Even Left-Wing Politicians Can’t Quit Israel

[Type Username Here]

Much of the American left is critical of Israel, particularly since its incursion into Gaza. But in the halls of Congress, even progressive Democrats beloved by grassroots activists are loath to criticize the Jewish State’s ongoing military offensive.

A Pew Research Center poll released Monday showed that a plurality of Democrats across the country, 35 percent, and liberals, 44 percent, said that Israel had “gone too far” in its response to its conflict with Hamas. Meanwhile 47 percent of Democrats told Gallup that Israel’s actions during the current conflict were “unjustified,” compared to just 31 percent who thought the opposite.

But these opinions are nearly impossible to find in Congress. Democrats, when asked a question about Israeli operations in Gaza, had two standard responses: irritation, or else a statement of their broad support of Israel, without going into specifics. It was as if the very mention of Israel turned the question into a hostile interview.

“Look, man, I’m a politician, with multiple constituencies. Why should I alienate one just so that you can write a story?” Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison angrily told The Daily Beast. Ellison, a stalwart progressive, was the first Muslim-American elected to Congress.

Ellison cited a Tuesday op-ed he had written that was critical of the Gaza blockade, but became noticeably agitated when asked to expand on his views. In particular, he did not want to address whether Israel had gone too far during its current operations in the Gaza Strip.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a darling of the left who identifies as a democratic socialist, was curt. His tone changed suddenly when the topic shifted from the Veterans Administration bill that he had been shepherding through Congress to Israel’s operation in Gaza.

“That’s not where my mind is right now,” he told the Beast.

Democratic Rep. Sandy Levin said he was on his way to a meeting and didn’t have time to discuss the issue. (He did, however, stop for another reporter, who asked about transportation funding.) When Rep. Krysten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, was approached, she simply repeated that she supports the right of Israel to defend itself.

There has been essentially no congressional criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Two weeks ago, after Israel announced it had begun Operation Protective Edge, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution expressing its support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens, and called on Hamas to immediately cease attacks against Israel.

“Coming to the defense of Israel is not a partisan issue—it is an American principle,” said House Majority Leader Harry Reid, making the case for lawmakers to approve hundreds of millions in spending for Israel’s Iron Dome defensive system.

Lawmakers are largely supportive of the Pentagon’s request for $225 million in Iron Dome funding, although the Senate wants to include it as part of a broader border crisis bill, while the House wants to vote on its separately. Nevertheless, should Iron Dome funding come up for a vote this week, it is expected to receive overwhelming support.

Pro-Israel progressives say the Democratic base’s objections to Israel’s operation in Gaza stem from the high death toll among civilians.

“Any time there are civilians dying, children dying, progressives are upset, as they should be. In general, we have more sympathy for the deaths of civilians than our friends on the right. They’re much more pro-war,” a Democratic congressional aide said.

And as Ellison’s frank comments suggest, lawmakers have to worry about alienating Jewish constituents before November’s midterm elections. For example, a recently leaked memo from Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn’s campaign was explicit in tying a pro-Israel message to support from Jewish voters and fundraisers.

If you just keep your mouth shut, it’s hard to imagine progressives abandoning you,” one progressive pro-Israel activist said. “There isn’t a lot of upside and potentially a lot of downside of a lawmaker getting on the wrong side of a community that is riled up, especially in the run-up to an election…intensity beats numbers, and the people who support Israel are very intense.”

For the left, congressional support for Israel is such a given that many have turned to other methods to influence the debate.

“[Activists] look at Congress as hopeless. Moving Congress or moving the administration is hopeless,” said Kevin Martin, executive director of Peace Action, an anti-war group. “That’s why there’s a shift to [the BDS movement] rather than…trying to influence congressional or administrative policy on Israel.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/30/even-left-wing-congressmen-can-t-quit-israel.html

 

[Gains]

democrats are leftists ?

