Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Has the Left Betrayed the Jews?: A Discussion Continued

Michael

{Cross-Posted at Pro-Israel Bay Bloggers}

There are political realities that become so large over time, and thereby so normative, they just seem to fade into the wallpaper. Likewise, there are political realities that have such painful consequences if directly addressed that people simply avoid acknowledging them.

I am more and more convinced that this is the situation that liberal American Jews find themselves within the progressive movement and within the activist base of the Democratic Party.

My thesis is that the progressive movement, and the grassroots / netroots of the Democratic Party, has betrayed its Jewish constituency through accepting anti-Semitic anti-Zionism as part of the larger coalition.

In the previous piece I offered four pieces of evidence.

1) That the larger progressive and Democratic blogs and journals express, at worst, a true hatred for the Jewish state and, at best, a comfortable acceptance of that hatred.

2) The ongoing agitation of anti-Semitic anti-Zionists within large Democratic and progressive venues such as Daily Kos, the Huffington Post, and the UK Guardian.

3) The polling which consistently shows that Republicans and conservatives are far more well-disposed to Israel than are Democrats and progressives.

4) And the fact that Israel is the only country on the face of the planet in which progressives discuss whether or not it should ever have come into existence and whether or not it should continue to exist.

Fizziks has been kind enough to engage my argument in an effort to refute it.

While Fizziks' argument is strong enough to give me some pause, I do not believe that he has actually succeeded in refuting my argument. Part of the reason for this is that the question is not whether I am entirely right or I am entirely wrong. The question really is, to what extent, or to what degree, is the above true? Is it true enough that we need to discuss it and re-orient our politics accordingly.

I believe it is.

Fizziks' effort to refute my thesis takes the form of attempting to diminish the significance of a blog like Daily Kos by arguing that it is not representative of the progressive-movement or the Democratic Party, that national political figures within the Democratic Party tend to be pro-Israel, and that there are elements on the right who also discuss whether or not Israel should have even come into existence.

Fizziks writes:

In short, Daily Kos, and these other places like HuffPo, are rarified worlds that do not, a present, reflect the real world of the Democratic Party. Daily Kos is at present full of deranged keyboard warriors, most of whom are not even Democrats, and has a presently active readership of maybe 10,000 people. It has no prestige or power in the Democratic establishment anymore, and its' views, as evidenced by my co-op example above, do not reflect the views of the base of the Democratic party.

There are several problems with this seemingly strong argument. The first is that my thesis says nothing about national politicians, nor about the Democratic Party as a whole. It is specific to the progressive-movement and the activist base of the party. Furthermore, although I neglected to stress this earlier, it is not even just about the blogs like Daily Kos or the Huffington Post. It is also about anti-Zionist trends within academia and the hatred spit at Israel on prominent American universities, about anti-Israel NGOs that seek to perpetually defame that country or paint it in the worst possible light, and about the the movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel (BDS), a movement that has become institutionalized within the larger progressive-left.

Fizziks points out that BDS has been, thus far, unsuccessful and he is right. For the most part BDS has been unsuccessful as Jon Haber tends to stress in Divest This!  But this does not suggest that anti-Zionists have not become part of the constituency of the progressive-left or have not embedded themselves within the activist base of the Democratic Party. The evidence for this goes far beyond any two or three political blogs and is clearly evident in the things mentioned above, the universities, the progressive journals, the NGOs, and the BDS.

So, there is simply no question that that the progressive movement, and the grassroots / netroots of the Democratic Party, has accepted anti-Semitic anti-Zionism as part of its larger coalition. The only real question for those of us bold enough to engage it is whether or not this constitutes betrayal of its Jewish constituency. It doesn't even matter if Republicans and conservatives do this, as well, because we are not discussing them. They are also far less relevant, on this question, to American Jews because American Jews tend to be progressives and Democrats, not conservatives and Republicans.

