I wonder how many American Jews are getting mighty uncomfortable about the way Israel has become politicized this election year. By that, I do not mean that Israel should not be discussed in the context of a campaign. Of course it should be.
Any foreign policy issue that affects U.S. national interests should be discussed and argued about. Israel is no different, especially when there is no consensus on what our policies should be.
The only consensus is that Israel has the right to exist in peace, with U.S. aid to guard its security. But that is it.
The specifics of U.S. support are not anything the country agrees upon, or, I would guess, even talks about.
But why not? Even the most popular domestic program, Social Security, is argued about in elections with candidates differing on how to “save” it from the imagined or real threat of insolvency.
Nothing is off limits in elections or, more precisely, nothing should be. Israel should be politicized, like everything else. As is the case with every other issue, that is how democracies make decisions. Or should.
This year the argument that Israel not be politicized is coming almost exclusively from Democrats who, as supporters of the incumbent president, vehemently oppose making Israel an issue. (They feel differently when the Republicans hold the White House, however.)
Democratic Party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said last month that presumed Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, is “playing politics with America’s bipartisan support for Israel….”
He certainly is but no more than President Obama does when his campaign declares that he is the best friend Israel has ever had.
The difference between Romney and Obama is that Obama has never suggested that he would allow the Israeli government to make key decisions on Israel for him rather than decide himself, what is best for U.S. national interests. Romney has pledged to do what Israeli officials ask him to do.
On Iran, Romney’s spokesman said during the governor’s recent visit to Israel that whether or not Israel bombs Iran is up to Israel. “If Israel has to take action on its own, in order to stop Iran from developing that [nuclear] capability, the governor would respect that decision.”
In other words, even though an Israeli attack would undoubtedly affect U.S. interests in the entire Middle East (including our men and women in uniform) and the world economy and even though it might result in an Iranian attack on a U.S. vessel, bringing us into the war, Romney would simply defer to the Israeli government if it decides to prevent an Iranian nuclear capability. (Romney’s use of the term capability as the tripwire for military action is Netanyahu’s formulation; the U.S. position has always been that military action might occur if Iran actually had a weapon, not the capability to have one.)
Then there is the question of Jerusalem. Every president since Lyndon Johnson has avoided moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, not because they did not recognize western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital but because doing so would almost certainly cause the Arab and Muslim world to erupt in (perhaps violent) opposition. (Jerusalem is holy to Muslims and Christians as well as Jews, so any change in the status quo must be taken with great sensitivity.)
Romney says that he would not necessarily move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on his first day in office but would “select the timing in accordance with the government of Israel.” Of course, timing is at the root of the whole issue; Israel wants the U.S. to move the embassy today, if not yesterday. But Romney says the decision is up to Israel even though American lives could be at stake.
So here is the difference between Romney and every other candidate who has politicized Israel. He is the very first to say that on at least two critical policies, he would simply defer to the government of Israel — even though American interests and lives would be at stake. Obviously, the same standard would apply to other Israel-related issues like borders, arms sales, relations with the Arab states, etc. After all, if Romney would defer to Israel on matters as volatile as Iran and Jerusalem, wouldn’t he do the same with other less sensitive issues?
It’s crazy. The United States has never contracted out its foreign policy to any foreign country. Even when our closest ally, the United Kingdom, was fighting for its life against Nazi Germany, President Roosevelt made his policies based on his perception of U.S. interests, not Prime Minister Churchill’s. (Churchill would have had us join the war against Germany in 1939, long before we were ready.) Needless to say, Bibi is no Winston Churchill.
As an American, Romney’s statements strike me as shockingly out-of-step with the American tradition since George Washington (who spoke against the dangers presented by a “passionate attachment” to any foreign country in his Farewell Address).
