16 thoughts on “GOP, Increasingly Party of Corporate Elites, White Males, Evangelicals and Israel Lobby – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. The next election may well be the test, because it is very possible that the election will go this way: the GOP will get the lion’s share of the Israel Lobby money, and the Democrats will (still) get the lion’s share of the Jewish vote.

    And in the wash-up the equation will be this: who gained more?

    The GOP with all that money?
    Or the Democrats with all those votes?

    Because, when it is all said and done, this still remains true: you end up with your bum on the seat because you gathered the most VOTES, not because you’ve garnered the most MONEY.

  2. Right now, the Republicans hold a majority in the House, a majority in the Senate, and a strong majority of governorships and state legislatures. The Republican party is in fine shape at all levels except presidential, and they may very well win the Presidency back next year. Throughout most of the country, its the Dems that are irrelevant. I am not saying this because I am a supporter of the Republicans–I despise them–but facts are facts.

    1. American Jewish affiliation aside, Repubicans do have considerable power. RS seems to suggesting that they are just not very popular, which is probably also true.

      It is disturbing that American Jews could put Israeli interests ahead of American interests forthrightly, the mere public suggestion of which was taboo just recently. Something in this murky polity has changed very decidedly.

  3. “Young American Jews … views about Israel are also less certain and “loyal.”” – Well, being vegetarian and singing Kumbaya is a passing phase. Soon enough people grow out of it and though it is easy to relate to the sufferings of the Palestinians, they understand it doesn’t mean the Palestinians are the victims or that they are just.

    Their parents had the 6 days war to give them pride and strong connection to the state and right now all there is is some terrorists driving cars into train/bus stations. There also a great blackwashing machine throwing mud even at the great things Israel do. At the end, people are smart enough to sort out the true facts.

    1. @ Tankist: You’re dreaming. Polls for over a decade have shown this as a trend among both young American Jews and young Americans in general. As I said in my post, young people have gradually changed the country’s views on a host of social issues about which their parents were much more conservative including gay marriage, abortion, race, etc. Views of Israel will not improve among this generation as it ages unless Israel radically transforms itself & its approach to its Arab neighbors. You can whistle past the graveyard, but that doesn’t keep death at bay.

      1. Richard – you proved my point.
        There are polls for a long time but the trend stays only with the young crowd and does NOT permeate (google translate) to the slightly older generation. It shows that once those youngsters grow just a little, they understand the presumably Palestinian sheep isn’t a prey of Israeli society but the victim of many historical incidents with no will to settle with a reasonable solution.

        They understand much of the suffering was caused by neighbouring Arab countries who didn’t allow them to settle 60-70 years ago, the same way 10s of millions of Germans, Bulgarians, Hindus, Muslims and others were settled at the time.

        They understand that Israel (even with less attachment than their parents generation) won’t exist if those demand (unjustified in the minds of many) will be met.

        1. You completely misunderstand how polls work. Attitudes we have when young are generally retained over time. Once you lose a young person, you don’t get them back. Young Americans & Jews don’t suddenly transform at the age of 40 or 50 from apathetic about Israel to Gung ho Zionists. Trend lines from youth remain on the same trajectory. And you guys are in big trouble. Thinking that all of a sudden they’ll adopt a pro Israel narrative because they’ll suddenly become older or wiser or more cynical is a pipe dream. Now move on from this thread. No more posts here.

          1. “Once you lose a young person, you don’t get them back” – it that true? With both know it isn’t.
            Nobody asked them to become “Gung ho Zionists” just show support and understand the issue a bit better. Understand that Palestinians’ suffering doesn’t mean Israelis’ evilness as some people try to tell young minds.

          2. @Tankist: Traditional Zionists have largely lost the younger generation of American Jews. While there will always be a certain level of support, it will gradually decline & continue doing so unless/until Israel changes radically.

            Nobody asked them to become “Gung ho Zionists” just show support and understand the issue a bit better.

            “Gung Ho Zionists” by definition “show support.” And it’s not that they “understand the issue better.” But if you mean they see things the way you do, then yes, Gung Ho Zionists do that too. But there are less & less of them around.

            Palestinians’ suffering doesn’t mean Israelis’ evilness

            Palestinian suffering does pretty much mean Israeli “evilness,” though one might argue that “evilness” (I don’t think that’s a word by the way) is a bit extreme. But other than that, you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head: Palestinian suffering is a sin & crime perpetrated by Israel.

            Since you disregarded my last request not to comment further in this thread, I warn you that the next time you defy such a request you will be moderated.

  4. I note that RS does not focus much on the role of Jewish organizations as such in calling the shots for everyday American Jews. These organizations all eventually went Zionist not to keep up with their constituents but in order to stay alive, because of funding from the wealthy donors. In a vicious feedback loop now these organizations feed the Zionist enterprise and impact Jewish sentiment through their endless mailings and solitications. I think that these organizations now dominate the American Jewish Ziosphere, but do not represent the majority of American Jews any more than Netanyahu does.

    But, what are we to do with Americans who put the interests of foreign countries first? How long will mainstream America tolerate such an affront?

    1. Power, influence and democratic popular representation are not necessarily linked. Very few of us own shares of major banks, but still the big banks have incredible amounts of influence and power in democratic countries. The influence of the US Jewish lobbies is not minuscule even not all Jews in USA do not support them.

      The control of US political system is becoming more and more obvious. Now “they” are even linking the giant trade negotiations with EU ( Transatlantic and Trade and Investment Partnership talks) and potential future trade boycotts/sanctions/limitations with Israel. So that EU could not for example demand marking the goods produced in West Bank’s illegal settlements if it wants the TTIP to be reality.

      The question begins to be how independent, able to decide and able to hold the decisions the US governmental system is nowadays. In future countries in many cases have to consider is it worth to negotiate with USA if it is the Israeli government, Jewish lobby and some Jewish billionaires who make the decisions and set the policies in the end. Why not ask the Zionists first for authorization and then go to US gentiles saying that your overlords demand you to accept this agreement negotiated with them? For example the trade agreement with EU could be agreed fast when it is illegal, punished with death penalty, to mention Israel in a negative way in EU countries and EU allows 15 Adelson casinos to be build in the capitals and one in Monte Carlo.

  5. I understand that the billionaire Haim Saban has decided to go all out to support Hillary Clinton for the White House. His sophisticated advice about Iran was to “bomb the living daylights out of those sons of bitches”. What is Clinton going to do with this?

    I take some small consolation from another bit of his political repertoire:

    “In their hour-long discussion, Saban and Adelson had few disagreements, but one concerned how Israel engages with Palestinians. Saban said Israel has no choice but to negotiate with the Palestinians, whose numbers in the region roughly equal those of Israeli Jews.

    “What is Israel to do with these 6 million people?” Saban asked. “It is not about granting the Palestinian state. It’s about securing the future of a democratic Israel.” “

    (Washington Post, Nov.9 2014)

  6. About Saban vs Adelson: liberals pride themselves to be much more sophisticated than semi-educated yahoos who fund Republican Zionists (and Likud). For example, I cannot imagine Saban urging to detonate a nuke in an Iranian desert and “kill some rattlesnakes” as a prelude to negotiation (next step — nuking Tehran). Everybody with a scintilla of education knows that there are no rattlesnakes in Asia! Similarly, Adelson and obedient sockpuppets know that Palestinians simply do not exists: it is an Arab fiction! But liberals know that the reality is not as convenient as that and there are “6 million people” who may be left unnamed but …

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