My conclusion, as someone who pays close attention to the Israel-Palestine discussion within progressive venues is that, yes, the progressive movement and the activist base of the Democratic Party has betrayed its Jewish constituency via an acceptance of anti-Semitic anti-Zionism. That they have accepted anti-Semitic anti-Zionism as part of the larger constituency is irrefutable. Those of us who pay attention see it on a daily basis. I tend to write about Daily Kos, because I come out of Daily Kos, but even if prominent political blogs like Daily Kos or the Huffington Post or the UK Guardian represent "rarified worlds," which given their size and taken together, I do not believe that they do, this does not explain away the presence of anti-Semitic anti-Zionism on the campuses and within the "human rights" organizations.

Until friends of Israel, Jewish or otherwise, are willing to recognize this situation and acknowledge it and discuss it, we can never actually address the issue in a manner that will be helpful. We cannot create strategies and tactics until we are ready to acknowledge that the situation exists.

I want to thank Fizziks for taking the time to address the issue, despite our disagreement, because this is the only way we can even begin to move forward. It has to start with a recognition of political conditions as they are.

Only then can we determine what they mean and what to do about it.

.

37 comments:

  1. I feel like you changed the topic mid-debate, to something that one couldn't possibly disagree with.
    I thought we were debating whether Jews should abandon the Democratic party.  I didn't think we were debating whether the far left has betrayed the Jews.
    On the later question, the answer is obvious, it is hell yes, and there can be no debate.  If that was the topic, then we wasted our time because we already agree.

    But I thought the topic of contention was whether Jews should abandon the Democratic party in light of this, which would involve exploring and debating the things that I tried to explore, namely 1) the connection, or lack thereof, between the Democratic party and the far left, 2) the record of the Democratic party politicians and mainstream supporters on Israel, and 3) whether the Republicans are any better.
    Those were the three topics that I tried to explore. 

    And I made my case that 1) the far left has relatively little influence in mainstream Democratic party politics, and most of the far-leftist examples you cite do not seriously consider themselves part of the Democratic tent, 2) mainstream Democratic party politicians and people are supportive of Israel, and 3) part of the Republican 'base' has its own problems, with Ron Paul pulling 20% support.  So therefore, Jews have no reason to abandon the Democratic party. 

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  2. I will reiterate that it is somewhere in between.

    There is a segment of anti-Israel left-leaning Democratic activists that have more influence than realized, especially among their uniformed brethren, and more voices need to be raised within to confront them. Too many liberal Democrats want to pretend that it's a nuisance, when it is much more.

    If only liberal Democrats were less prone to fear the calls of bigotry, especially from those who practice bigotry.

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  3. I agree.

    It's been my experience that for most progressives the presence of anti-Semitic anti-Zionists in progressive-left venues is a kind of pain in the ass that they do not want to deal with.

    I would suggest, tho, that if the problem was not anti-Zionists, but anti-Black racists, they would not think of their presence as a pain in the ass, but as something to fought.

    With anti-Semitic anti-Zionism, they either concur or leave it to us to defend ourselves as they much their popcorn on the sidelines.

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  4. Excellent comment, fizziks.  I agree with everything you say, particularly with the fact that the Democratic Party is extremely friendly to Israel, as evidenced by the words and deeds of Democratic elected officials such as President Obama, who has consistently increased American aid to Israel and who has increased cooperation between our military and the IDF to the closest levels in history.

    What I would add, when it comes to Republican "support" for Israel is that that support does not come out of any genuine love for the Jewish People or the State of Israel.  Instead, this "support" comes out of the apocalyptic fantasies of the evangelicals that compose a significant portion of the Republican base.  When "support" is given because they believe that Jews need to be sovereign in our ancestral homeland in order to facilitate Jesus' second coming, at which point we will either convert or we will be killed and burn in hell, that is not support at all.  In fact, that is nothing but a different facet of antisemitism.

    That is the true nature of Republican "support" for Israel, unlike Democratic support, which comes out of a genuine love for Israel and a genuine belief that the Jewish People are entitled to the same right of national self-determination in our ancestral homeland as any other people.

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  5. This is in reply to Mets, in case this did not thread correctly.

    I have large issues when we attempt to ascertain who is "genuine."

    Plenty of Republicans have no concern about the Apocalypse and see Israel as the beacon that it is. And plenty of Democrats see Israel in a very harsh light.

    There is an American consensus behind Israel because it makes us stronger and more in accord with our principles, notwithstanding its transgressions.

