Dean Barnett, Soxblog blogger and now guest blogger at Hugh Hewitt’s blog, has an article in the Daily Standard which portends a rift between Jewish Democrats and the apparently antisemitic Progressives as embodied by the diarists at the Daily Kos.

WHEN THE BOMBS began to fall in the Middle East, the Daily Kos had a problem. And the Daily Kos’s problem could soon be the Democratic party’s problem.

On the one hand, one of the most solid blocks of support for the Democratic party is America’s Jewish community. Not only do America’s Jews tend to vote for Democrats, they tend to actively campaign and raise funds for politicians on the left. But for many American Jews, even the most liberal, Israel’s welfare is a going concern.
(…)
Perhaps sensing that this issue could highlight just how far removed the Kos community is from the American mainstream, Moulitsas and his other front-page bloggers have opted to ignore Israel’s war.
(…)
But inside the Kos diaries, it’s been a different story. The conversation in the diaries has been overwhelmingly anti-Israel–and potentially disastrous for the Democratic party.

One diarist labeled Israel “a destabilizing force in the region” and saw “no difference between Iran’s support of Hezbollah and Hamas in the form of finances and even arms and The United States’ financial support of Israel.” Before modifying this diary into a more moderate form, the author opened his essay with the declaration, “Israel is showing the entire world why the Iranian President was absolutely right to suggest that Israel cease being a sovereign state as is.”
(…)
It’s important to note that hundreds of comments following these and other diaries hostile to Israel voice similar sentiments. In one diary, the author labeled Israel’s actions as a “pogrom by bomb.” A concurring commenter offered the following thoughts:

My Lebanese friend, in addition to a number of less temporate [sic] sentiments, says the only thing she can say as her country is smashed to bits is something she learned from an orthodox rabbi:

“Pray for the Speedy Peaceful Dismantlement of the State of Israel.”

I second the suggestion. Unhappily Israel has not served as a Jewish refuge; it has become a spreading plague.

THESE DIARIES AND COMMENTS come from the people who power the people-powered movement. It is worth remembering that less than a month ago a Who’s Who of elite Democratic politicians trundled off to Las Vegas for the Yearly Kos convention, desperately seeking the community’s imprimatur.
(…)
But a glance through the Daily Kos diaries reveals that not all Americans are united on such matters as whether it is “for the United States to dictate to Israel how it defends itself.” Indeed, not even all Americans are united on whether or not Israel is a “terrorist state.” Some Americans believe that Israel should not exist. And these are the Americans that Lamont and other Democrats have so eagerly embraced.

Lots to read where those ellipsis reside, so go read it!

On his radio show, Dennis Prager often talks about the dichotomy of American Jews’ support of Israel and their allegiance to the Democratic party. No longer the party of John F. Kennedy and no longer based on what “liberalism” once meant, today’s Democrats are the party of Michael Moore, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer and Marcos Moulitsas (Kos).

If the Democrats take control of Congress this fall, not only the new democratic government of Iraq, but also Israel, may find itself in a big world of hurt! Jewish Americans might just find it advantageous to take a fresh, unbiased look at the GOP . . . (db)

Technorati Tags: Israel, Daily Standard, Dean Barnett, Democrats, Jews in America

This entry was posted on Monday, July 31st, 2006 at 8:57 am and is filed under Antisemitism, Decision '06, Israel/Hezbollah War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.  |   Print This Post  |   Email This Post

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