Objections: Fizziks and Reuven

As anyone who reads this blog can tell you, my thesis is that the progressive-left, and the activist base of the Democratic party, has betrayed the Jewish people. They have done so by including anti-Semitic anti-Zionists within the larger coalition. Jews should therefore boycott that movement and that party as a matter of basic human decency, in order to preserve Jewish self-respect, and so that we may not be taken for granted by either political party.

That is the argument.

What has surprised me is the failure of progressives or leftists or liberals... Jewish or otherwise... to actually address the argument. Two who have done so, however, are fizziks and Reuven. I want to discuss both of their responses further because, although I disagree with them, they are worthy responses and should be discussed.

This very simple argument has two parts, as I laid out in Hey, Jews! Have a Little Self-Respect.

1) The left, and the Democratic party, has made a home of itself for anti-Semitic anti-Zionism.

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

This argument could hardly be more simple. The only question is whether I am right or I am wrong? The answer to that question is partly dependent upon the truthfulness of the first assertion. Has the progressive-left and, thus, the Democratic party made a home of itself for anti-Semitic anti-Zionism?

As fizziks agrees, it certainly has, and this blog, among others, proves that it has on a daily basis. That's pretty much why we are here, to discuss the phenomenon and to show people that it exists. I do not believe that any fair-minded person could assert that claim number one is false.

It isn't. We see it every. single. day.

Therefore, if the first assertion is true, if the progressive-left and the Democratic party have accepted anti-Semitic anti-Zionists as part of their coalition, does it not therefore follow that Jews should abandon both?

That is my conclusion drawn from a very basic and very simple fact. We need to get out of the Democratic party, at least for this cycle, and out of the progressive movement, hopefully forever, because the party and the movement do not support the well-being of Jewish people as they support groups, ideologies, and organizations that are directly in opposition to Jewish well-being.

It could not be more clear to my eyes.

fizziks and Reuven disagree. I appreciate both of these gentlemen and we are allowed to disagree with one another without rancor.

fizziks argues that while it is true that the progressive-left, or as he might put it, the "far left," has accepted the anti-Semitic BDS movement as a respected part of its coalition, what has this to do with the Democratic party?

fizziks wants to separate the Democratic party from the progressive movement because he understands how corrosive that movement can be. The problem, however, is that you cannot so easily separate the two. In the United States the major political party that houses the progressive movement is the Democratic party. There is just no two ways about that. The Democrats own the Progressives, because they provide a voice for progressives, and many of the top Democrats are, in fact, progressives. Kucinich is one, but there are many, many more.

I, myself, was one until quite recently.

So, no, I do not believe that fizzik's argument holds much water. I like the guy, or lady, and am happy that he or she is standing up for Israel among the vicious and toxic anti-Zionists on Daily Kos, but she is simply mistaken.

Just as the progressive movement is the home of anti-Semitic anti-Zionism, so the Democratic party is the home of the progressive movement. The progressive movement and the Democratic party are Siamese Twins.

Reuven, on the other hand, argues that because the anti-Zionist movement, the movement to rob Jewish people of self-determination and self-respect is so small, and because Daily Kos is just one blog on the internet, that the whole thing can be dismissed.

I disagree.

Who knows, really, how big anti-Zionism is as a movement? I do not think that it is that big, but that's not the point. The point is that the progressive-left has accepted them as part of the larger coalition. That's the point. It means that in an organic fashion the progressive movement has collectively decided that anti-Semitic anti-Zionism should have a seat at the table.

We are the only nationality in the world for whom progressives have drawn this conclusion.

{Lucky us.}

Furthermore, this is not about Daily Kos and Daily Kos is hardly unique. I use that blog as an example of a Democratic venue that has accepted anti-Zionism as part of their coalition because I am familiar with it. If they had not accepted anti-Zionism as part of their coalition than we would not see anti-Zionists spitting their poison there on an ongoing basis.

But we do.

Also, Daily Kos is just one venue among many that spit hatred toward the Jewish state on the progressive-left. I am happy to say that My Left Wing is one of the few that no longer does. Nonetheless, the progressive movement is absolutely crawling with venues, large and small, virtual and real, that do so constantly.

Israel Thrives is one place, among others, that proves that case.

Time to make a break, ladies and gentlemen.

Time to move on.