    The faster Democrats figure out that they are not superior and that their opponents are not fake, the better for all of us. 

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  6. And of course the Republican support shows in it's candidates. Let's look at them for just a minute:

    1. Little Newt - He, who supposedly is so Pro-Israel wants to send arms to the Rebels fighting the Assad Regime. You know who else wants to do that: Al-Qaeda. Now, if President Obama did that, these jokers would be up in arms regarding this and saying: "How can Obama support the Salafists". But when Newtie does it, it's "YAY, Newtie hates him some mean dictators".

    2. Mittens supports the Mormon practice of doing baptisms on dead Jewish victims of the Holocaust and REFUSES to speak against this heinous practice. But hey, he wants to visit Israel. He must love us.

    3. Frothy - well he is just clueless. Where he also advocates a One State Solution (Meir Kahane Style) he is so clueless that he sends Chanukah cards with New Testament quotes on it.

    4. Ron Paul... Forget it, he is only 15-20% of the base of the Republican Party and he has real life Nazi's as friends.

    Now compare that to a President that

    1. Was the first President ever to host a seder in the White House

    2. Was the First President ever to have TWO Jewish Chiefs of Staff

    3. Was the First President ever to name a Month of the year Jewish History Month

    4. Has been named an "exceptional friend" of Israel by the President, Defense Minister, AND Deputy Foreign Minister

    5. Supported Israel in the U.N. against Palestinian unilateralism AND in the face of the Int'l Community

    6. In his budget - CUTS aid to the Palestinians unless they commit to Peace and recognition of Israel (which they won't do with Hamas running around).

    I mean, the differences are pretty obvious here. Tell me which party again is it that Jews should support?

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  7. This is not about who supports the Republicans, so far as I can see. Are you ever able to remove your political blinders? 
    Do you deny that there is a larger segment of anti-Israel people among Democrats than Republicans, for any reason? Do you think it is a problem for Democrats? 

    You can ignore that Obama is not seen by a larger number of Jews as less than an exceptional friend. It does not mean that these people will vote against him, but perhaps not for him. Does that make them deluded?

    In candor, I doubt you will win much support by your methods. I sense that others know full well about Republicans, but it is the Democrats that cause them concern, as Ben Smith noted, and by the actions of the Administration. I call your attention to the upcoming OIC media workshop where further movement will occur to make any criticism of Islam a criminal act. Why is Obama supporting this?

    Calling people deranged does nothing to address the matter, and playing a one note song that Democrats are the best and Republicans are the worst is as far off key as those who claim the opposite.

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  8. Speaking of "blinders"... this is all about Democrats and Republicans. How do you not see that?

    Shifting the ole' goal posts again I see.

    Oh and btw, I don't concede anything regarding Democrats and Republicans. It is pretty obvious as I pointed out that Democrats are far MORE in favor of Israel and the Jewish people than Republicans.

    Look, when your party (and yes you don't fool anyone about this) doesn't regularly have someone who polls 15-20% who hangs out with Nazi's, OR has a great majority of it's participants who just support Israel out of some religious fervor to fight the battle of Armagedden. Then we can have this discussion.

    Until then, please just discuss facts and not what you think is good internet protocol because honestly - no one really cares.

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  9. Fizziks,
    I want to take this slowly, I think.

    I mean, we're chewing over ideas that are greatly important to the Jewish people, if not American people, more generally.

    My wager with Volleyboy1 is that Barack Obama, who received around 80 percent of the Jewish vote in '08, including my vote, will receive 65 percent or under this November.

    If I turn out to be right, it will mean that a significant percentage of Jewish Americans are either seeing something that they do not like about this president or about his party or about his political movement.

    I would like to suggest that the hatred that we see spit at Israel from Democratic and progressive venues may have something to do with this.

    In any case, I will respond to your points within a few coming days.

    Peace.

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  10. Your wet dream seems to be that ANYONE who dares to dispute your highness and his views is dirty.

    I have news for you. I am and always have been a Democrat. But I am no sycophant.

    That you presume to know my politics and make idiotic remarks as you do says it all. Not only are you 100% wrong, but this us versus them mentality is dangerous.