 

[Crakface]

Democrat is code for israel

 

[Type Username Here]

Boxer submits a new Pro-Israel bill, with various Democrats as co-sponsors, including Elizabeth Warren:

U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) today introduced the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014, an updated version of the bipartisan legislation they introduced in March 2013 that would help strengthen economic and security cooperation between the two countries. In addition to Senators Boxer and Blunt, the measure is supported by 77 Senators.


Specifically, the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014:
• Authorizes an increase of $200 million in the value of U.S. weapons held in Israel, to a total of $1.8 billion. This stockpile is intended for use by U.S. forces in the event of a crisis, but it can also be used by Israel in the event of an emergency with Israel reimbursing the U.S. for any weapons used.
• Requires the Administration to take steps toward allowing Israel to be included in the top-tier category for license-free exports of certain U.S. technologies and products.
• Authorizes the President to carry out cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on a range of policy areas including energy, water, homeland security, and alternative fuel technologies. And it requires the President to study the feasibility of expanding U.S.-Israel cooperation on cyber security.
• Includes new language that encourages the Administration to work with Israel to help the country gain entry into the Visa Waiver Program, which would make it easier for Israeli citizens to travel to the United States without first having to obtain a visa.
• Requires the Administration to provide more frequent and more detailed assessments on the status of Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbors.
• Strengthens collaboration between the U.S. and Israel on energy development and encourages increased cooperation between the two countries’ academic, business and governmental sectors.

http://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/press/releases/072814.cfm

The "progressive" party ladies and gentlemen

 

[Type Username Here]

democrats are leftists ?

Should say Leftist Right-Wing Politicians*

 

[Type Username Here]

As much I as I'm not a fan of Ron Paul , he at least had some balls on this issue. His son is a coward.

In an interview with Don Imus, Paul was asked for his view of the Gaza flotilla raid. He responded, "...I think it's absolutely wrong to prevent people that are starving and having problems, that are almost like in concentration camps, and saying yes we endorse this whole concept that we can't allow ships to go in there in a humanitarian way..." Imus remarked, "They are allowing humanitarian aid in... what they're concerned about is weapons falling into the hands of Hamas..." Paul responded, "Well, they're an elected government, I mean Hamas; We have thousands of our soldiers dying to say that we want elections and we want democracy, so we finally get one in Palestine, and they elect Hamas, and then all of a sudden whoa you've elected the wrong people..."

Kucinich too:

Dennis Kucinich spoke in the House of Representatives opposing H. Res. 34 which would recognize Israel's right to defend itself as he claims the resolution was incomplete in examining the conflict. He said "The Israeli Army evacuated 100 Palestinians to a house, and then bombed the house, killing 30 people. They don't have bomb shelters in Gaza. Emergency workers have been blocked by the Israeli Army from reaching hundreds of injured persons. Today's Washington Post headline documents that. We all want peace, but we're not going to get peace until we recognize that there are two parties to this dispute and that we have to also review Israel's conduct as well. That path to peace has to begin with stopping the war, having a cease-fire, constructing a truce, ending the blockade, getting humanitarian assistance through to all the people, rebuilding the infrastructure of the Palestinians, rebuilding their economic possibilities, bringing Hamas and Israel together for talks, using that as the basis to the path for peace in the Middle East."

Now we have this:

“Look, man, I’m a politician, with multiple constituencies. Why should I alienate one just so that you can write a story?”

 

[DEAD7]

I dont think its possible to move up in washington without being pro israel... shyt is beyond corrupt.

 

[Type Username Here]

I dont think its possible to move up in washington without being pro israel... shyt is beyond corrupt.

We learned that with Hagel's nomination to SecDef. That was sad to see in a way.

AIPAC move strong and the Dems can't lose that Hollywood Funding.

 

[Saka]

We have lobby groups taking MPs from BOTH parties for a vacation and a nice schooling in pro-Israeli policy up north here in Canada.

OTTAWA — A small delegation of Conservative and Liberal MPs are heading to Israel Monday night.

The five MPs and one former Liberal senator were invited by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) to visit the war zone. They may visit Sderot or Be'er Sheva, towns shelled by Hamas rockets. But they will not visit Gaza.