As a Jew, it strikes me as deeply offensive. Does Romney really believe that this is what Jewish voters want? Is he unaware that his super-donor and adviser on all things related to Israel, Sheldon Adelson, is so right-wing that he broke with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) because he considered it too sympathetic to the Palestinians? Does he think that Adelson, who says he regrets serving in the U.S. rather than the Israeli army, is typical of American Jews? Or that his wish that his 13-year old son become “a sniper for the IDF” is in any way representative of us?
The fact is that Romney has crossed the line from pandering to American Jews to insulting us. The insult is his belief that the way to gain support from Jews is by promising to make the policies of our country subservient to those of Israel. That is coupled with such blatant and obtuse pandering (the trip to Israel with a bunch of Israel First billionaires was truly cringe producing) that it is hard to believe this guy could possibly be elected president of anything.
Mitt Romney is not hostile to Jews. But if he was, he could not be more offensive. He should just write off the Jewish vote. After all, no matter what people say about Jews, no one says we are stupid.
First of all there is no way of knowino if Romney or anybody else in US public life is hostile or friendly to Jews or Israel because anyone who expresses his true feelings of hostility in all likelyhood will destroy his career. It is possible some non-Jewish politicians are honestly friendly to Jews but but there is no way of knowing.
With respect to the stupidity of Jews, I do not know what Romney thinks, however if he says he is friendly but truly is not, it is obvious he believes Jews are stupid enough to believe his lies.
It is obvious Jews are intelligent and creative in many respects and also very stupid in others. Since most anyone knows of Jewish intelligence examples I will concentrate on examples of Jewish stupidity and irrationality.
Jews are extremely stupid with respect to antisemitism. Since the beginning with Moses there has been abundant antisemitism aa history sthows over and over. It is stupid of Jews not to have figured out a way to have their own country and avoid being persecuted, expelled, killed by the thousands and even millions by dozens of very different cultures.
It is also quite stupid not having able to find a way to be truly accepted and liked the majority tribes of the territories Jews choose to live in.
It is stupid to fight antisemitism on the basis that somehow the “others” are more primitive, mad, sick, savages or whatever. By blaming the “other” it is not possible for Jews to do anything really intelligent to prevent the next outbreak of antisemitism.
Even if the hipothesis that others are somehow mad, more primitive, etc, it is irrational to try to maje then aware pf those traits becauae mad people or primitive people are unlikely to see their madness or primitivism.
Particularly when many of those peoples have made achievements that surpasa Jewish achievements.
Jews did not invent democracy, art, science, geometry astronomy, medicine, mathematics, classicak music, sculpture, painting, the industrial age and so on.
Yes, some Jews have made extraordinary contributions but always within the realm of conditions created by non Jews. Yes, there is one clealy extraordinary Jewish contribution; the Bible. Extraordinary in terms of impact, I am not sure it is a superior contribution or even a positive one.
In my view the posture of classical Greece was far superior because it did not accept the concep.of a God who possesses absolute truth and all we have to do.is follow his rules. The concept of absolut truth basically prohibits true thinking. While the Greeks could question their gods and even abandon them, in Judaism that.is not possible. This is why Judaism never generated philosophy or science.
No one will dispute that Greece, even by the 6th century BC was far more asdance in all respects than the Jews at the time. Yes, Greeks were not perfect, such as accepting homosexuality or in some areas like Sparta, killing weak babies, a clearly ihuman practice. On the other hand the Jews stoned sinful people. They also practice circumsicion to this day; no matter how Hews rationalize it, circumsicion is a barbaric practice as it creates pain in a baby who has not asked of it or even barely thinks amything, in the name of making him belong to “the fraternity”.
It is also stupid of Jews to believe Israel can be safe by relying on the support of the US, because US support depends only on the influence of the US Jewish community, not on the freely expressed wishes of the majority of non-Jewish Americans or most of their elected representatives. In fact, no one knows of the wishes of elected representatives as I said earlier.
So it is stupid to rely on an ally who on fairly short.notice can turn on Israel. Jews are also notoriously stupid at anticipating when a country that today appears friendly, can tommorrow turn hostile. We only have to think of Germany and the Nazis, the French, Poles, etc.