    You "bravely" harp about the terrible Republicans, which tells most people NOTHING, but do not address what Democrats do!

    For example, I brought up the OIC workshop, and how the Administration is helping to enable the direct assault of free speech that will criminalize any insult to Islam. But better to call me a Republican. So who is wearing blinders? 

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  11. I am a little more than concerned at the tendency to paint the Republicans as crazy end times Christians whose only concern for Israel is because of that crap. I see a lot of that coming from the left. It just isn't true to any real extent. I really hope some of you have not bought into that smear. Someone/some group is really pushing that meme and I would hope clearer critical thinking could be used in this regard.

    There is a small problem yes but please don't get caught up in the almost conspiratorial nature that debate seems to be coming to on the left. Many Democrats are Christians and have been the targets of CT types ie, Hilary's connection to the Family

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ehrenreich/hillarys-nasty-pastorate_b_92361.html

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  12. The guy to look to on the Evangelical front is probably Rabbi Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

    http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/about/rabbi_eckstein 

    This is a terrific organization, from what I can tell.  They mainly focus on poverty in Israel and in building Christian / Jewish relations.

    I think that this is very much a worthwhile path and we have to make our fellow Jews understand that Christian friendship with Israel is not about some malicious eschatological End-of-Days scenario.

    This is our prejudice toward them and one that is constantly promoted by the progressive community.

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  13. Mets, The Democrat party is not 'friendly' to Israel.  That is untruth. Obama has sent 1.2 billion to the p-stinians in 2010/2011. On Dec 28 2011, he sent another 47 million.  How is that 'friendly' to Israel.
    The aid that Israel rcvs is from the Oslo Accord in 1979: Jimmy Carter, Sadat and Rabin agreed to 'keep the peace' in exchange for 2.7 billion to Israel, annually (400 mil of that goes to p-stinians) and 2.3 to Egypt, also, annually.
    The whole Arab Street is ANTI ISRAEL.

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  14. Hi Pad,

    You are correct.

    Christians care about Israel because they believe in the Bible.

    They believe in Genesis 12:3:

    "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

    Progressives tell one another that the reason that Christians care about Israel is because of some malicious End of Days scenario.

    They are wrong and not particularly nice about it, either.

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  15. Yeah... right,you are as much a Democrat as Zell Miller. You fool no one. Anyway, I notice you blew off all the accomplishments of the Pres. as "superfluous" but you give a crap about some U.N. thing that has absolutely ZERO real life impact.

    Oh and as for Dems.. I complain about the President plenty but as to giving you and the ODS sufferers ammo... forget it.

    Look os, when your party gets away from being the party of dominionists and Paulbots then let me know. Until then I will support the one candidate that really is a friend to Israel and the Jewish people and that would be President Obama.

    Shalom!

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  16. First, I am a Democrat.  That makes me a member of the DEMOCRATIC Party, not the "Democrat" [sic] Party.  That, however, is beside the point.

    Second, the Oslo Accords were between Israel and the PLO.  Yitzhak Rabin was the Israeli Prime Minister at the time they were reached.  However, peace with Egypt was achieved through the Camp David Accords, in which Israel agreed to give the Sinai back to Egypt as part of the peace agreement.  The Israeli Prime Minister at the time was Menachem Begin, the first Likud prime minister and the first prime minister from the right.

    Third, aid to Israel is not contingent to any aid to the PA.  It is separate and apart from that.  Furthermore, I once again reiterate the increased military cooperation that has occurred under the Obama Administration.  Finally, I will reiterate that the President, through both word and deed, has made clear that he strongly supports, and believes in, an Israel that is Jewish, democratic and secure.

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  17. I'm a liberal.  I'm a Democrat.  I'm a Conservadox Jew.  I love Israel.  There are plenty of non-Jewish liberals that love Israel.  There are plenty of Democrats that love Israel.  The overwhelming majority of Democrats believe in G-d.  That last point, however, is truly irrelevant.  We live in a secular republic.

    Now, I have a question for you:  How many times is G-d mentioned in the United States Constitution?

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  18. Hey Mets,

    still fighting for that "ic," I see, eh?

    Those nasty conservatives daring to steal the "ic" in "Democratic."

