I came to DailyKos a few months ago because I am a political junkie, a former "Hill" staffer, and new to the world of blogging. Coming to the site in the months before the election was invigorating. There were so many people working to elect representatives that reflect our common values. Talking with a friend who is a DKos veteran and has front page rights I expressed dismay at the lack of true intellectual discussion of theory, while at the same time lauding the practicality of the site. Maybe it was just in the months before the election, but DailyKos to me was not a site dedicated to philosophical political debates, but a site to get Democrats elected.
I made the "mistake" of wondering into a diary about Israel and I was shocked. It was my first time reading an I/P diary on DailyKos and I was not prepared for the rhetoric, vitriol. References to AIPAC controlling congress. Constantly referring to Israel as a "Zionist regime." I believe this rhetoric to be anti-Semitic, as I and others have explained before, and I stated so. I got troll-rated into oblivion.
There is a common refrain here on DKos that all criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. I couldn't agree more. However, there is such a reflexive desire to prove that not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic that people often lose site that it is possible for criticism of Israel to be anti-Semitic. In my mind, and no one has to agree with me, talking about "Zionist propaganda" goes over the line.
I told my friend what happened and he laughed at me. He told me there was a reason the "higher ups" never got involved in the I/P diaries. He told me to stick to the reason I came to the site, to elect Democrats.
I have been thinking about that advice a lot lately. Mostly because with the elections over, there is a lot more time dedicated to "other" issues like Israel. Yet the discussion of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is often devoid of a discussion of American politics.
There are over five million Jews living in the United States. Every election since 1916 (with the exception of 1924 where Jews split their vote between Davis (the Dem) and Eugene V. Debs (the Socialist)), the majority of Jews have supported the Democratic candidate. Perhaps the Jewish vote is taken for granted by some Democrats, but Nixon, Reagan and GWHB, all won over 30% of the Jewish vote. GHWB learned his lesson about the Jewish vote. In 1988, Bush got 35% of the Jewish vote. Amazingly, that was more than Ronald Reagan got in 1984, and Reagan was viewed as one of the strongest pro-Israel presidents in history. But the First Bushes term was marked by a strained relationship with Israel. Most notably was the Bush administration's refusal to follow through on loan guarantees that were promised to Israel. The blow that hurt Bush the most was Secretary of State James Baker oft-reported statement when discussing the White House's relationship with Israel, "Fuck the Jews, they never vote for us anyway." In 1992, Bush got 11% of the Jewish vote, the lowest total since Barry Goldwater's 10% in 1964. Jimmy Cater had the same experience in the 1980 Democratic Primary. In the months before the NY primary, Carter was leading Senator Ed Kennedy in the polls by a margin of 54% to 28%. Before the primary, Carter’s UN Ambassador Donald McHenry voted for what was perceived as a seriously anti-Israel resolution. 3 weeks later, Kennedy beat Carter in the NY primary 59%-41%.
I am a loyal Democrat. I can't see any situation where I would vote for a Republican. I believe in the message of equality and fairness that the Democratic Party stands for. While Jews have been at the forefront of democratic movements like the labor movement and the fight for civil rights, Jews also care about Israel. Many Jews, like myself, are aware that attacks on Israel can be a proxy for attacks on Jews. the same way many Jews (and others) are aware that attacks on welfare and affirmative action, can be a proxy for an attack on racial minorities. The same way that we know that "English Only" is a proxy for attacks on Latinos and immigration.
Criticizing Israel is legitimate. It is the vitriol, rhetoric, and factual inaccuracy that concerns me. The constant use of the word "Zionist" to describe Israel or Israelis, is not the language of a political activist, it is the language of belligerent countries and terrorists. AIPAC does not control congress, and AIPAC is not a PAC. It neither endorses candidates, nor does it give money to candidates. It is a 501(c)(3) organization. And the same Jews who marched for civil rights and voted for every Democrat since 1924, are the same Jews who make up AIPACS membership. The vitriol aimed at AIPAC is aimed at a core membership of the Democratic party. (not to mention misguided as non other than Noam Chomsky has pointed out (http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=9999)).
Aside from all the other arguments that are thrown about in our I/P debates, one has to realize that if the Democratic party were to adopt the I/P positions that I have seen advocated on this site, I believe it would be disastrous for our electoral success.