Emergency Committee for Israel attack ad
Just in time for the AIPAC conference and Netanyahu's visit to Barack Obama, the New York Times today features a full page ad from neoconservatives saying that liberals must support Israel. The ad attacks two Democratic Party-linked thinktanks, the Center for American Progress and Media Matters, for criticism of Israel. It names M.J. Rosenberg of Media Matters and says he is a bigot. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The ad has a scare image of a wolf, and features quotes from Alan Dershowitz and Spencer Ackerman (inaccurately characterizing the use of the term "Israel Firster"). It asks people to call the foundations that fund the two thinktanks-- notably the Pritzker foundation. The Pritzker family has supported Barack Obama.
I'd point out once again that if conservatives sought to coach liberal New York Times readers on any other issue -- say, abortion rights, or gay rights, or gun rights-- they'd be laughed out of the hall. The reason that Bill Kristol's neoconservative outfit is spending this money is that This is an inside-the-Jewish-establishment conversation. Neoconservatives have broad traction inside the American Jewish community. They are family, we have to listen to them.
Or we did anyway. Mitchell Plitnick has a great piece up taking on the bullies:
Alan Dershowitz, who has openly called for Israel to bulldoze entire towns in response to terrorist attacks, is on the warpath against MJ Rosenberg of Media Matters for America. He is incensed that Rosenberg has pointed out the very obvious fact that, when it comes to foreign policy matters involving Israel, some people are basing their views of US policy on what is best for Israel.
I have known MJ Rosenberg for years. MJ is as Jewish a guy as you’ll ever meet, and you should see his face when he talks about how much he loves Tel Aviv. He has been to Israel many times and has a lot to say about the positive aspects of that country.
But MJ, who once worked for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is also disgusted by the tribalism that has infected the Jewish community, and he’s very concerned about the pressure being brought on the Obama Administration to attack Iran when it is plainly not in America’s interest to do so. The case being made involves not US, but Israeli worries (which do not, outside of fear-mongering, include the fear that Iran would be willing to face nuclear attack itself in order to nuke Israel, an act which would, kill as many Palestinians as Israelis, and would put some of Islam’s holiest sites at serious risk.)
Dershowitz, who could learn a lot about being a Jew and a mensch from Rosenberg, is trying to rally momentum to have MJ fired, not by bringing a scintilla of evidence contradicting MJ’s claims or arguing his views, but by hurling baseless accusations of anti-Semitism.
It’s another example of the sort of tactics employed when one cannot win the argument on its merits.
Good for MJ! Let’s hope this leads to a best selling book.
wow, amazing. full on frontal assault.
It’s war.
Of course they have to bring in the Nazis. Check.
Antisemitism. Check
anti Jewish check
Libels check
Defamation check
Slanders check
Iran check
Hate check
The only thing missing is the reference to matzos
Look at the telephone numbers of the sponsors.
This is Zionism in action in broad daylight.
These people are not going to go quietly.
It names M.J. Rosenberg of Media Matters and says he is a bigot
“It was a technique which the Zionists were to employ throughout their struggle. The technique of promoting damaging personal attacks on those who stood in their way rather than trying to counter their arguments.”
“Such non conformists were subtly made aware that their jobs might be at risk, their books unpublishable, their preferment out of the question, their public reputations vulnerable if they did not renounce the heresy of anti Zionism ”
Publish it not, Mayhew and Adams, 1975
NF got misled, but didn’t fold. Let’s hope MJR doesn’t fold.
My analysis and hope — for what it’s worth — is that President Obama will read the handwriting on the wall and see a Bibi-program of ever-increasing demands (over the period today – November) with timed increases to force him to deny every pro-America view he has OR ELSE lose all that good AIPAC money; and he’ll realize that he cannot keep the ball in the air all that time and finally (the sooner the better) quit the pretense — in favor of some honest talk to the whole American people.
Oh well.
Love it. More please.
They really put themselves and Israel Firstdom out there in public now haven’t they?
They’re going to get a war, but not the one they want.
RE: “the New York Times today features a full page ad from neoconservatives saying that liberals must support Israel.” ~ Weiss
A CONTRARY VIEW FROM AN ISRAELI: Dear liberal American Jews: Please don’t betray Israel, by Dahlia Scheindlin, +972 Magazine, 2/14/12:
ENTIRE ARTICLE – link to 972mag.com
RE: “The ad attacks two Democratic Party-linked thinktanks… It names M.J. Rosenberg of Media Matters and says he is a bigot. Nothing could be further from the truth.” ~ Weiss
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR MJ ROSENBERG!
