I was reading Ha'aretz today when I came across something quite interesting. Apparently, thinking that while they like AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee) Republicans, and other neo-Cons think that AIPAC pulls "too many punches" to work with the Obama Administration.
So.... into the breach steps Bill Kristol and Gary Bauer amongst others to try and sway the Jewish vote away from President Obama.
Join me on this trip down the Rabbit Hole of Conservative thinking and let's meet the new folks in town.
Before we go further allow me to say that I personally am biased and donate to Progressive Zionist groups like Americans for Peace Now and Americans affiliated with the left wing Israeli Meretz party MeretzUSA. Domestically, I support J Street in it's urging for American involvement in creating a Two-State Solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Now traditionally the Jewish vote has always been overwhelmingly Democratic.
In the last three elections (and beyond that) the American Jewish vote has gone 77% for Gore, 74% for Kerry, and 77% for President Obama.
Despite the tense rift between Republican and Democratic Jews over the course of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, exit polls on Tuesday showed that Barack Obama received about 77 percent of the Jewish vote.
These numbers were higher even than the 2004 election, when Democratic candidate John Kerry received 74 percent of the Jewish vote. Al Gore received the highest percentage of Jewish votes in 2000, with 79 percent.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of the J Street lobby group on Tuesday called Obama's victory a sign that the campaign waged against him by Republican Jews comprised "baseless smears."
"American Jews resoundingly rejected the two-year, multi-million dollar campaign of baseless smears and fear waged against him by the right wing of our community," he said. "Surrogates and right-wing political operatives in our community stopped at nothing in their efforts to sway Jewish voters against Obama."
"We can only hope that these results put to rest for good the myth that fear and smear campaigns - particularly around Israel - can be an effective political weapon in the Jewish communit," he added.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
One would think this would give the conservatives pause but no...
Haaretz reports: U.S. conservatives form new pro-Israel lobby group
Washington observers may feel there is no obvious shortage of pro-Israel lobbyists in the city – but a group of leading American conservatives thinks otherwise and has set up a new campaign group to attack President Obama over his "anti-Israel" stance, U.S. website Politico reports.
The Emergency Committee for Israel presents a potent combination of Republican Party neoconservatives and Evangelical Christians. The new group’s board includes Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol and Gary Bauer, a former Republican presidential candidate who leads the group American Values, as well as Rachel Abrams, a conservative writer and activist.
"We’re the pro-Israel wing of the pro-Israel community," Politico quoted Kristol as saying. Bauer described the Obama presidency as "the most anti-Israel administration in the history of the United States."
So according to Bill Kristol they are the "Pro-Israel" wing eh? Well what does this mean? Well for one it means they are not J Street. Kristol says that J Street was an inspiration for him because they show what small groups can do. As Kristol says:
Kristol said this group was inspired in part by another new group, the liberal J Street, which he said had shown the power of small organizations to influence the debate.
"There are some who say they’re pro-Israel but aren’t really," he said, referring to J Street
Hmmm I think the folks at JStreet and their supporters might be in disagreement with Ole' Bill on this one.
So who is their first target.. Joe Sestak
Here is Congressman Sestak's position regarding Israel
Why are they after Congressman Sestak? He spoke to CAIR (as if politicians didn't speak to political groups), he didn't sign AIPAC's letter, and he criticized Israel's humanitarian blockade of Gaza. OH NOEZ...
I ask my fellow Kossaks to support Congressman Sestak in the face of this unholy alliance of neo-cons, Occupation fans, and Armagedden awaiters. I reach out in particular to fellow Jewish Kossaks to rebuke Bill and his insane clown posse (no offense to the real Insane Clown Posse) - support Congressperson Sestak and send a message that Jewish Americans are solid Democrats committed to our traditions of Progressive and Liberal ideology.
*********************UPDATE***************************
WOW! REC LIST.... THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! WOW