Chris Matthews is getting impatient with the media’s denial of the role of the Israel lobby. In fact, he’s burning. For the last three nights, Matthews has brought up Jeb Bush’s flipflop of last week, when Jeb embraced brother George and the Iraq war after distancing himself for months. And Matthews says Bush is pivoting in order to raise money from the Israel lobby, from Jewish neoconservatives. Unfortunately, his guests haven’t been able to provide him support in this analysis.
The matter first came up on Friday night’s Hardball: the “strange weird desperate behavior of Jeb Bush.” Matthews related that at a private NY event, Jeb Bush told a group including neoconservative Paul Singer that George W. Bush is his foreign policy adviser.
“He wants to be W on Israel and the Middle East! Ideological– desperation– what would you call it?” Matthew said.
But his two guests, David Corn and Jonathan Capehart, only mystified the matter. “I think it was a mistake. I think it’s inexplicable,” Corn said. “I think he made a very very big mistake, as he has done on occasion.” While Capehart, of the Washington Post, said, “I’m not sure why he would do it or what benefit it would gain him.” Really?
Matthews ventured that Jeb was catering to the lobby. The country is pro-Israel, he said, but the people don’t want another war. Rich Jewish neoconservatives are a different matter.
You know, clearly it may just be a case of pandering. It was before a Jewish group with a lot of hawks in the room, from the way he addressed them… He was working a particular audience, which politicians do
Corn promptly dismissed that idea. “I think there are a lot of other ways to pander to a group of rich donors on the issue of Israel… I’m not even sure that crowd is going to like [George Bush].”
On Monday night, Chris Matthews persisted in his “pandering” view. He addressed Bush’s flipflop in a commentary segment:
Why’d he do it?
Five prospects:
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He made a mistake.
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He wanted to make sure there’s not a sliver of distance between he and his brother.
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He wants to line up with all the other Republican hawks now in the field – all except Rand Paul.
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He wants to make up for being for immigration and common core.
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He wants the money, the huge money out there awaiting any Republican presidential candidate who will pledge his soul to right-wing Mideast policies, who will say “everything’s on the table” when asked about Iran and salute the all-encompassing greatness of Bibi Netanyahu with the same snap and gusto as he assaults the policies and abilities of President Obama.
Plainly Matthews believes it’s 5, “the huge” neoconservative money awaiting any candidate who will pledge his soul to Netanyahu.
He said so again last night. When speechwriter Matthew Littman said that Jeb said his brother was “his closet adviser on the Middle East,” Matthews corrected him.
“On Israel. He was very particular…. Part of what he’s doing is fundraising, and a lot of the money in this country is very hawkish in the Middle East, very hawkish, and you know he’s quite willing to play that.”
I yammer about Matthews because I think he’s the best political mind in the MSM, he loves politics, he leads the MSM conversation, and by the way, he knows ethnic politics through and through. When he speaks of “the huge money out there awaiting any Republican presidential candidate who will pledge his soul to right-wing Mideast policies,” he is describing what is going on right now inside the Republican Party: The candidates are conducting the Adelson primary. They are competing for $10 million grubstakes that are essential to running a plausible campaign, from pro-Israel Jewish donors such as Sheldon Adelson, Paul Singer, and Norman Braman. Braman is locked up by Marco Rubio, but a lot of the other money is up for grabs. And these Israel lobbyists are enjoying watching the candidates pander to them.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is in Israel right now, along with George Bush’s former press secretary, Ari Fleischer, and he’s praising Netanyahu:
Thanks @netanyahu for the meeting. Our democracies share common values & work to confront shared threats -skw
Chris Matthews knows what’s going on, but he doesn’t want to be out on his own. Can’t anyone in the MSM give him some backup here?
Phil, you are asking for the impossible. It is a shame that those in the media do not have the spine to back Chris Matthews or anyone else who might “dare” to make those references to Israel. It may the most honest statement we may hear, and facts about Israeli interference, but these so called professional journalists seems petrified when it comes to anything negative connected with Israel.
They may openly criticize the President, Congress, celebrities, anyone in the US, but Israel is one big NO-NO. The power of zionists.
I was about to say “if they do, they’ll end up as you”. I mean that as a compliment, but then again not everyone can bounce back the way you did. Not everyone can find an audience.
But still, the point remains. The reason why Capeheart is chickening out is because he is a coward. Corn is probably more motivated by ethnic loyalty(not with the right-wing bigots, he doesn’t care for them, but he’s scared that if we’ll talk about it, it will blow back on himself, his family and his community).
Still, Phil, the fact that Matthews is pushing at this issue, even if haltingly, is surely a sign of progress. Wouldn’t be possible 10 years ago. Then again, 10 years ago this issue was a lot more monolithic. There wasn’t a J Street, everyone was behind AIPAC and you could still maintain the illusion of Dreamcastle Israel.
Or take the rancid attack from the NYT, at the front-page at that, too. It’s a sign that the establishment is fully aware of the issue. Now it’s only a time to break through the wall, and little by little, it’s happening.
“Can anyone give him some backup?”
That sound you just heard was the entire staff of MSNBC running to the john and locking the door.
He needs different guests. There’s plenty available.
Good for Matthews for raising the topic about Republicans and major Zionist donors. For most Republican wanna-bes, the answer is #5:
Even so, for Jeb, I think the answer is #3:
Jeb is paying a courtesy call. He has plenty of potential corporate donors as well as name recognition (which is what the big, early money will buy the second-tier candidates). He does not want to alienate Jewish or Christian Zionist donors or voters by ignoring the event. He could use the money and the backing, but he’s not desperate (at least not at this point). He also doesn’t want to be lumped with Rand or Ron Paul.