That's right, Obama is an anti-semitic bastard, or so the national tabloids might tell you in the near future. For now, we will have to rely on subtle innuendo from the likes of the Los Angeles Times to make it clear that if you don't hate Arabs, you must be against Israel. This type of right wing garbage made its way around the Hillary camp and has been disseminated to her loyal followers. Unfortunately for the rest of us, truth and honesty have been victimized by this absurd wedge issue.
From TPM Cafe:
Mark Penn may be gone but his spirit lives on.
A major piece in today's Los Angeles Times reveals that Obama may face political problems because Arab-Americans "consider him receptive despite his clear support of Israel."
This is all part of the continuing effort (especially in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh these days) to paint Obama as something less than a friend of Israel.
This is nothing new.
But this article hits new lows. It produces no evidence whatsoever other than that Obama has had Arab friends, attended Arab dinners, and is believed by Arabs to feel "empathy" toward Palestinians. In other words, Obama is not to be trusted by Jews because some Arabs like him.
Calling all Jews, Obama hates Israel! He loves Arabs even though he isn't (or is he??) a Muslim. How people believe this crap is beyond me. This talking point of him not being a friend to Israel is old news, but continues to live on in the media and with Hillary's supporters. I still hear this garbage about Obama not being a friend to Israel, but when I ask for proof, all I get is emotional appeal, not actual facts.
See this is the weird thing with Jews being in Israel and the Diaspora. In Israel, every single Israeli argues about what do about peace (and every other issue). People are all over the political spectrum when it comes to dealing with Palestinians. A few fanatics want to kill them all (as is the opinion on the Palestinian side), a few more want to build them out of the West Bank, many more want to reasonably work out a solution and so on and so forth.
However, coming back here to America there are only two options. According to AIPAC (on Google they are called "America's Pro-Israel Lobby") and other well connected Jewish organizatios, either you are "for" Israel or you hate Israel. "For" Israel means agreeing with complete Israeli domination, no reasonable peace deals and continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza as to create even worse conditions for future Palestinians to hate Israel even more than the previous generation. So if there is even a hint that you may like Palestinian people, you are persona non-grata to them.
Now for a breath of fresh air and a heavy dose of common sense:
If Arab-Americans and Palestinians trust Obama and think he plays fair, he will have considerably more leverage with them than either of the other two candidates who are not perceived that way. As Congressmen Bob Wexler and Steve Rothman, both Obama supporters, like to say, an American President who can speak to and be heard by Arabs can do a much better job in helping Israel and the Palestinians achieve peace and security than a President who is considered utterly unsympathetic to their concerns.The LA Times is wrong. It is precisely because Obama is considered fair by Arabs that he can actually help Israel. It's that simple.
PS Those who keep using Jews and Israel as a wedge are doing us no favors. A tiny vulnerable minority, the last thing we need is to be used as a battering ram against any candidate, The tactic is as dangerous as it is ugly and cynical.
Exactly! People have used enough battering rams against us (yes, I'm Jewish in case you didn't know...AIPAC must think I'm a scorned anti-semite) throughout the ages. It is ridiculous that in this primary season, pro-Clinton Jews want to pull this flimsy card on the rest of us.
|