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Democrats like congressman Ritchie Torres face backlash for pro-Israel stances as Americans’ views of Israel sour

Alice Speri at The Guardian:

At a campaign event in the Bronx last month, a congressional candidate quizzed a cheering crowd: “What do you think would happen if the US ended all aid to Israel?” At a Thanksgiving gathering with voters, another candidate in the same race fielded questions about affordability – but also about “moral leadership” when it came to Israel’s war in Gaza. A third candidate vying for the same seat devoted much of his campaign’s launch video to lambasting the current member of Congress representing the district over the funding he’s received from the pro-Israel lobby.

The incumbent in question – congressman Ritchie Torres – is one of the most staunchly pro-Israel advocates in Congress. Dalourny Nemorin, one of his challengers for the Democratic nomination to represent the district calls him the “poster boy” for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or Aipac. “Ritchie Torres cares more about Bibi than he does about the Bronx,” Michael Blake, another challenger, said in the launch video.

Torres’s seat is not likely to be in danger – he is widely popular in his district, which spans a vast swath of the Bronx. But the messaging of his several challengers for the Democratic nomination to represent the district – five candidates have entered the race so far – underscore how major shifts in Americans’ views of Israel are beginning to seep into political campaigns. Public perceptions of Israel have soured after two years of its war on Gaza, and the historic election of Zohran Mamdani has proved that reflexive support for Israel – once viewed as a prerequisite for political viability – may no longer be a safe bet.

Across the country, candidates who are openly critical of Israel – including a record number who are of Palestinian descent – are entering local, state and federal races, donning keffiyehs and denouncing “genocide” in campaign materials. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate bid seeks to replicate Mamdani’s insurgent campaign; in Georgia, Ruwa Romman, the first Palestinian-American elected to state-level office, is running for governor a year after being denied a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention.

In New York City, which holds primaries in June, voters said they preferred Mamdani’s approach to Gaza over that of his challengers. Several incumbent Democrats – including Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat – are on the defensive over their pro-Israel stances. The race to replace Torres has put a particular spotlight on the changing calculus, with most other candidates in the race denouncing Israel’s actions as “genocide” and running aggressively against his record – even when that has meant walking back their own past support for Israel.

[...] Israel’s war in Gaza played an outsized role in the New York City mayoral election. While he did not back down on his pro-Palestinian stance even as it offered a frequent attack line against him, Mamdani ran a campaign that focused primarily on affordability. Candidates looking to tap into his momentum are trying to emulate that focus while also connecting cost of living issues with the US government’s massive funding of Israel. [...]

Mamdani served as a “barometer” for the temperature around the question of Palestine, said Nemorin, a public defender and member of Democratic Socialists of America who is also challenging Torres. The more than $21bn the US sent to Israel since October 2023 alone offer a way to link the issue to voters’ material interests. “There’s a conversation about where our tax dollars go,” she said. “The federal government is funding wars that lead to genocide”.

Despite the messaging, Torres remains the clear favorite. His campaign is awash in cash including $1.6m he has received from pro-Israel lobby groups, according to Track Aipac, a project that tracks the lobby’s funding of US politicians. That funding has become a talking point against him as a large number of New Yorkers hold unfavorable views of the pro-Israel lobby.

Pro-Israel Apartheid lobby group AIPAC has come under fire in recent years among Democrats over their role in meddling in Democratic primaries. It’s time to boot AIPAC’s influence from the Democratic Party!

#AIPAC #Democratic Party #Israel #Palestine #Ritchie Torres #Michael Blake #Daniel Goldman #Adriano Espaillat #Ruwa Romman #Abdul El Sayed #2026 Elections #Zohran Mamdani #Israel Lobby #Track AIPAC #Gaza Genocide #Israel Apartheid

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your househol

#immigration #rights #ice #migrants #advice #law #daniel goldman

#us politics #tweet #twitter #tiya sircar #daniel goldman #marriage equality #social equity #gender equality #equal rights #equality #roe v. wade #abortions #abortion bans #abortion is a human right #2022 #us supreme court #scotus

Donald Trump is comparing himself to Alexei Navalny. Of course Navalny is dead and Trump is still apparently alive despite drinking 12 Diet Cokes® a day and constantly stuffing himself with double cheeseburgers.

Republican former Rep. Joe Walsh called Trump "anti-American" and said he hoped Democrats would do the same.

He has a good point. For too long we have permitted rightwingers to define what it means to be American. Donald Trump is an anti-constitutional, pro-Russia wannabe dictator who is the personification of anti-Americanism.

For those too squeamish about anti-American, try dialing it down slightly and see if un-American works better for you.

It can feel liberating to write these. Try it yourself!...

Donald Trump is anti-American. Donald Trump is un-American.

Repeat that whenever he talks about becoming a dictator, praises foreign war criminals, or promises to take away voting rights or reproductive freedom.

And tell loudmouth Trumpsters that you're sick and tired of Donald Trump badmouthing America. Make them play defense and put them in the position of having to defend Trump's anti-American comments.

We need to position ourselves as the true Americans – in contrast to the Putin-loving MAGA crowd.

BONUS TRACK: Russian collusion with the MAGA GOP is a long term project. What could be more anti-American than collaborating with Vladimir Putin – a communist era colonel in the Soviet secret police?