The lobby group Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) sent out an email this morning, celebrating the fact that Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race and gearing its supporters up for a fight to keep the Democratic platform pro-Israel.
The email, which was written by DMFI President Mark Mellman, takes partial credit for Sanders’s departure. “Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for president,” Mellman, “That’s a big victory — one you helped bring about.”
Before Iowa’s January caucus, DMFI did run a series of anti-Sanders ads in Iowa, but the Vermont Sanders won the state’s popular vote anyway. The group spent more than $800,000 on the ads and the effort helped Sanders raise $1.3 million in just one day.
Mellman declares that the lobbying organization’s next battle will be over the Democratic platform. “Extreme groups aligned with Sanders, as well as some of his top surrogates — including Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar — have publicly declared an effort to make the platform anti-Israel,” he writes. Mellman points out that, while some people dismiss the importance of party platforms, the GOP effectively became an anti-abortion party after modifying its platform in 1976. “As a career political professional, I will tell you that if Democrats adopt an anti-Israel platform this year, the vocabulary, views, and votes of politicians will shift against us dramatically,” writes Mellman, “We simply can’t afford to lose this battle.”
In 2016, members of the Sanders campaign pushed for language calling for an end to the occupation and settlement expansion. That effort was ultimately rejected by the platform drafting committee in a vote of 8-5. However, the platform did include language regarding Palestinian statehood.
Sigh. #DemPlatform meeting votes 8-5 against adopting @BernieSanders amendment to end Israeli military occupation, illegal settlements.
— Josh Ruebner (@joshruebner) June 25, 2016
DMFI was established by Democratic donors and insider in 2019, to stave off a growing sympathy for Palestinians within the party. Last July, they sent a list of pro-Israel talking points for Democratic candidates to use if they were confronted by anti-occupation activists during campaign stops. The group has consistently insisted that lawmakers like Sanders and Omar are outside of the mainstream on the issue, but there is a lot of polling showing that Democratic voters are to the left of their own party on the subject of Israel/Palestine. In fact, a recent University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll found that almost half of the Democratic voters familiar with BDS support the movement.
Not as if Bernie was devoutly pro-BDS and anti-zionism, anti-Israel’s plunder of Palestine – he’s not. He does recognize that many Dem supporters, especially younger ones, including younger Jews are less pro-zionist and more pro-BDS.
I would hope that he has the inner humanity to recognize that what Israel (Occupied Palestine) has done and continues to do to Palestinians is obscene, heinous, horrendous, beyond the pale of humanity. But I suspect that deeper down, his heart is with the existence of Israel (Occupied Palestine) as a “Jewish” state. And that he believes the myths regarding Jewish control/occupancy of the land that is Palestine (all of it) some 2000 plus years ago; that this was the reward for escaping Egypt and “slavery”; the reward (if I recall right) for eliminating, or most of, the existing inhabitants, the Canaanites….That the Ashkenazim are the descendants of those once Egyptian slaves, slayers of the Canaanites, winners thereby of the land of Palestine…
The whole business – Iowa and from South Carolina onward has been fishy-stinky. Bernie was not perfecto – not a socialist – but infinitely better than any of the others and definitely so of Biden. Whether or not this group had a hand in ensuring Bernie didn’t get the primary votes needed from SC onward, don’t know. Possibly Warren’s continuance during that primary then dropping out just when the Biden “won” it played a significant role? All the rest (except Bloomberg who only appeared on the scene then) had dropped out in a very curious fashion immediately before SC…
We need a leaker as in the 2016 email business…but what’s the likelihood?
The Democratic pro-Israel group’s publicized fund raising to keep the Democratic platform “pro-Israel” will increase Americans’ disgust with “Israel” much more, especially and most importantly, among youth, including rapidly increasing numbers of enlightened Jews.
I dont think Israel’s reliance on UN vetoes has ever looked more fragile .
They have gone from antisemitism to full political interference.
Israel bet the farm on neoliberalism. There were 200,000 settlers in 1980. There are over 700,000 now.
Israel needs neoliberalism to continue. Global debt to GDP is 322%. The rich are going to get hosed. The Zionist rich are going to get hosed.
The GOP and the Tories are doomed.
Israel deserves everything that is coming.
Mirvis on Corbyn. Straight out of the Protocols.
https://mobile.twitter.com/chiefrabbi/status/1234856288296804359
@echinococcus
Some friendly advice. Grow up! Get that chip off your shoulder! It and your ranting ill serve the Palestinian cause.
@Abe Bird
“You just proved what I’ve said.
Thanks”
Just following Zionorms again ie walking out of the debate when uncomfortable historical facts have to be faced. Please please do come back into the room and explain exactly how Misterioso “proved” what you said. Remember though this is a non fiction as opposed to fictional debate.