Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves
October 7, 2018
If we've learned anything from the Kavanaugh circus, it's not just that elections matter, but that party affiliation matters. Facts don't, at least not to the Republican side of the Senate.
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) introduced legislation to counter Trump's efforts to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology over Israel's objections. Trump's overall record on Israel is abysmal, and Jews will vote Democratic in record numbers this November.
Canvass with for Sean Casten with me and Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) this afternoon in Barrington, rain or shine. Don't miss the fifth in in the wildly successful series of candidate events that Dana Gordon and I have been hosting, this time with Abby Finkenauer in Highland Park on October 14. Details for both events beneath the Video Clip of the Week.
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Friends,
What would Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers do he was down in the fourth quarter? Would he complain about how unfair the rules or the referees were? Would he get demoralized and give up? Or would he redouble his efforts and find a way to win?
You know what he'd do.
Don't get depressed. Get energized. Phone bank, canvass, write some checks, do whatever you can to make a difference in this election. And
if you're free this afternoon, join me and the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) in Barrington to canvass for Sean Casten. Yes, I realize the irony of a Chicago-branded newsletter touting Aaron Rodgers. That's how important this is.
Every Democratic senator voted against Kavanaugh except Joe Manchin. Every Republican senator voted for Kavanaugh except Steve Daines, who did not vote because he was attending his daughter's wedding, and
Lisa Murkowski, who voted present.
Final vote tally here.
JDCA is right:
This vote will make the Jewish community "more determined than ever to vote our values – and support Democratic candidates – in November."
If we've learned anything from the Kavanaugh circus, it's not just that elections matter, but that party affiliation matters. For the indefinite future, we now have a Supreme Court that will strike down meaningful campaign finance reform legislation, gun safety legislation, and other reforms. If it doesn't overturn
Roe v. Wade, it will probably eviscerate it at the next opportunity. And don't expect impartiality if legal matters involving Donald Trump come before the court.
None of this would have happened with either a Democratic president or a Democratic Senate. Yet some people still believe that we should vote the person, not the party. They don't realize that the party is a large part of who the person is. There is no single better predictor of how a member of Congress will vote than party affiliation. The Kavanaugh votes prove again that Democrats and Republicans see the world very differently. Internal party pressure certainly plays a role in party-line voting, but whether Republicans really thought Kavanaugh deserved to be on the Supreme Court or whether they bowed to party pressure is immaterial: If all you knew was a senator's political party, your chances of predicting how that senator would vote on Kavanaugh exceeded 95%.
I'm not saying that you should never vote for someone running with the opposite party. Sometimes one party or the other will run a candidate who is simply unacceptable. But let's not pretend to be above it all or that we are "independent." Candidates choose party affiliation for a reason. It's the most important decision they make, and it's one of the most important factors we should consider when voting.
Let's also not be so quick to decry partisanship. Saying you're against partisanship is like saying you're against elections. What do you think elections are all about? The result of an election can be good or bad, but elections are our process. Similarly, a bill or a position is not good or bad because it is partisan or bipartisan. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. How did that work out?
What matters is whether a legislative proposal makes sense, and if it does, I want it passed--which in today's climate generally means by one party over the objections of the other party.
Let's also dispense with the notion that "the center" is the place to be. How many times have you heard persons and organizations defend their positions by saying that they "get attacked from both sides," as if that alone proves they are right? If you say 2+2=5, you'll get attacked by those who think 2+2=6 and those who think 2+2+4. You'll be in the center but you'll be wrong. The problem in this country is that the center has shifted too far to the right. We don't need to move to the center. We need to move the center to us, and we do that by speaking out for what we know is right.
As for the merits of the Kavanaugh nomination, I'll leave you with the statement released by Ford's lawyers on Friday afternoon (reproduced in full at the bottom of
this article). You should also read Nathan Robinson's proof that
Kavanaugh was lying and these editorials from the
Washington Post and the
New York Times.
Trump seeks to provide nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia over Israel's objections. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) has introduced legislation to counter this risk. Brad
told
Haaretz
that he fears “there is a dismissive approach within the administration on the real significant concerns this could create to some of our allies in the region.”
Canvas for Sean Casten with me and Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), today, 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, rain or shine. Sean is yet
another example of the pro-Israel Democrats running for Congress for the first time in this cycle.
Sean has
pulled ahead of Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), but we can’t take anything for granted. Defeating Roskam is one of our top priorities.
The fifth in the wildly successful series of events hosted by me and Dana Gordon will feature
Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)
on October 14 in Highland Park. No woman younger than Abby has ever been elected to Congress. Abby is yet
another example of the pro-Israel Democrats running for Congress for this first time in this cycle.
RSVP here or reply to this email. Contributions are not required but will not be declined. 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.