FACEBOOK
M J Rosenberg
Public Figure
99 “likes”
LIKE THIS – link to facebook.com
TWITTER
Best way to tell Dershowitz to go to hell (1) picket his classroom or (2) tell your friends to follow MJ Rosenberg on twitter.
MJ Rosenberg
@MJayRosenberg
FOLLOW – link to twitter.com
I appreciate their publishing the names and phone numbers of these organizations.
It’s made it easier for me to contact them all to voice my support in the opposite direction.
I think it’s critically important that they hear from us. As a matter of fact, I know it is.
Yes ! I just made donations to several of these organizations. Since the point of the ad is to pressure these philanthropies to cut off their support for MM and CAP, I thought it important for them to know that the controversy cuts both ways. I hope others do the same.
THIS AD IS GREAT!!
Does anyone believe that the NYT would ever permit one of its writers to use the “Israel-firsters” in any article or post?
Now it’s out there.
I’m certain that a substantial number of NYT readers will have never seen the term before and ask themselves: what does term connote – is there not some significant evidence that a large number of writers and spokesmen seem to advance Israel’s interests ahead of those of the US?
The more people debating the issue the better.
I wonder what the people in Israel think. Not all help is helpful.
Folks, pick up the phone and call the donors. I have been and am finding they are only getting calls from people who want these charities to defund CAP and Media Matters. This is a major effort to intimidate as these neocons are pushing an attack on Iran and accelerated Palestinian dispossession.
YES!!! Ackerman launches the ultimate defense of the Liberal Zionist:
link to attackerman.com
Shorter version: “don’t quote me, ECI, it makes people think are effectively the same, and that ruins the bringing liberals to Zionism bit. I’m trying to help you, remember, so never acknowledge that.”
Anyone familiar with Menachem Begin’s career as an Irgun terrorist, to his formation of Herut political party advancing fascist ideals (according to Einstein, H. Arendt, and 26 other leading Jewish intellectuals), expansion of Israel’s borders throughout Palestine, and other policies so extreme, so militant that Ben Gurion himself referred to him as “Hitler”. Begin’s skillful use of fear allowed him to rehabilitate Irgun and Lehi terrorist to he same status as the IDF, to form a coalition that became Likud, make the settlements Israeli official government policy, and basically turn Israel into everything left-liberal Jews despise. And if you look close enough you will see clear signs of Begin’s own tactics and strategy having been imported for use here in America. And that this was done by a group we now know as “neocons”. (which explains the extraordinarily high number of duel-Israeli citizens among them); a strategy they began implementing in earnest immediately after the collapse of the USSR and what that might mean for maintaining Israel’s preferential status among Middle Eastern nations.
Just as Begin had done in Israel, so too did the neocons begin fear-mongering over Iraq, now Iran, next Syria, etc. etc. It’s simply American kooks emulating a successful effort by an originally- despised fascist/terrorist kook who was able to use fears and regional instabilities as a tool to completely flip Israel from the left over to the far-right….. much as those GOP kooks over here are now asking Americans to accept their own insanity as the right way to handle fears they have of Muslims, communists, terrorists, socialism, “community organizers”[wtf ????]
They are not afraid of Muslims. Maybe the ordinary schmucks of Israel are (if they aren’t they must be independent readers who can think for themselves ) but the psychopaths in charge aren’t. They want total spectrum dominance. Plus they want the IDf to continue as is milking $3bn a year from American taxpayers. Why did Israel bomb the crap out of Lebanon in 2006 and of Gaza in 2008? Because all opposition must be crushed at source. And because Israel is driven by war.
This is the DNA of Zionism.
How is our glorious country ploughed?
Not by iron ploughs
How is our glorious country ploughed?
Not by iron ploughs
Our land is ploughed by tanks and feet,
Feet Marching
Our lands is ploughed by tanks and feet,
Feet Marching
What is the glorious fruit of our land?
Its fruit is deformed children.
What is the glorious fruit of our land?
Its fruit is orphaned children.
link to youtube.com
Around 6% of American Jews consistently identify Israel as their top priority for voting in American elections. Even if one considers the regular AJC poll as flawed in its sampling or the questions flawed in their framing, year after year, a small percentage of American Jews self-identify with Israel first. This may come as no surprise to their friends or relatives. But the Israel Lobby is taking a big risk by airing the term “Israel Firster” to all of the readers of the NYT, many of whom are not Jewish. Aside from hardcore Christian Zionists, many other non-Jewish Americans with mildly positive views of Israel could be irritated to learn about how their political leaders are pressured to put Israel first. Now that the Israel Lobby has aired the meme to the general public, it will lose control of it.