JStreetPAC Endorses…Wexler
–JStreetPAC press release (pdf)
Nothing pleases me more than watching TNR fall flat on its face in covering American Jewish politics. And TNR’s James Kirchick has done a magnificent pratfall for all to see in his July 25th blog post, Nightmare on J Street. The piece drips with sarcasm and barely contained contempt towards J Street and its director, Jeremy Ben Ami. I especially like this quotation from key AIPAC operative, Steve Grossman:
Steve Grossman, former AIPAC president…told me that he “would question whether any aspiring American political leader in either party…would ever take funds from an organization a part of whose centerpiece philosophy is unconditional negotiations with Ahmadinejad or Hamas.”
Then Kirchick points to an alleged J Street gaffe, in which the group mistakenly stated that Bob Wexler had withdrawn his co-sponsorship of the House’s “declare war on Iran” resolution (HR 362). Here’s the money quote from Kirchick:
I guarantee that neither representative [Wexler or Barney Frank] will be accepting a J Street endorsement this fall…
It looks like Kirchick, TNR and Grossman have egg on their face now. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving bunch. Read the TNR comment thread for Kirchick’s post. It’s entertainingly savage. If this is what TNR readers think of him it makes you wonder how he can hold onto his job unless of course he’s Marty Peretz’s darling, which is eminently possible. [UPDATE: Eric Alterman reveals that he is actually Peretz’s “personal assistant.” Alterman hilariously calls him Peretz’s “mini-Me.”]
J Street is another Jewish joke in particularly bad taste. They bill themselves as “pro-Israel and pro-peace”–a preposterous oxymoron as everyone knows.
We should celebrate their endorsement of the revolting Bob Wexler, who personally delivered the “Starve Gaza” initiative to the EU?
THIS is the progressive Jewish answer to AIPAC?
Sorry…no sale.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to learn that J street is actually a creature of AIPAC, set up to lure pro-israel Jews who wish to be seen as ‘moderates.’
@rykart:
Hey, if you want to be a conspiracy theorist specializing in bizarre ones like this–fine. But don’t expect anyone here to take you seriously. This is somewhere just outside of Neptune.
I said it wouldn’t surprise me and why should it? There’s nothing at all bizarre about AIPAC seeking to define the limits of permissible dissent regarding the Israel-Palestine disaster. They already have many spin-off organizations, so why not? J Street would be ideal for them. You can be a right wing jew and support AIPAC’s plans to nuke Iran, blast all efforts at divestment from Israel, gleefully starve the people of Gaza as a so-called security measure OR you can be a left wing Jew who supports J Street, believes it’s better for the time being to wage brutal economic warfare against Iran (for absolutely no reason), work tirelessly against any boycott or divestment efforts, fight ALL attempts to pressure Israel into cleaning up its act, support sewage like Wexler who carries the “starve Gaza” bill to the EU before CO-sponsoring another bill designed to bring Gaza-level misery and horror to the people of Iran.
I can’t see a single substantive area where J Street and AIPAC meaningfully differ. Nor have I heard J street take ONE SINGLE courageous and principled stand regarding the blind cruelty being meted out every day by Israel. Are they publicizing the beatings, home demolitions and horrifying brutalization of the Palestinians? Hell no! They are a pro-Israel propaganda outfit like MEMRI, CAMERA and all the rest of those slime. They basically define themselves this way. They exist (whether through AIPAC’s connivance or not) to scoop up as many jews as possible who want to feel solidarity but can’t quite stomach the full-throated lunacy of AIPAC. Substantively, I see painfully little difference between the two.
@rykart:
Neither J Street nor most of its supporters believe in waging brutal economic warfare against Iran, though I think most of us would not like Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
It’s absolutely disgusting to call Robert Wexler “sewage” & I’m beginning to lose patience w. such over the top grandstanding. I don’t support House resolutions punishing Gaza nor punishing Iran, but yr rhetoric is ridiculous. BTW, Wexler co-sponsored Kucinich’s impeachment resolution but I guess he doesn’t get any pts for that, does he?
I wouldn’t expect you to–yr politics are somewhere to the left of Neptune. But the rest of us can easily tell the difference.
Why should they? Is that their organizational mission? No. Maybe that’s what YOU think they should be doing. But until you run J Street I think they’ll be following their own agenda which is to lobby Congress to support Israeli-Palestinian peace. Personally, I think they’re doing a pretty good job of it so far.
As I said…somewhere to the left of Neptune…