As you all know, AIPAC spent a lot of political capital opposing President Obama on Iran sanctions and it lost. Eli Lake says that the lobby “botched its biggest fight in years” because it tried to keep the U.S. government aligned with the Israeli government by pressing the Democratic Congress to go rightwing. But the Democrats buckled when Obama said it was a matter of national security not to add more Iran sanctions. Republican Bob Corker summarized AIPAC’s problem to Lake:
Corker said AIPAC now “finds itself twisted in a knot.”
“Obviously they are trying to navigate keeping access to the administration and candidly their support of Israel and their support of the Democratic Party. They find themselves in a very tough spot,” he said.
AIPAC’s problem is that the Jewish community is split. Many support Obama’s J Street liberal Zionism that wants a battle with Netanyahu. AIPAC is on the right, supporting Israel and Netanyahu.
But AIPAC is taking action. It posted the job above on February 5. From Jewish jobs site, AIPAC seeks “a progressive outreach director:”
The National Progressives Outreach Constituency Director will work to promote pro-Israel advocacy among progressive political leaders and activists across the United States from AIPAC’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Constituency Director will … implement a national progressives outreach strategy, coordinate regional Progressives Outreach activities, and conduct outreach efforts directly in certain parts of the country. The National Outreach Program promotes pro-Israel activism and education among leaders of various constituencies, including Progressives, African Americans, Hispanics and Religiously-Motivated Pro-Israel Christians.
Roles and Responsibilities [include]…
Develop and execute a national Progressives Outreach strategy to be implemented across AIPAC regions.
Develop and maintain relationships with influential progressive leaders in the national capital area…
Adam has tweeted out the job application.
Too bad @BilldeBlasio already has a job MT @akeyak: @AIPAC hiring “National Progressives Outreach Constituency Dir” http://t.co/QYbxKKbKSB”
— Mondoweiss (@Mondoweiss) February 12, 2014
Thanks to Scott McConnell.
Maybe ScarJo is available.
The job opening is of course not for a progressive but for someone who can bring in people who imagine themselves “progressive.”
”AIPAC’s problem is that the Jewish community is split.”..
Dont think it has anything to do with that. AIPAC has never been bothered by that because it knows other Jews have no money,meaning political clout.
Taking a second look at the events—>the Dems and the Repubs ‘first’ jumping on the Iran wage the dog bill. And then the Dems ‘jumping off’ and now the Repubs also ‘jumping off’ the bill (at the request of AIPAC) I am revising my opinions.
While I think Obama’s speech about ‘our national security re Iran diplomacy’ scared off some Dems—-I also think that AIPAC might have already seen where this was headed, for a’ public fight’ between Obama and AIPAC and its US congress.
When it comes down to the US President speaking on US Security vr. a Lobby and a congress with a 9% approval rating as it is, the pubic is going to support the Prez, even the part of the public who resent his being a black President.
Therefore I am not so sure we can credit the Dems with bucking the Lobby for the Prez—the Dems may have gotten the same back off message as the Repubs.
AIPAC might have known, and probably did know, that Obama was going to phrase the Iran negotiations as a US Security issue and knowing that didnt want this fight to escalate and get any more hotter in the US public than it already was.
The split among the Jews doesnt appear to the general public ,it only appears to Jews and in venues like MW, only the fight between Obama and Israel and congress appears to the general public.
I also dont believe Obama is influenced by the J-Street crowd—to believe that we would have to believe he was in the dark about the real Israel and I/P till J-Street and the anti and lib zio crowd showed up to educate him.
And furthermore there is no incentive for Obama to be taking direction on I/P or Iran from the lib Jews because that is not where the political money comes from.
So whatever he is doing or up to it isnt coming from there.
I think AIPAC learned something from the surprising public outcry and pushback on bombing Syria and is pulling back for the time being till they can find some way to start pushing it again without attracting the attention they have been getting over it.
Looks like Noam Chomsky is right after all. AIPAC is not that powerful and cannot go against the military industrial complex or the President.
It’s been taking action for at least the last year and a half.
http://forward.com/articles/172475/aipac-tries-to-brand-israel-as-liberal-cause/?p=all