|
August 6, 2023
Key Takeaways:
- Donald Trump's indictments last week for attempting to subvert our democracy were the straw that broke the elephant's back.
- Those of us who love Israel must join Israelis who love the Israel we love and speak out for Israeli democracy. Don't say it's not our place to speak out--Israelis want us on their side.
- Jewish groups condemned Trump’s comparison of his indictments to Nazi persecution.
Read to the end for corrections, what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and upcoming events.
You're welcome to read for free, but if you want to chip in to help defray the cost of the newsletter, click here to pay by credit card or PayPal. Just fill in the amount of your choice. If you see something that says "Save your info and create a PayPal account," click the button to the right and it will go away. You don't need a PayPal account. Or you can Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four phone digits are 9479). You can send a check too.
Hi Steve,
Since 2106 we've wondered what Donald Trump would have to do to lose support from his base. Multiple impeachments, multiple indictments, over 30,573 documented lies, and a long record of antisemitic rhetoric had no effect. Maybe he really could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing any voters.
On August 1, Trump was indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States by trying to overturn the 2020 election, obstructing the proceedings at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, conspiring to obstruct those proceedings, and attempting to reverse election results in states with close elections in 2020.
Not since Ricky Henderson broke the career record for stolen bases and continued to break the record year after year has any American broken the same record (in Trump's case, for indictments by a president) so many times with so little sign of stopping any time soon.
Thus far, we have seen no signs of Trump's support from the GOP base or from Republican leadership slipping. We shouldn't be surprised. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein wrote that the Republican Party "is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition." They wrote that on April 27, 2012 (2012, not 2021).
They were right, and it's only gotten worse. It will continue to get worse as the Republican Party fails to win the popular vote in election after election, which leads to more intense GOP efforts to suppress votes, commit fraud, and ultimately, as we saw on January 6, 2021, to violent attempts to seize power. We've seen this movie before. The only way to eradicate this cancer in our political system is to treat democracy itself as the issue that tops all other issues and vote accordingly in every election until Republicans realize that the only way for them to regain power is to respect democratic norms and accept that if their positions are not popular, they will lose elections.
You've read elsewhere about what happened last week. Here's what didn't happen:
Immediately after the August 1 indictments were announced, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy delivered a teary-eyed speech on the Capitol steps. He apologized for attempting to sabotage the January 6 commission and for voting to overturn the 2020 presidential election hours after the violent insurrection incited by Trump failed. Behind him stood all 146 Republicans who joined McCarthy in that shameful vote nodding their heads in agreement.
Upon learning of the August 1 indictments, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) issued a statement apologizing for endorsing Trump in 2016 and 2020 and for never condemning any of Trump's antisemitic rhetoric (including antisemitic remarks delivered right to their faces). The RJC said, "We should have listened to our own Chair, Norm Coleman, when he wrote on March 3, 2016, that he would never vote for Trump because Trump is 'a bigot, a misogynist, a fraud, and a bully.'"
The RJC vowed not to make the same mistake again, promising that it would not endorse Trump if he wins the GOP nomination in 2024 (Trump remains the heavy favorite) and that it would not endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis because of his record on antisemitism.
The RJC said that it would not endorse Nikki Haley, who said after Trump incited the insurrection and was impeached that “I don’t even think there’s a basis for impeachment. They beat him up before he got into office. They’re beating him up after he leaves office. At some point, I mean, give the man a break!" Responding to claims that Haley is pro-Israel, the RJC pointed out that Haley's tenure at the UN was characterized by blustery speeches but few results for the United States.
House Republican leadership announced that they were cosponsoring Rep. Jan Schakowsky's (D-IL) resolution in support of the pro-democracy movement in Israel. "Why wouldn't we?" they asked in a statement. "It doesn't matter if it's supported by AIPAC or J Street or by Democrats or Republicans. It's only three sentences long and we agree with it. When it comes to Israel we're focused on the substance, not the politics."
They urged pro-Israel Americans to click here to urge their member of Congress to support Rep. Schakowsky's resolution, which is endorsed by Politics with Dana and Steve, Jewish Democratic Council of America, Jewish Democratic Outreach of Pennsylvania, J Street, Israel Policy Forum, UnXeptable, Partners for Progressive Israel, Ameinu, NY Jewish Agenda, Americans for Peace Now, Union for Reform Judaism, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, National Council of Jewish Women, and T’ruah. Read the Dear Colleague letter for more information.
Here's your homework assignment, Steve: If you belong to or support a self-described pro-Israel organization that has not endorsed this resolution in support of Israeli democracy, ask why not. Then let me know what they say.
Remember all that talk about fighting antisemitism on your own side of the aisle? Here's more of what should have happened last week but didn't: Republican leadership urged their fellow Republicans to support a resolution censuring Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for antisemitism introduced by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Brad Sherman (D-CA). "After all, they said, if we take antisemitism seriously, why wouldn't we support censuring a member of Congress who repeatedly makes antisemitic statements and refuses to apologize for them?"
What should have happened would have happened if the Republican Party was a normal American political party bound by democratic norms. Instead, we have yet to see any evidence of Trump's support dipping among his base and we have yet to see anyone in Republican leadership announcing that they will not support Trump in 2024.
We can explain Trump's hold on the GOP but we cannot excuse it. The political equivalent of Darwin's theory of evolution is victory or defeat on election day. The Republican Party will only evolve if its traits prevent it from succeeding. It will not change from within. If you can find a Republican voter who is persuadable, go for it. Otherwise, instead of wasting your time arguing with people who watch Fox News, spend your time and money supporting Democratic candidates and encourage your like-minded friends to do the same. Our democracy is worth it.
Corrections. I'm entitled to my own opinions but not to my own facts, so I appreciate it when readers bring errors to my attention. No one brought any mistakes to my attention last week, so it looks like last week's newsletter was perfect.
In Case You Missed It (these really happened):
- The State Department unequivocally condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Ma’ale Adumim that resulted in injuries to at least five individuals.
- Brilliant article by Gershom Gorenberg concludes that "in the long run, democracy and occupation cannot coexist. The only hope for curing Israel’s chronic, potentially terminal condition — the occupation — lies in overcoming today’s acute illness. For now, everyone trying to save Israel’s democracy is on the same side."
-
I fought for Israel as a lone soldier. Now I fight for it as a protestor: "Along with the various protest organizations in Israel, the Jewish diaspora is the last key to the puzzle in stopping the government. In order to guarantee that Israel does not become a country that we would all not recognize, the diaspora must take definitive action. Those who love Israel must consider these historic days and choose to stand on the correct side of history — not just with their words, but with tangible actions."
Tweets of the Week. JB Pritzker and Al Franken.
Video Clip of the Week. Stav Shaffir. To be clear - this was never broadcast on ABC, which is why this mashup was created. Netanyahu would never agree to appear to be interviewed alongside someone so articulate.
This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the original home of the viral and beloved 2022 and 2023 Top Ten Signs You're At a Republican Seder. If someone forwarded this to you, why not subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday? Just click here--it's free.
My most popular Times of Israel posts are How Not To Define Antisemitism and Pro-Israel Or Pro-Bibi? I periodically update my Medium posts on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism. You can read my most recent effort to define "pro-Israel" here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
I hope you enjoyed today's newsletter. Donations are welcome (this takes time to write and costs money to send). If you'd like to chip in, click here and fill in the amount of your choice. If you see something that says "Save your info and create a PayPal account," click the button to the right and it will go away. You don't need a PayPal account. Or you can Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four phone digits are 9479). You can send a check too.
I accept advertisements. Let me know if you're interested.
| 
