Clean-Up On Aisle 5
Two stories of Republicans politicians doing dumb political things. Also, my latest on the anti-Semitic double standard and a particularly funky Musical Interlude
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Last week, I wrote several smaller pieces that didn’t make it into the newsletter … but I liked them, so I’m reviving them today, along with some new content. So if they seem a bit “dated,” that’s why!
Anti-Semitism Update
For the Daily Beast, I wrote about the double standard regarding anti-Semitism.
Let’s begin with a thought experiment. Flashback to June 2020. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police and the subsequent Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations around the United States, a Black teacher in a predominately white school posts a picture on social media that reads, “I Stand With BLM.”
The response from white students is outrage. There are demands for the teacher’s ouster from the school, and days later, they organize an in-school demonstration replete with “All Lives Matter” placards. The protest, which is recorded on social media, spirals out of control as students rush toward the teacher’s classroom, demanding her immediate firing. She is whisked away by security officers to safety in another part of the building. The situation is so tense that the police are called to the school to restore order.
If such an event actually happened, it would likely fill hours of cable news and lead to even more public protests against such rank and obvious racism.
Yet, this event occurred as described above—at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens. The crucial difference is that the teacher was Jewish, and she had posted a picture on social media (taken two days after Hamas’ brutal attacks in Israel on Oct. 7) that read, “I Stand With Israel.”
The other difference is that few people outside the Jewish community seem to care. It’s yet one more piece of evidence that even in the most Jewish city in America, antisemitism is simply not taken seriously—and Jews are scared.
I talked to several Jewish educators in New York City schools, and the sense of fear and trepidation is real. You can read the whole thing here.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, pro-Palestinian demonstrators are protesting outside a Jewish-owned restaurant. If you’re not sure why this is anti-Semitic, imagine the response if people were demonstrating outside an Arab or Muslim-owned restaurant after 9/11.
Also, read Ben Dreyfus on how the anti-Israel left is going down the rabbit hole.
Fascinating piece by Yehuda Kurtzer on how October 7 is reshaping both the Zionist and anti-Zionist left.
Haley-Mentum Update!
So, there’s some news from the GOP nomination race.
The political network largely financed by billionaire Charles Koch endorsed former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley for president Tuesday, boosting her primary campaign against the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump.
The Haley endorsement by the Koch-backed super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action marks the end of a yearlong search for a viable Republican alternative to challenge Trump.
Haley “has what it takes to lead a policy agenda to take on our nation’s biggest challenges and help ensure our country’s best days are ahead,” the group said in a memo. “With the grassroots and data capability we bring to bear in this race, no other organization is better equipped to help her do it.”
The network has massive resources, and it said it is prepared to deploy them to boost the former South Carolina governor and to challenge Trump’s increasingly tight grip on his party’s presidential nominating contest.
This probably sounds like a bigger deal than it is because, in the age of Trump, these types of endorsements haven’t done much to move the political needle. Still, this move may help consolidate the “Not-Trump” field around Haley, and, as I’ve previously noted, anything that turns the GOP race into a two-person contest is a negative for Trump.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he is likely to lose.
Ay Caramba.
Still, as I said before, keep an eye on this situation.
Since I wrote this up, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum dropped out of the GOP presidential race, which I’m sure is disappointing to his supporter. This means we’re down to five — Trump, Haley, DeSantis, Christie, and Ramaswamy.
One More Thing …
Because no one thinks Haley has a chance of winning the GOP nomination, her campaign platform has received little scrutiny … particularly her support for cutting Social Security. But as Paul Krugman pointed out last week, one of Haley’s key policy prescriptions is increasing the eligibility age for Social Security. While Haley's defenders will note that she has called for the increases to be phased in, she has also talked about “limiting payouts for wealthy people and using a different formula for cost-of-living increases.” This is really bad politics.
One lesson Republicans could learn from Trump is that in 2016, he not only stayed away from this type of fiscal conservativism argument … but he specifically criticized them. Americans love Social Security and Medicare. Any time a politician talks about cutting Social Security, even if it means excluding current beneficiaries, they are playing with fire. I’m not sure why Haley is running on this idea, but if she starts to threaten Trump, you can be sure that his campaign will bring this issue up … and demagogue the hell out of it.
Speaking of Bad Politics …
Donald Trump has stepped in it again.
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