cell913blog.com #71

There is a tidal wave of cash being fire-hosed into the campaign for House of Representatives, from a little known, and even less named lobby group that goes by the initials, AIPAC.

What is AIPAC?

AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is the leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the U.S. Only recently, AIPAC poured $8.5 million to defeat progressive Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush in her primary in Missouri. Ms Bush’s Achilles Heel, from the AIPAC perspective, was that she championed Palestine justice issues in Congress. The campaign to oust Cori Bush followed a similar political action donation from AIPAC of some $17 million to defeat another Palestine supporter in Congress, Jamal Bowman, in the Democratic primary in New York. From oregonlive.com, in a piece by Jamie Goldberg, entitled: Opaque PAC that spent big attacking Oregon congressional candidate finally discloses donors-a month after election, on June28, 2024, we also read of another similar and successful intervention of this lobbying conglomerate:

An opaque political group that spent $3.5 million to attack congressional candidate, Susheela Jayapal during the May primary….The ‘opaque group,’ Voters for Responsible Government, received its largest donation from an affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, federal filings show. The filings also show Voters for Responsive Government also owes the powerful pro-Israel group $20,000 for ‘administrative services.’…The PAC paid for numerous negative ads and mailers calling out Jayapal as primarily responsible for rampant homelessness and open drug use in the Portland area as well as for something that never happened-the county providing drug pipes and other meth-and-fentanyl-related paraphernalia. The incendiary hit pieces attempted to pin the failings of the Multnomah County Commission and its powerful chair on Jayapal alone, when in fact she was one of the five commissioners in charge of county business between 2019 and her resignation in late 2023.

It is not only the ‘big-money’ purchase of selected candidates, whose campaigns are supported by such lobby groups that stings and defames the political system. It is also the depths to which such campaigns stoop, echoing the pattern of ‘assassination’ ads based on lies that trump has championed from the beginning. Senator Bernie Sanders, a Jew, and a leading voice for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has walked a fine line in the public debate over the Israeli response to the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. Wondering out loud, in CNN, how anyone can call for a cease-fire against a terrorist group such as Hamas, on November 5, a mere month after the attack, Sanders received tepid praise from AIPAC. The Times of Israel, November 7, 2023, reports: For a few hours on Sunday, the unthinkable happened on social media: AIPAC promoted a clip of Bernie Sanders talking about Israel…

The Washington Post, back in March 2, 2020, in a piece by Dana Millbank, entitled, Opinion: Bernie Sanders called AIPAC a platform for ‘bigotry.’ The group is proving is point, reports:

Bernie Sanders was right to skip AIPAC. The current front-runner of the Democratic presidential nomination would be the first Jewish president. He once lived in Israel. But he refused to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference this week because, he said, the pro-Israel lobby has become a platform for those who ‘express bigotry and oppose Palestinian rights.’ He added that Benjamin Netanyahu is a ‘reactionary racist.’ As the conference opened in Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu, speaking to the group via satellite on the eve of Israel’s elections, derided the Palestinians as ‘the pampered children of the international community.’ The AIPAC audience applauded.

We also know that many primary voters, primarily in Michigan, but in other states as well, voted ‘uncommitted’ on the Democratic primary, protesting Biden’s unwavering support for Israel. Vice-president Harris, now the official Democratic candidate for the presidency, while bearing some criticism for the Biden administration’s loyalty to Israel, did not attend Netanyahu’s speech to Congress and called for the end to the conflict and for the right of Palestinians to their own country with freedom from assault after she met with him after his address.

The tight-rope that Ms Harris must walk, married to a Jewish be husband, and supportive of Israel’s right to defend herself, nevertheless will be scrutinized, under the glare of many pro-Palestinian voters in battle-ground states. The cozy meet-up of Netanyahu with trump at Mar-a-Lago immediately after his address to Congress reinforces the perception, (belief in some quarters?) that Netanyahu is doing what he can to re-elect trump, including prolonging the conflict with Hamas, and even fomenting additional retribution, revenge and reported threats of assassination of trump by Iran. Hezbollah and Hamas, both proxies and armed and funded agents of Iran are inflamed over the assassinations of two of their respective leaders by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

Let’s not forget or ignore the deep and growing relationship between Putin and Iran, over military and technological exchanges. It does not require a rocket scientist to wonder how these military, geopolitical, racial and ethnic actors on the world stage might be scheming, plotting, formenting, hacking and spreading whatever propaganda misinformation they deem necessary into the American election campaign….and for what purposes?