"It will all depend on the security situation on the ground Wednesday," said CIJA's David Cooper, who will be travelling with them. "We're not going to go anywhere [in Israel] that is not deemed safe."

Cooper said he felt it was important for the MPs "to get a real sense of what's going on, to hear voices from real people who are either making decisions about what is going on or who are impacted by the actual conflict."

The delegation includes: Conservative MPs David Sweet, Ted Opitz, Randy Hoback; Liberal MPs Carolyn Bennett and John McCallum and senator Grant Mitchell.

The non-partisan Jewish advocacy group extended an invitation to the NDP as well but "they weren't able to get anyone."

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the CIJA, told The Canadian Press the trip was arranged at the last minute, and only English-speaking parliamentarians who have been to the region before were invited. Fogel said the delegation will receive briefings on the conflict by the Israeli government and military.

"My hope is that they will get (from) either Palestinian leadership that they meet with or the Canadian representative to Ramallah and the Palestinian Authority . . . some insight into some of the other perspective," he said.

"But for us the issue is very much focused on what Israel has had to endure, what precipitated this particular hot conflict and some of the underlying issues that really have to be addressed."

Although the New Democrats under leader Thomas Mulcair have adopted a more pro-Israeli stance, the conflict in Gaza has been deeply divisive for the party's base and seems to have caused something of a readjustment of party policy.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar was quite critical of Israel in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen over the weekend.

"Israel should be doing more to de-escalate and taking more care in dealing with civilian casualties," he told the newspaper Sunday.

Hoback told The Huffington Post Canada that he hoped the trip — funded by CIJA — would provide a better understanding of the situation "over there."

"I want to make sure that everything is being done to end the violence and to prevent casualties but, in the same breathe, recognize the fact that Israel is a country that does recognize human rights and does recognize women's rights and is a democracy…[and] show some support for Israel as they go through this. It's a trying time for sure."

The Tory MP said "nobody wants to see a civilian dying" but he thinks the situation has been misconstrued.

"It's not Israel that is putting up these people as human shields, it's Hamas... and how they are willing to sacrifice kids to make their ends. I have a hard time getting my head around that… It's Hamas that started this."

"A lot of people are spinning it the way they want to spin it," he added.

Hoback told HuffPost he'd like to go to Gaza but he knows it's not a reasonable request. "I'm not willing to risk other people's lives just so I can go look at something."

Neither Liberal MPs Bennett nor McCallum returned calls seeking comment before their trip.

The trip is expected to last 48 hours with the MPs back in Canada Thursday.

source:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/28/gaza-conflict-israel-conservative-liberal-ndp_n_5627138.html

 

[Madvillain]

That's Sanders, deBlasio & Warren I would even think Ellison was better than that response. How many outspoken Dems can we find? There was at a time I remember Kucinich.
LMAO and remember when they called Barack pro-Palestine?
I wonder how the Dem. debates will go when this is still an issue. Younger "liberals" are gaining more & more of an unfavorable opinion of Israel.

 

[Type Username Here]

Says Hagel: "The political reality is that… the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here." Hagel then related a meeting he had in New York with a group of supporters of Israel who are pushing the U.S. to attack Iran. When Hagel said it hadn’t worked out that well in Iraq, a couple of members of the group said he wasn’t supportive enough of Israel. Hagel spoke firmly: "Let me clear something up here if there’s any doubt in your mind. I’m a U.S. Senator. I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a U.S. Senator. I support Israel… But my first interest is, I take an oath to the constitution of the United States. Not to a president, not to a party, not to Israel."

The man was killed for saying this. For saying he serves his country. Had to get up there and tap dance like a clown for saying he was a US Senator first.

 

[Type Username Here]

That's Sanders, deBlasio & Warren

Yup, they are all in support. Unequivocally.

 

[Type Username Here]

Already running for President it seems

 

[Gains]

Already running for President it seems

south africa all over again

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

Sellouts. Warren too