On Tuesday night, Representative Cori Bush lost in a Democratic primary election to challenger Wesley Bell, whose election campaign was overwhelmingly financed by pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). According the New York Times, the spending by pro-Israel groups “transformed the race into one of the most expensive House primaries in history”. While Bush, an outspoken opponent of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians, is on her way out of Congress because of Aipac’s big spending, the victory for Israel donors is the latest sign of their cause’s decline in the United States and especially in the Democratic party.

How could it be that such a powerful flex by pro-Israel donors is a reflection of a weakening cause? It’s simple: it is because such power flexes were never needed before. Now, it has become routine. Recently, Aipac and company spent huge sums to defeat Jamal Bowman in a primary as well. They made similar efforts against Representative Summer Lee, though she was able to survive the onslaught.

In the immediate short term, it seems like a reflection of power, but anyone who has been following the politics around this issue in the United States for years knows this is anything but. Pro-Israel interest groups never had to overtly and heavily interject themselves into electoral politics in such a way previously precisely because their cause enjoy a great degree of cultural hegemony. In the US, politicians kissed babies, petted dogs, loved baseball and unequivocally supported Israel. That last part isn’t quite what it used to be. The consensus around supporting Israel, especially in the Democratic party, has collapsed.

  • @[email protected]
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    1 month ago

    AIPAC is done.

    The campaigns against Bowman and Bush were desperation moves, and unless Israel pretty much instantly rights course and earns back some respect (which is certainly not going to happen at least as long as Netanyahu remains in office, or out of prison, for that matter), Israel’s reputation is entirely deservedly going to continue to collapse, and more and more voters, and thus more and more politicians, are going to oppose them.

    That would imply that AIPAC would have to work even harder and spend even more money, but I don’t think that will work no matter what. Their crusades against Bowman and Bush have already left a bad taste in people’s mouths, and rightly so, and it’s near certain that in the not very distant future, it’s going to flip, and the knowledge that AIPAC is funding opposition to a candidate will actually benefit that candidate - people will actually be more likely to vote for them because AIPAC opposes them. And that’ll be the end of AIPAC.

    And good riddance to bad rubbish.

  • @kitnaht
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    391 month ago

    I guess calling everyone an antisemite can only shield you from genuine criticism for so long.

  • @kikutwo
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    221 month ago

    Why should we pay for their baby bombing while being told sorry, have to reduce ss benefits because money?

  • @[email protected]
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    141 month ago

    If aipac has all that money then people need to boycott Israel further with bds.

    Israel needs an embargo from every country.

  • @[email protected]
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    1 month ago

    How could it be that such a powerful flex by pro-Israel donors is a reflection of a weakening cause? It’s simple: it is because such power flexes were never needed before. Now, it has become routine.

    that explains we we’ve banned tiktok

    They are attempting to plug a hole in the proverbial dyke with millions in campaign donations, but their problem isn’t akin to a leak, it is a rising tide of anger and disgust over Israeli crimes that will shape a generation to come.

    the way that blue maga actively minimizes the genocide as merely a “privileged single issue voter opinion” suggests that the people in charge are still in control to me.

    • mozz
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      1 month ago

      TikTok is an absolutely dogshit way of becoming informed about politics. Any accidental overlap between the simplicity and video-bite-amenability of the Gaza issue, and TikTok’s ability to communicate issues that are dirt simple and can be illustrated by short videos, is purely accidental. The main issue is that it is explicit Chinese spyware of a type that is even more explicitly malicious than the usual standard for social media apps, which is already pretty malicious.

      Also the fact that it took external-to-the-Democrats opposition and huge investment of outside money to get rid of a vocally anti-Israel Democratic member of congress, instead of anything the Democrats did against her, is notable. I think you should add the phrase “Israeli MAGA” to your lexicon; it’s still not accurate but it is much closer than the propaganda terminology you are currently using.