Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves
November 11, 2018
Democratic control of the House means that Congress will remain firmly pro-Israel, with a pro-Israel All-Star team chairing key committees. Nancy Pelosi is the right choice for Speaker.
Nearly 80% of Jewish voters voted Democratic on Tuesday, more than any other religious group and nearly every other ethnicity.
After fanning the flames of anti-Semitism, Trump is hiding behind the "but I'm pro-Israel defense," which doesn't make sense on its own terms and which is ironic because many of his policies are not pro-Israel.
Anti-Semitism from anywhere, including the left, must be called out and condemned, but while the rhetoric might be equally offensive, the impact of right-wing anti-Semitism, which has found a home in the Republican Party and in the White House, is far more dangerous because of the power and influence that it has.
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Friends,
Thanks to our energy and hard work, Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, finally giving us a check on Trump. Nearly
80% of Jewish voters voted Democratic, more than any other religious group.
The close losses in red states show that those states can be won. The challenge is that Trump knows that raw, naked appeals to fear and racism are effective in many areas of the country. Obama won because he deliberately downplayed race when he ran, and to their credit--even though their policies would have harmed the most vulnerable in society--Romney and McCain mostly took the high road and avoided direct appeals to prejudice and bigotry. Trump has never met a road too low to travel.
There are only two answers to Trump. One is to write off the voters most susceptible to Trump's messaging and focus on turning out more voters who share our values. The other is to run campaigns that activate emotions other than hate and fear. Unfortunately, those are strong emotions, which is why demagogues favor them. But we have to try both strategies, both to win elections and so that we can look at ourselves in the mirror.
Congress will remain firmly pro-Israel. With Democratic control of the House, the key leaders on Israel-related committees are an All-Star team of pro-Israel legislators. The Foreign Affairs Committee will be chaired by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and the subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa will be chaired by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL). Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) is also on the Middle East subcommittee. The Appropriations Committee will be chaired by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY).
Illinois Democrats are also poised to take key roles in the new Congress, including Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley, and Cheri Bustos. And congratulations to Sean Casten and Lauren Underwood!
The new Democratic members of Congress are overwhelmingly pro-Israel and include many endorsed by the
Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA). Republicans emphasized two or three potentially problematic candidates out of 470 Democrats who ran on Tuesday. But as
Michael Koplow explains, Democrats don't support BDS and won't cut aid to Israel. The few Democrats who might be problematic "are all backbenchers whose focus is on local issues."
After fanning the flames of anti-Semitism, Trump is hiding behind the pro-Israel defense.
Jacob Weisman
explains why claiming to be pro-Israel to refute charges of anti-Semitism is no defense at all.
What about anti-Semitism from the left? News flash: The leaders of the Women's March are not running for Congress and have no role in the Democratic Party. Their rhetoric did not lead to the murder of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue--or to violence against Jews anywhere else.
That does not excuse their rhetoric. We absolutely should stand up to anti-Semitism everywhere, which is why we should applaud
Alyssa Milano and
Debra Messing for refusing to speak at the Women's March if Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour remain the organizers.
But to suggest that Mallory and Sarsour have anywhere near the influence or power of Donald Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress is absurd. Anti-Semitism on the fringes of the left comes from outside the Democratic Party; much anti-Semitism on the right is coming from within the Republican Party, starting at the top.
Only one party, the Republican Party, is led by a man who regularly engages in anti-Semitic rhetoric. Only one party, the Republican Party, had multiple candidates
running anti-Semitic ads in the midterm elections (Democrats did not have any).
Some of the attempts to equate anti-Semitism on the fringes of the left with what is becoming mainstream Republican rhetoric are deliberate attempts to distract us from the unfortunate reality that the leader of the Republican Party regularly traffics in anti-Semitism and xenophobia, and that his party's silence makes it complicit. All hate speech is bad, but hate speech shouted through a megaphone is worse--and is a much bigger threat. The good news is that we can take Trump's megaphone away: by winning elections.
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.