Thursday, November 3, 2011

Hey, Jews! Have a Little Self-Respect.

This blog has a thesis.

We have a fundamental argument and, perhaps, it is worthwhile to review that argument because people constantly get it wrong. I am not arguing that the left is anti-Semitic. Is that clearly understood? Nor am I arguing that the left is mainly comprised of anti-Zionists. It isn't.

The argument is that the grassroots / netroots of the Democratic Party, and the progressive-left, more generally, has betrayed its Jewish constituency by accepting anti-Semitic anti-Zionism as part of that constituency. We see this daily within almost all progressive-left venues, although I tend to follow Daily Kos because I am quite familiar, sadly, with that particular blog.

The premise is that one cannot represent Jewish people and those who would rob Jews of self-determination both at the same time, which is precisely what the left is attempting to do. One cannot be an enemy of the Jews and a friend to the Jews, both.

It's mighty strange, actually. Jewish people tend to be exceedingly open-minded. In fact, sometimes we are so open-minded that all of our marbles fall out of our heads entirely. We... tragically, strangely, stupidly... tend to support a political party that really doesn't much seem to mind actual, physical, genocidal attacks upon us, so long as those attacks come from the right people. In this case, the right people are Arabs, particularly Palestinian Arabs. It is as if liberals think that it is open-season on Jews and only racist Jews would mind that fact.

The truth is, of course, that the progressive-left has made of itself an enemy to the Jewish people. The Jews of the Middle East have been under continual siege since the 1920s and the progressive-left has considerable sympathy for those who want to see us dead.

I find myself in objection to this stance.

What I say is that because the left has made of itself a home to genocidal anti-Zionists that perhaps it is time for us to leave the left and leave the Democratic Party because we as human beings have some fucking self-respect. We must not allow ourselves to be taken for granted and therefore Jewish people, and friends of Jewish people, need to withdraw all support for the Democratic Party and the progressive-left until such a time that the left, as a group, decides that supporting, and providing venues for, anti-Semitic anti-Zionism is not such a terrific idea.

That's my stance.

Now, it could be that I am wrong. It could be that my position is entirely mistaken, but if I am mistaken one needs to show just how, because the argument is pretty simple, pretty basic, and pretty irrefutable. What continues to surprise me is the ease with which those who oppose this view fail to actually refute it. Instead of actually refuting the argument, liberal Jewish Democrats dismissively send up straw-men which they proceed to easily demolish, but they never actually address the real argument.

1) The left has made a home of itself for anti-Semitic anti-Zionism.

This statement is either true or it is false. If it is true, as I maintain, it leads directly to the conclusion that:

2) Jews should withdraw all support from the left and from the Democratic Party which houses it.

That's it. The conclusion flows directly from the premise and the premise is simply irrefutable.

Why this is difficult for people to understand is baffling. It could hardly be more simple or obvious. On a daily basis me, and many, many other people throughout the Jewish blogosphere demonstrate the truthfulness of the premise from which the simple conclusion is drawn. On a daily basis, throughout the progressive-left, there are those seeking to undermine and demean and defame the Jewish state.

Is anyone actually denying this?

Since that is the case, Jewish people should abandon the left because the progressive-left, as a movement, has proven itself toxic and dangerous to the well-being of Jewish people precisely because it has taken anti-Zionism under its wing.

That's the case. That's the simple argument.

If you disagree, you might consider actually addressing the argument.

2 comments:

  1. Anti-Zionism is racism. The left should have no truck with it if they are serious about being anti-racist. It should be a zero tolerance item. But since it isn't something is wrong with the left. It needs to fix itself.

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  2. Long time lurker first time commenter here.

    You are correct as far as #1. The Left has sadly and tragically accepted antizionists and antisemits (and really, 99% of the time those are one in the same) as part of its coalition. After years of participating in Daily Kos and other forums, there is no denying that.

    Where you are wrong - way wrong as far as I see it - is #2. The Democratic party is not "the Left". The Democratic party is America's centrist political party. Its most liberal elected officials (Boxer, Grayson, etc...) are at most center-left (and very pro-Israel!).

    The Democratic party, the Democratic base, and Democratic elected officials do not represent, and are not represented by, the Left as we see it on Daily Kos and other forums.

    In all honesty, there is basically zero support for antisemitism or antizionism among Democratic elected officials. Pro-Israel resolutions and actions in Congress routinely pass with overwhelming Democratic support and as much if not more Democratic votes than Republican votes. The Democratic platform explicity supports two states with a Jewish Israel, and no candidate will win a Democratic primary opposing that.

    Tarring the Democratic party with the antisemitism of the far left is like tarring the Republican party with the antisemitism of Neo-Nazis. There is simply no real connection there. In fact, there is must less antisemitism in mainstream Democratic circles than manstream Republican ones. Cynthia McKinney lost her primary, but David Duke won his, after all.

    The Democratic party represents the economic and cultural values of the vast majority of educated, decent Jewish Americans. The Democratic party in America is simply not the party of the far left, and the antisemitism and antizionism of the 'Left' is a problem for the Left, and not for the Democrats.

    In order for your argument to not be dismissed, you must point to antisemitism and antizionism getting a foothold in mainstream Democratic circles, not just far left ones.

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