Jews in Israel are also stupid because they seem unable to gain acceptance by Arabs. Yes, many Arabs will always be deadly enemies of Israel but Israel’s behaviour manages to unite the Arabs against her.
Ir is also stupid to believe the 2% of Americans who are Jews will forever be able to control US foreign policy. Sooner or later non-Jewish Americans 98% will turn against.
Jews are also very stupid as they do not understand antisemitism has.many elements of the need all human tribes have of controlling the territories in which they constitute amajority. Due to intelligence and hard work many Jews achieve onfluential positions in business, media, politics, etc. Nothing wrong with that except that makes the majority tribes acaref on the face of losimg control of their own terrotory.
Jews are also stupid with their dual loyalty or, rather loyalty to Israel before loyalty to the US. Yes we can say is a little country a democracy, etc. But the facts are Sheppard spied for Israel, that he is in prison for treason and that a number of Jewish Americans are trying to get the presodent of the US to pardon a fellow who betrayed the UA big time. This is also stupid because such Jews are seen as helping an American traitor.
Israeli Jews are also stupid when they spy on the country they depend upon for their owb survival, as Israel will go up on flameson a colossak Massada once Arabs saw the US flow of money and weaons cut off. I am sure Jews know Europeans will.not lift a finger for Israel, including Germany France or UK. Forget about the rest of Europe, Russia, China, India, etc.
Jews are also stupid if they believe the memory.of the Holocaust somehow protects them. Such nemory is kept alive by rhe actions and diligence of Jews, not becauae non-Jews really want to keep it alive.
In fact, most non-Jews probably be alleviated if eveb Auschwitz and other places did not exist, had been razed or turned into factories or subdivisions.
Non Jews, not just Germans are made to feel ashamed and guilty by all the materials and actions related to the Holocaus; the movies, books, meetings, memorials, etc. The overall message over and over is “there is something wrong with you non-Jews, Germans, Spaniards, British, Americans, Christians, etc., look what you did to us…” jews are stupid not realizing that guilt can quickly turn into anger. In fact, the more the guilt the likelier an angry explosion.
It is also stupid to.believe that somehow Jews gave become diffetent towards Jews after the Holocaust, they have not.
Jews are also stupid when they take criticism of Israel as antisemitism, I am sure some, perhaps most, comes from antisemites because the reaction of rhe ADL and other Jewish organizations only manages to create more antisemites .
Perhaps this is enough. Myself I gave no doubt antisemitisn will break out big way. We are starting to see some signs in the Occupy Wall Street. The economic crisis could be the trigger.
Many Americans also resent the liberal agenda many Jews and non-Jews.push has weakened US institutions lije the traditional family etc. Those liberall also have managed, through their hiper sharp hiperarticulate social criticism of US society, religion, politovians, industrialists etc., to convince Anerica wa run by a bunch of boring, hipocritical, crooked people, mostly amglo-eutopean Americans. Also that the average blue collar worker id fill, dumb, racist and so on.
Well, I not knowif Romney believes Jews are stupid but key aspects of Jewish history and current behavior of many Jews can lead a reasonable person to believe Jews are extremely stupid.in some crucial areas.
I guess for Jews for whatever reason it is not.possible to really look at themselves. The Jews I know tebd to shrug their shoulders when talking about antisemitism, as if “o, well, what can you do”. I sense a sort of fatalism that is, the believe antisemism will.always be and not much can be done.
I was not aware that you had a lot of followers who were Romney voters.
Jews for whatever reason it is not.possible to really look at themselves. The Jews I know tebd to shrug their shoulders when talking
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All makes sense to me MJ. Lately, it has been seeming more likely that Obama will win a second term. If that happens I would like to think some payback would be in order with AIPAC and Bibi. Payback in the sense of something like witholding loan guarantees until Netanyahu freezes settlement construction, but I don’ have a clear idea of how that would play out. What does your crystal ball say?