A front page piece in the New York Times today on the fact that Penny Pritzker, his finance chair in 2008, has apparently cooled on the president, is irresponsible in its refusal to address the effect of Obama’s policy toward Israel on her attitude.
The article of about 2500 words, “Leading Role in Obama ’08, but Backstage in ’12,” by Jodi Kantor and Nicholas Confessore, goes at great length into the ways in which Pritzker’s close association with Obama embarrassed her– because he has to be pro-labor and she has been opposed to labor as part of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, because she wanted to be Commerce Secretary or at least a White House insider and she’s not in the loop.
But the article also speaks of Pritzker’s support for “Jewish causes” and hints that Israel played a role in her disaffection. Well into the jump:
She has drawn business and Jewish leaders to support Mr. Obama, but when many of them turned hostile toward the president because of his policies, some directed their ire toward her, even though she had her own criticisms, too.
What does this mean? What are his “policies”? What are the money people saying to her? And what are Pritzker’s “own criticisms”? The word Israel isn’t even in the article!
The basis of a democracy is a people’s right to know. Here the Times alludes to a central question of foreign policy as it touches on a politician’s ability to raise money, and refuses to address the question openly and honestly. It is hard not to reach the conclusion that the Times is in the Israel lobby: it is actively suppressing issues of political influence that could only damage Israel’s toehold in our politics.
I am told that Ali Abunimah has been asking the Times reporters on twitter how they could justify not referring to Israel. How long can this blackout last?
‘It is hard not to reach the conclusion that the Times is in the Israel lobby’
In other news, the existence of a continent in the antipodes has been confirmed, and recent astronomical observations confirm that the earth does indeed orbit the sun.
Honestly.
Toehold? I’d say Netanyahu’s repeated unanimous standing ovations from a bipartisan joint session of Congress, most of them afraid to be seen NOT standing and applauding enthusiastically, represents more than toehold. What’s Dershowitz’s description? the most effective lobbying effort in the history of mankind? or words to that effect.
What this is is a taboo, almost universally observed by journalists and politicians alike.
PW: I am told that Ali Abunimah has been asking the Times reporters on twitter
“I am told”? You have to be told? Is this how you get your information? Why not just follow him? https://twitter.com/AliAbunimah
if the political American Jews who have “cooled” on Obama were honest they’d hold a digital stop-watch and stand next to a height marker and say, “When we say ‘jump’ we meant this high [points to height marker], and this fast [shows time on stop-watch]”
It’s kind of funny how some Jewish “leaders” are complaining about his policies regarding Israel. He hardly says anything critical of Israel. They just know that, unlike Bush, he’s not crazy about Israel due to its behavior. George W., however, could care less about the Palestinians.