    I remember fighting for the "ic" maybe 4 or 5 years ago.  The "ic" seemed so important at the time.

    I suggested that we give the Republicans our "ic" and then they would be the Republicican Party.

    :O)

    {Carry on.}

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  19. This is a reply to Volleyboy1, as the thread got too small to see.

    First off, why you must try to label others is beyond me.

    You have NO CLUE WHATSOEVER WHO i AM, yet you constantly tell me.

    I will tell you now what you are:  IGNORANT!

    You are wrong in your assessment, but you are deaf to anything except your own voice.

    You THINK you are progressive, but you are far from that.

    I did not blow off anything about Obama. I only suggested that he is not the mythical friend or person you make him.

    Finally, in your Obamacentric, us versus them world, you may believe that what occurs with the OIC means nothing, but I suggest that it means much more and that at some point even you will agree.

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  20. Don't let facts get in the way.  You might get accused of being a support of the jihad.  :-P

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  21. Just fighting for grammar.  That's all.  How would you and others like it if I started referring to your party as the Republic Party?

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  22. Given that I am not a Republican, I really wouldn't care.

    In the mean time, I have a question.

    Why is it that you refused to sign that condolence letter to Tamar Fogel, anyway?

    I have to say, I was quite surprised and disappointed that you guys couldn't bring yourself to show a little support to a young Jewish girl whose family got slaughtered.

    So, why did you refuse to sign that letter?

    I still do not understand it.

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  23. Given your very clear opposition to the President and your clear support of the Republican candidates (except for Ron Paul), along with your general disillusionment with the entirety of the center-left, you are, whether you care to admit it or not, a Republican.

    As for the condolence letter, if I remember correctly, it was quite politically charged and more a political document than anything else.

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  24. To posit that life under the Muslims was paradise under any circumstances IS letting facts get in the way.

    It's as if because of what Christians did to Jews over time, we now should give Muslims a pass today. I think that is a nonsensical position, and suspect that all minorities that live in Islamic states would concur that a main characteristic of these regimes is intolerance toward non-believers.

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  25. It was never posited that life was paradise.  All that was posited is that Christians were, historically, responsible for the worst atrocities committed againstJews and that prior to the  Enlightenment the Muslimworld, overall, was friendlier to Jews.

    Today, of course,things are different.  However, that does not in any way change history.

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  26. Since volley is having trouble posting, I'm posting this comment for him:

    OH LOL... You blow off as "superfluous" everything that President Obama and the Democratic party does. You attack any mention of the good things that the President does but when you hear the lies and gross distortions made here you just sit there and cluck: "Oh maybe President Obama really doesn't like us". But yeah,.... you are a Democrat.... right.  If you are a Democrat, I am a freakin' Martian and for the record I am not from anywhere near the vicinity of the Red Planet. 
     
    Oh and it is not just my assessment. Just FYI. 
     
    You know, I don't need to "label" you but let's just be honest as to where we are coming from. It helps. At least some of the folks here openly admit they are Republicans or batshit insane (not necessarily the same). Take Doodad... I don't agree with him a whole lot but at least he admits what he is. That's fine. I can respect that. I disagree, but, I can respect it. 
     
    But anyway... I don't think President Obama is some "mythical friend". I do think he is a good friend and I can't find too much fault with what he is doing regarding the MENA. I am not sure what he could be doing more or better. Remember, he is President of the U.S. NOT President of Israel or President of only Jewish people. 
     
    Oh and btw, I notice you are letting a fair amount of "teh craziness" slide here - anytime you will be addressing that. You know like saying Ron Paul is really a Communist... AHAHAHAHA - too freakin' funny. 

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  27. I am having trouble posting as well.

    I suppose then you are a freaking martian!

    Sorry, but you do not get to define who I am.

    As a Democrat and a liberal, I am not afraid to call out others who tarnish both, as you do. I am glad not to be the kind of Democrat you have shown us, full of intolerance and quick to censor and demonize others.

    I speak up here when I do not agree. I do not believe that Doodad or Karma believe I hide who I am or what I believe. It's just that I do not need to be obnoxious about it, unlike the tact you seem to prefer. I state my points, respectfully. I realize that degrading others will not change their views, only harden them. 

