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October 9, 2022
Key Takeaways:
- The MAGA movement is a fascist cult. We might not like those words, but they are accurate. We don't do ourselves any favors by mincing words in the name of a misunderstood concept of civility.
- Voting Republican means voting to make abortions illegal, voting to keep assault weapons legal, surrendering our democracy to fascism, and replacing pluralism with antisemitism and racism.
- The Jewish vote, which remains overwhelmingly Democratic, can make the difference in key states and districts.
- Talking about Israel productively means talking about the bitter and the sweet without labeling virulent, inaccurate, or even offensive disagreement as per se antisemitic.
- Last week was a great week for misinformation, so for your convenience, I've included links setting the record straight on Republicans supporting Iran's feminist revolution, when anti-Zionism is (and isn't) antisemitic, Ted Cruz's false statements about Israel's maritime border with Lebanon, Jewish life at Berkeley, Saudi and UAE efforts to spike gas prices, and advice from friends of Israel on its upcoming election.
Read to the end for upcoming events and fun stuff.
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Hi Steve,
Partisanship is a dirty word in some circles, but partisanship is what democracy is all about. We have two major parties. Elections are partisan. We have to choose sides. Ignoring party affiliation means ignoring the single most predictive factor of how a candidate will vote. Ignoring party affiliation means ignoring the most important vote a candidate will cast: for Speaker of the House, the person who sets the agenda.
Your ballot is not a restaurant menu where you get to customize your order. It's one party or the other, take it or leave it. Voting Republican means voting to make abortions illegal (even in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother), voting to keep assault weapons legal, surrendering our democracy to fascism, and replacing pluralism with antisemitism and racism. Maybe that's not why you're voting Republican, but that's what you're voting for if you do. And even if you're not voting Republican, that's what you'll get if you don't do all you can to elect Democrats this November.
This is an issue at the state level as well. Hussein Ibish points out that 15 "Republican nominees for state governor, 11 for secretary of state (which usually oversee elections), and 10 for attorney general are avowed election deniers, and appear prepared to suppress democratic outcomes. Many, like Mr Trump, are also still hawking the preposterous QAnon conspiracy theory."
We cannot close our eyes to what the GOP has become and we cannot mince words in the name of "civility." Sometimes strong words are needed to express strong truths. Words like "fascism" and "cult" should not be used lightly, but neither should we shy away from them when they are accurate.
The leader of the GOP incited a violent insurrection on January 6 and hours later, when our country should have been unified in support of democracy, 147 Republicans voted to overturn a lawful election--hardly a fringe, especially since it includes House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The Washington Post reports that "a majority of Republican nominees on the ballot this November for the House, Senate and key statewide offices — 299 in all — have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election" and that most are likely to win. Steve, click here to see if election deniers are running in Illinois.
The Post notes that "scholars said the predominance of election deniers in the GOP bears alarming similarities to authoritarian movements in other countries, which often begin with efforts to delegitimize elections." If we learn anything from history it is that it can happen anywhere--including here.
Will Bunch writes that "when Trump said famously in his 2016 campaign that 'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?' the statement caused amazement but also bewilderment. Six years later, we’ve come to understand exactly what the future 45th president was talking about — a movement willing to steamroll past any potential flaw, nuance, or nod to higher principles in order to impose its will. It turns out that electing blatantly dishonest and unworthy candidates is the ultimate test — with [Herschel] Walker as the exclamation point."
Not one Republican has withdrawn support for Walker. That's not what you'd expect from a principled political party, but it's exactly what you'd expect from a movement that craves power for its own sake. Rex Huppke writes that the MAGA movement, led by the likely Republican 2024 nominee for president, is "a dangerous and swiftly worsening cult. And they need to be denounced by everyone, including Republicans who still value basic human decency. Then they need to be rejected by voters, en masse and with thunderous force."
Very few Republican officeholders and candidates still value basic human decency. Do you? Then speak up. Talk to your friends. Get involved. Silence is complicity.
Will 5783 be the year of the Jewish voter? Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer argues that Jewish voters can make the difference in the midterms, which "present Americans with a binary choice between MAGA Republicans and Democrats aligned with our values who are defending incredibly narrow majorities in the Senate and House."
Can we talk about Israel? Rabbi Betsy Forester delivered a powerful sermon on Rosh HaShanah about how we can talk about Israel with curiosity and mutual respect. She concludes that "when it comes to Israel, we need to acknowledge hamar v’hamatok, the bitter and the sweet realities, without sacrificing one for the other."
That means not accusing "even harsh critics of antisemitism unless their
language evidences prejudice against Jews" and recognizing that "avoiding the difficult issues plays into the hands of Israel’s enemies."
That's what I try to do in this newsletter. I am grateful, Steve, that you have joined me in this dialogue.
Setting the record straight. So much misinformation, so little time.
- If you think that anti-Zionism is per se antisemitic, you owe it to yourself to read this from Kenneth Stern, the lead author of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and this one-pager from Nexus.
- If you heard Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) false claims about the U.S. plan for a maritime border between Israel and Lebanon, you owe it to yourself to read this from Barak Ravid. According to Daniel Silverberg and Kirsten Fontenrose, "U.S. leaders on both sides of the aisle should do all they can to support the border deal, which is in the United States’ interest as much as Israel’s."
- If you are confused about efforts by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to spike gas prices ahead of the midterms, you owe it to yourself to read this thread from Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) and understand that these countries are not behaving like allies (except perhaps of Jared Kushner and the GOP). Separately, the Biden administration expanded penalties for complying with the Arab League boycott of Israel.
- If you think that staunchly pro-Israel Democrats like Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) are "interfering" in Israel's election by advising Israel that forming a government with right-wing extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir will complicate the U.S.-Israel relationship rather than providing a fact-based assessment of reality--which is what friends do--then you owe it to yourself to watch this from John McEnroe.
Chag Sukkot Sameach to all who are celebrating.
Last Week's Newsletter.
ICYMI. Top Ten Republican High Holiday Questions & Comments.
Tweet of the Week. Bob Einstein.
Twitter Meme of the Week. From the sublime to the ridiculous: First Steven Senski, then Michael J. Stern, and then finally BeaglesResist takes this where you knew it had to go.
Data of the Week. The American Experiment: Findings.
Amicus Curia Brief of the Week. Novak v City of Pharma (this is real, filed by The Onion).
Video Clip of the Week. Comedian Sam Morril faces down anti-Israel hecklers. (Fyi, his Netflix special is great.)
Paid Advertisement: Join Rabbi Asher Lopatin and John Geiringer for their new podcast: A Rabbi and a Lawyer Walk Into a Bar (rabbilawyerbar.com).
This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the home of the viral Top Ten Signs You Might be at a Republican Seder (yes, I wrote it).
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