Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Ilhan Omar needs to remember that most American Jews are Liberals who support a two-state solution. AIPAC is an organization of rightwing activists who only represent the Likud party and Netanyahu. The real force that she faces are Evangelicals. Evangelicals are actually gleefully awaiting the Rapture and the vaporization of Jews. If she can adjust her message, she can force a debate about how far the United States is willing to go in supporting Israel and the treatment of Palestinians.
But what this whole episode has mostly revealed is how insanely narrow the debate over the subject of Israel is in Washington.
In fact, you can’t call it a “debate” at all, which is precisely the problem Omar was trying to highlight when she tweeted that members of Congress support Israel because of contributions from the America Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. In one way, it’s a mundane observation of the kind that is common: We regularly describe members of Congress as being bought by the National Rifle Association, or the tobacco companies, or the oil companies. On the other hand, as Omar found out, one has to be careful about making claims that play into stereotypes, and the stereotype about Jews using money to control the world is one of the most pernicious there is.
But it is awfully rich to hear criticism of Omar coming from Trump, a man who, as a presidential candidate, went before a group of Republican Jews and dropped a load of anti-Semitic stereotypes on them (“You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money. . . . Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken.”); a man who retweeted a picture of Hillary Clinton over a pile of money with a Star of David on top of it; a man who calls neo-Nazis “very fine people” and seems to have the enthusiastic support of pretty much all of the United States’ white supremacists.
Comments
Omar can attack policy while not appearing to attack Jews.
She can point out that Saudi Arabia is attacking her for not supporting the regime
She can also point to the hate mail she receives as a Muslim woman.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/11/saudi-arabia-declares-war-on-americas-muslim-congresswomen/
She is in a position to make Evangelical heads explode and to have Congress put pressure on Israel to change its policies.
Because Trump and the Evangelicals are hypocrites, Omar has the winning hand. She can fight Trump to a draw on who is the bigger anti-Semite, but because of her stances on the war in Yemen and the treatment of the Palestinians, she can win on policy.
by rmrd0000 on Wed, 02/13/2019 - 4:41pm