Here is a major dose of reality for people – especially traditional, pro-Israel Democrats – who are unware of where the two major political parties are these days.
Excerpted from Jonathan S. Tobin’s article at National Review:
Democrats Who Want to Be President Back Away from Israel
Senators Booker and Gillibrand signal that they’ll march in step with the radical, anti-Israel Left.
The shift to the left by Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York demonstrates the power of a party base that is abandoning the Jewish state.
Both were once rock-solid supporters of Israel. But both have other priorities these days — they are thinking about running for president in 2020. Their problem is that no one who plans to compete in future Democratic primaries can ignore the growing power of their party’s left wing, which has grown increasingly hostile to Israel.
The influence of the far left is the only thing that might explain why Booker and Gillibrand are presenting themselves to their party’s base as less than fully supportive of Israel. The context for this development is a sea change in the Democratic party that has been taking shape over the past two decades. Where once the Democrats were the lockstep pro-Israel party and Republicans were divided about backing Israel, the parties’ positions are now reversed. Republicans today are nearly unanimous in their enthusiastic support for the Jewish state, and they oppose all measures that endanger its security. Now it is the Democrats who are split, with polls showing that those who identify with the party are far less likely to back Israel than Republicans are.
Loyalty to Obama might explain if not excuse why Booker and Gillibrand abandoned their past promises to be tough on Iran, but they have no compelling excuse about their recent departures from pro-Israel positions. The platform committee of Sanders delegates such as Keith Ellison and Cornel West — prominent supporters of anti-Israel measures — was a harbinger of the growing animosity toward Israel.
In Booker’s case, it was an astonishing vote against the Taylor Force Act in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. For Gillibrand, it was an announcement that she will oppose the Israel Anti-Boycott Act. Yet while both Booker and Gillibrand rationalized their positions as being related to supposed flaws in the bills, the subtext was a not-so-subtle signal that they are edging away from Israel in order to be more attractive to the voters who might decide the next Democratic presidential nomination.
As Mr. Tobin points out – and I have been blogging about for years – the Democrat Party, which used to be second to none in its support of Israel is now, substantially anti-Israel.
In case you have any doubt, let me show you this Pew Research Center chart – which tells the tale with crystal clarity:
Take a good look. Your eyes are not deceiving you. According to Pew, 74% of Republicans sympathize more with Israel than with “Palestinians”, compared to 33% of Democrats.
This is not some blip on the radar screen that can be chalked up to cyclical movement. that is a more than two to one disparity. It’s not going to reverse next year or any time soon.
One poll not enough for you? OK, how about this Gallup poll, conducted in February, which doesn’t compare sympathies with Israel and “Palestinians” but simply asks about favorability:
| Total favorable | Total unfavorable | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| U.S. adults | 71 | 27 |
| Republicans | 81 | 18 |
| Independents | 70 | 27 |
| Democrats | 61 | 36 |
As you can see, Republicans show an 81% – 18% favorability toward Israel; a disparity of +63%. Democrats are 61%-36%; a disparity of just +25%.
Let’s see: +63% versus +25%. Twice as much unfavorability among Democrats (36% as Republicans (18%). I think I see a difference.
There remain a good many pro-Israel Democrats who think their party is with them all the way. That’s not a guess; I know plenty of them personally.
The sad fact, however is that they are wrong. And the sooner they wake up to the way things really are, the sooner they will base their Israel-related political decisions on reality rather than a wistful dream of the past.