    Your comments border on the absurd. I have not attacked Obama. You serially mischaracterize what others say. I have said, always,where I think he has fallen short. I prefer to self-criticize rather than back slap, which I think is superfluous. No matter, even that is not acceptable to you, but I could care. I have no need for your respect either. And I am not really concerned what these others believe either. 

    By the way, I have watched you at Daily Kos, doing the same thing to others, sometimes spending hours arguing over minutiae and spewing invective. Nor have I ever called anyone an "Israel Firster" as you have, wrongly and inaccurately. 

    Finally, I suggest that you DO believe he is a mythical friend. You previously have said no other president was as friendly to Israel. Now, suddenly, he is just a "good" friend? I must say that gave me a good chuckle.

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  28. So, that's how hearts harden, eh?

    "An Open Letter to Tamar Fogel"

    http://mid-eastplus.blogspot.com/2011/03/open-letter-to-tamar-fogel.html 

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  29. As I said, politically charged.  Her tragedy should not be turned into a political event.  If it was a straight-up letter of condolence, then, yes, I would have signed.  However, it is not that.  It is a political document, one which represents a perilous course that will result in the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.  I cannot, in good conscience, be a party to that.

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  30. Again, on behalf of volley:

    Wow so much fail. 
     
    And no... I am not a Martian BUT... you are a Republican. You fool no one. What is sad is that you can't simply admit it. I don't know why you and the ODS crowd are ashamed to admit your love for the GOP but hey, if that's how you want to roll..... 
     
    Anyway, I can agree when you say this: I speak up here when I do not agree. That is absolutely true. Hence, why we all know that you are Conservative Republican. You don't disagree with the amazing amount of mis-framing and Obama demonization that goes on around these parts. As I said you just sit there and cluck about how maybe President Obama is really not a friend. 
     
    As for self-criticsm and "back slapping"... yep, sure, I guess you didn't read my stuff at DKos closely enough. 
     
    Oh and I never said President Obama was the most friendly ever though I think between he and Bill Clinton it is close... Actually it was you who said that I said that (just another in your long line - both here and other places of misquoting and then projecting). But hey if I did say that - you should have no problem sending me links to that. 
     
    Thanks in advance. 

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  31. To be a Zionist that is committed to Israel's continued existence as a Jewish and democratic state?  Yes, I am extremely proud of that.

    To not use a tragedy that has befallen a young girl and her family for my own political ends?  Yes, I am extremely proud of that.

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  32. C'mon! Oldschool ain't no Republican, just an old school Democrat/Liberal same as me afaik. He has said that he would vote for Obama if the vote were today even if he does have a lot of criticism for the guy and his administration. Heaven help us when the need for lock step non-criticism of any president becomes the norm.

    If I wanted to be labelled a right winger I would invite old Simone Daud over.....lol.

    I suppose I could convert to the right wing....but only if they offered yummy chicken wings and Nachos on a regular basis.....heh.

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  33. Mets,

    what it really means is that you are simply not to be trusted when it counts.

    That letter was fine.

    So, you won't stand with a young Jewish girl when it counts, huh?

    Will you stand with Israel if it attacks Iranian nuclear facilities?

    I don't trust you to.

    Will you?

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  34. Hey Mets, 

    You stand for nothing.

    You could have helped a young Jewish girl get through a horrible moment, but you chose not to because you disapproved of the writer's politics, even though those politics are mild and moderate.

    You should be ashamed of yourself.

    You are not to be trusted.

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  35. I stand for nothing?  Really?  When I go out of my house, I pronounce to the entire world that I am a Jew.  I wear a kippah.  I let everyone know that I am proud of my heritage.  That I am proud of who I am.

    Do not dare tell me I stand for nothing.  I am very clear about who I am and what I stand for.  That you have removed my comments, in which I engage in civil course in response to your personal attacks, says considerably more about you than it does about me.  And, yes, I fully expect you will remove this comment as well.  Again, that will say considerably more about you than it does about me.

    Now, let me ask you this:  What exactly is it that you find so threatening about my words?  What exactly is it that causes you to lash out in these personal attacks?  What exactly is it that causes you to turn on your fellow Jew like this?

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