Beautiful work, by Lizette Alvarez in the New York Times, on the Republican Jewish Coalition’s activities in Florida. Republicans Go After Jewish Vote…
Focused on South Florida, Ohio and Nevada, the Republican Jewish Coalition, backed mostly by the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Zionist, has begun spending $6.5 million on an air-and-ground strategy to reach Jewish voters who may view Mr. Obama as unreliable on the question of Israel’s security. Jewish voters, who generally vote for Democrats in big numbers, overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obama in 2008, giving him 78 percent of their vote, according to exit polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky.
I have repeatedly called out the media for prevaricating about Adelson’s aims. Alvarez calls a spade a spade.
This signals a new role in the discourse of the term “Zionism.” It’s not such a great thing. It’s associated with slouching giant casino bosses who wish they had served in the Israeli army and deny Palestinian existence and push for war with Iran. Great brand for young Jews!
It’s unclear from the title whether calling Adelson a Zionist is not a “good thing” or whether the Zionist label itself is used as a negative. Almost skipped it, but good news in the latter sense.
When the floodgates break on open, full and honest discussion about the role of Zionism in contemporary American politics, it is going to be something to behold. Benjamin Netanyahu, Sheldon Adelson, Eric Cantor and hundreds of other leading Zionists on the American scene are bringing that moment closer to realization. Let the floodgates open.
When I see the Times refer to West Jerusalem separately from occupied East Jerusalem, and all stories related to the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights include the label,”occupied,” I will know that the Ochs and Sulzbergers are not Zionists. How else are we to know?
How to tell that the delegitimization of the zionist entity is imminent? At the very mention of Israel &/or Zionism, there’ll be this sinking feeling in one’s gut, that’s how.
Maybe I haven’t noticed, is using ‘zionist’ new for the NYT?
I dont recall seeing zionist used much, if it’s starting to be a new description then maybe we’re getting down to the real dirty nitty gritty on Israel support.
American,
I’ve noticed a major trend in informed and elite discourse on Mideast politics: it is now ok to use the term “Zionist” in a neutral and objective way to describe people who are in fact Zionists. That is who they are. Zionism is an ideology and Zionists subscribe to and promote that ideology.
Thanks to neoconservatives and Christian Zionists, Zionism has become a huge and controversial issue in contemporary American politics. It is impossible not to talk about it — we encounter it at every turn.
what’s great about the new more prominent usage is that it differentiates jews from zionists – undercutting what zionist propagandists have tried for so long: to tie being a jew inextricably with being a zionist … the more it’s done, the more clear to even the average non-schooled reader/viewer that two things are being talked about and eventually even they will get the information that jews as a culture have been around nearly 6000 years and zionism, a nationalist land-based political movement, has been around just over 100 years
Adelson could turn out to be the worst thing that ever happened to Israel.
If he can get Israel completely branded as a Republican cause, it’ll force every Progressive except for Palestine type in the country to decide whether he’s progressive or for Israel — and as the coverage in the Times is starting to show all too clearly, we can see what that boils down to.
A lot less support for Israel. These types would be all for Israel — but they can’t stomach being for Romney.
“backed mostly by the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Zionist, has begun spending $6.5 million on an air-and-ground strategy to reach Jewish voters”
He’s not buying white phosphorous, is he ? I thought that air and ground strategy was just for Gaza.
It’s not the first time:
link to nytimes.com
h/t Jordan Hayes
This is better. Describing Adelson as “Zionist” is quite inadequate. Basically, there is a civil war inside “Israel first” camp and Adelson fancies himself a kingmaker.
Concerning seafoid question, “air-and-ground” means a combination of ads placed in TV and radio station with volunteers calling people and visiting them in their homes. You can also pay “volunteers”.
The interests of casino owning thugs are probably not the interests of the people they share religious beliefs with. Jews are not the only people who have been betrayed by elitists who share their religion, but when they have, the consequences have been catastrophic.
Lots of stuff bubbling up onto prime-time TV:
George Soros’s super-PAC, Jewish Council For Research and Education has now given Florida’s whities Samuel L. Jackson’s profanity-laced pro-Obama ad – NYPOST.com link to nyp.st via @newyorkpost
“STFU!”
As an aside, Jackson is on the record as saying he’s for Obama because he’s black.
On The Factor yesterday, O’Reilly had two women discussing Pam Gellar’s ad, the confrontation between her and the Egytian-American journalist with the spray gun.
The fake debate stressed the episode was merely that the Liberals only favor free speech when it says what they like to hear. Nothing about the word “savage” or Israel, or the Palestinians or US foreign policy.
Kissinger also spoke on Fox News yesterday. He said we have to draw a red line and make sure Iran knows what it is. Never mentioned the word “war” or “bomb” or even “all options are on the table.” Full interview said to be on Fox News web site.
Kissinger is also reported to have recently warned that in ten more years, Israel won’t exist.
link to israelhayom.com
In Kissinger’s extended Fox interview with Greta (who acts like she wants to kiss his ring), he says it’s “not in the US interest” to go along with Egypt’s request towards a better relationship with Egypt to do more to honor US past treaty-related promises to the Palestinians, that is, to take a more balanced stance re the I-P conflict. He also says the US should not “unilaterally” support the Palestinian bid for upgrade towards full UN membership. He talks as if the US would be all alone in such support. Greta did not ask one hard, or even soft follow-up question on any initial response to any of Greta’s questions. She express joy that Kissinger and Bibi N were “on the same [exact] page” regarding how the US should not unilaterally support the Palestinian’s UN bid. Kissinger immediately, of course, said he was not aware of what Bibi so recently said about the matter. A truly disgusting interview on every level, with the fawning Greta and the old “diplomatic” Zionist. link to video.foxnews.com
Phil
Are you sure this represents an important development? Since the piece only brings up Adelson within a discussion of Jewish electioneering and the Republican party, mentioning his Zionism seems pretty innocuous, even unavoidable.
it wouldnt be the first time i heralded a nonevent!
Well, it actually brings up a tad more, seeing as his arch Jewish moneybags font, rival Soros, just put out that Samuel L Jackson “Wake The Fuck Up” video, geared for Dick and Jane in Florida. Adelson’s got ads running here too–Bibi is speaking to FL on TV–in behalf Mittens.
Just so folks know, Florida is majority Liberal along the Jewish SE coast, but also in SW coast Tampa Bay area; it’s conservative everywhere else (“the real [native] Florida”).
Just the appearance of the word is a kind of breakthrough. How often have you even seen the term “zionism” in any of our mass media? You’ll find communism, and socialism, and naziism, and islamism, and islamofascism, and satanism, and UFOism, but you won’t find zionism. Which is very odd considering how much pain this particular political ideology happens to be causing the world.
Someone with access to LexisNexis should do an analysis of this. My money would be on finding more appearances of “satanism” than “zionism”.
Facts 4 Working Americans: Zionist propaganda & US media link to weknowwhatsup.blogspot.com via @kurnutovsky
Some people have dark suspicion if Adelson is indeed a Zionist: perhaps his support of political candidates has some more base motivation.
I do not have a link at hand, but on a site with name like “onlinegamer.com” there were warning that Adelson lobbies to outlaw online poker. If a tycoon bribes enough congresscritters, then the only thing that can save your freedom is the presidential veto. Adelson has other pet causes that were mentioned like union busting. Simply by pretending that he is a crazy Zionist, which is still quite respected, Adelson can divert the public attention from his true goals.