by replying to this email.
Canvas for Sean Casten with me and Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), on Sunday, October 7, at 3:00pm in Barrington.
Click here for details and to RSVP. Halie will be bringing free JDCA buttons and t-shirts for everyone who joins us.
Sean has
pulled ahead of Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), but we can’t take anything for granted. Dave Lundy is convening (actually, hosting) an event for Sean on
October 1 in Wilmette. Defeating Roskam is one of our top priorities.
On October 3, join me in Lincoln Park for a reception featuring Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) in support of
JDCA-endorsed Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).
Mikie is a former Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, and a supporter of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, which she calls “
instrumental to global security.”
RSVP here or reply to this email.
The fifth in the wildly successful series of events hosted by me and Dana Gordon will feature
Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) on October 14. No woman younger than Abby has ever been elected to Congress, and she is
very supportive of Israel.
RSVP here or reply to this email. Our previous events featured Dan Kohl (WI), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Ken Harbaugh (OH), and Sean Casten (IL).
The Fine Print (in regular type)
: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. My views might not even be my views tomorrow; I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more, and sometimes I make myself mad too. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; seek out opposing views and decide for yourself. When I link to an article, it doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links.