Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
Calling balls and strikes for the pro-Israel community since 2006
October 4, 2020
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
- The parallels between 1930s Germany and Trump's America are too clear and dangerous to ignore.
- Trump has repeatedly refused to condemn white supremacists and instead has emboldened and encouraged anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, including at last week's debate in front of 70 million Americans.
- Even giving Trump every benefit of the doubt, he is responsible for thousands of COVID deaths, and that alone should disqualify him for re-election: He is not keeping Americans safe, even within the White House.
- Read to the end for upcoming events and fun stuff.
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Friends,
Chag Sameach! Today's newsletter is arriving late because of Sukkot, and next Sunday's newsletter will arrive late because of
Simchat Torah. After that, expect it bright and early every Sunday morning.
Over 200,000 Americans have died from COVID. Many deaths were due to Trump's
incompetence and lying. The U.S. has 4% of the world's population and 22% of the
world's COVID deaths. But some COVID deaths in the U.S. were unavoidable. Trump can't be responsible for them all, can he?
Let's give Trump an incredible benefit of the doubt. Let's make the absurd assumption that 95% of the COVID deaths in the U.S. would have occurred no matter who was president. As
James Hamblin points out, that still means 10,000 deaths are Trump's fault. How is that not automatically disqualifying? Trump attended a fundraiser on Thursday
knowing he'd been exposed to COVID but didn't tell anyone and didn't wear a mask. How is that not disqualifying?
In what bizarro universe does a president whose negligence or worse causes 10,000 American deaths stand any chance of reelection? The actual number, whatever it is, is far greater than 10,000 and probably closer to 200,000 than 10,000. Of course, if we lived in a normal universe, the refusal of a U.S. president to condemn white supremacy during a presidential debate would also be disqualifying. But this is 2020 America, where the GOP has become the
no lives matter party.
When are Holocaust analogies appropriate? The Holocaust was a uniquely evil event perpetrated by a particular government (Nazi Germany) against a particular people (Jews) at a particular time and place. But what does “never again” mean if we cannot learn lessons and draw parallels from the Holocaust?
By definition, an event that is unique can never happen again. Does that mean all comparisons are inappropriate and that “never again” is a definitionally self-fulfilling prophecy--or does it mean that we should apply the lessons from that unique event to prevent evil of varying degrees from recurring in our day?
The Holocaust should never be trivialized nor its victims disrespected. But neither should analogies to the Holocaust and events leading up to the Holocaust automatically be off-limits. If they are, "never again" means nothing. We honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust not by closing our eyes to evil, but by using lessons of the past to prevent suffering today.
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and other leaders, including the Reps. Danny Davis (D-IL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and Sharice Davids (D-KS), wrote Trump that his "repeated failure to definitively and consistently renounce white nationalism...not only during the debate but throughout the entirety of [his] presidency, has given life and voice to the darkest corners of our society."
The opinion that talking about mid-century Germany is per se verboten made sense when both major presidential candidates, whatever their differences, respected the basic norms of decency and of our democracy. That has changed with Trump, and we would do well to remember the quote attributed to
John Maynard Keynes, who responded to accusations that he reversed his position by saying “When the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do, sir?”
This is, as
Natasha Roth-Rowland writes, a moment of reckoning for American-Jewish leaders and their organizations, especially those that criticized
the JDCA ad. This is a moment of reckoning for all of us.
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The Fine Print: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it). Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2020 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.