Characterizing the Republican campaign are dramatic expressions and convictions of misogyny, racism, homophobia, sexism, climate-denial, greed, allegiance to narcissistic and autocratic male leaders, and the red meat of conspiracy theories and lies and deception… all in pursuit of the ‘deconstruction of the American democratic system of government. Aiding and abetting, even fomenting the chaos that would serve such a purpose and goal, Iran, Russia, (Israel?) kim, orban, xi and meduro (bolsonaro?) may be ‘working behind the scenes’ to accomplish at least a weakening of the Biden administration, of which Harris is a significant player. And a weakened Biden administration, in the twilight of Biden’s personal political career, seems a juicy and ready target for ‘attack’ as if Biden’s political blood is already spreading in the political sea of geopolitics.

Characterizing the expression and convictions of many, if not all, of those autocrats (and clearly Netanyahu’s name has to be included in such a list) are a similar list of “values” (pardon the sarcasm and the irony) as we listed describing the trump/vance campaign: misogyny, racism, homophobia, climate-denial, sexism, narcissism, autocracy, and conspiracy theories all delivered on a whirlwind of lies and deceptions….And would the erosion of the American institutional democracy and rule of law not play into the three or four-dimensional chess that the haters of America wish to execute?

Joy, happiness, truth-telling, biographic details disclosed with integrity, and policies that support the middle class, “not only to get by but to get ahead,” as Ms Harris has articulated her primary goal and purpose, are all honourable, timely, ‘good-vibes’ and worthy of pursuit both as campaign rhetoric and as governing policy. Large crowds, flowing contributions from multiple sources, armies of volunteers and a national media that seems smitten by the ‘movement’s momentum’….these are all positive signs for a victory on November 5.

And without foreclosing on an electoral victory, or catastrophizing about the prospect of a “wall” of war, chaos, conflicts, environmental disasters, assassinations, or even global economic turbulence, and or any other seemingly unforeseeable calamity, the Harris campaign must be having serous discussions about the political weather forecast of the next three months at least, as well as immediately after that date.

The euphoria of the build-up, execution and closing of the Paris Olympics, especially as no terror threat impeded, served as an inspirational wave of hope, promise, optimism and collegiality..on a global scale. The athletes gave everything, mind, body, spirit and soul to their training and commitment to their own ‘best’ performances. And such embodiment of excellence, on television in every land, while memorable, and uplifting, even for those hardened, calloused and angry and bitter politicians, can, we hope, have left a glimmer of the sheen, the promise and the aspiration of ordinary people everywhere for new thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, and decisions from those who prefer zero-sum games in order to eliminate all perceived opponents and real enemies.

Two-weeks of ‘positivity,’ like a holiday at a Caribbean resort, cannot be expected to heal a floundering marriage. Nor can it transform nefarious global leaders from cynical tyrant wannabe’s to co-operative, collaborative, thoughtful and self-respecting representatives of their respective nations and people.

However, even a single candle can bring the first glimpse of light into a darkened, curtained, frightened, and desolate basement room.

From too many reports, for too many weeks, days and months, have clouded our shared perceptions and expectations of coming “out” of the multiple messes in which we find ourselves. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz cannot be expected to solve all aspects of each crisis, with some magic American wand.

And that reality, the recognized, acknowledged and owned ‘limited’ responsibility for the state of the world by America, may be the greatest long-term, sustainable contribution that an elected Harris-Walz administration can/might/will bring to the world community. Contributing openly, honestly, courageously and confidently, without bravado, self-congratulation, exaggerated importance and self-inflation, both in its expectations of itself and in how it perceives, regards and respects others, could and would go a long way to easing some of the conundrums and gordion knots that seem to have ensnared the globe.