Als Antwort auf Nakoichi [they/them]

The fact that Israel is the 51st state of the USA doesn’t mean that they cannot have politicians in their pocket for preferential treatment. They do have a high level of control in politics due to its lobbying and “donations” (bribes).

I am not denying that the USA has tons of geopolitical interest in Israel and “if it didn’t exist we would have to invent one” - Joe Biden. But saying that Israel holds no sway in USA politics is just disingenuous. Both countries affects each other politics, and Israel is the most beloved colonial project of the USA.

Als Antwort auf Spectre

There not even being vague about it.

WE ENCOURAGE the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.”

aipac.org/

How is that not foreign election interference?

At what point can we just call it and say the USA is an asset of Israel?

Als Antwort auf Spectre

Yup, and with good reason. Thanks "Citizen's United!"

commondreams.org/news/progress…

apnews.com/article/cori-bush-a…

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

haaretz.com/us-news/2024-08-07…

Als Antwort auf jordanlund

I used to think lobby groups are influential in determining the outcome of these elections but I think the reality is they align themselves with candidates that are slated to more likely win. Sometimes they even fund both candidates. Money just doesn't seem to translate to effective victory. Look at Bloomberg in 2016. That guy spent an ungodly amount of money on his campaign - - - more than all the candidates combined or something close.

Cory Bowman was already waning in popularity. From your article:

Bowman had several compounding low-level mistakes and scandals that could easily be hammered home to voters, like pulling the fire alarm at the Capitol or his controversial hip-hop lyrics. Beyond that, Latimer is a popular politician who has represented most of the district’s voters for years. Add in more money than any group has ever spent on a congressional primary by an enormous margin, and you have the conditions for a win.


I think it all depends. I'm not saying AIPAC is not influential. I just don't think it's so clear cut. I think the money in more to get access. The reality is Israel is popular with boomers, and Dem boomers vote. We are starting to see a shift with younger voters but it's just not there yet.

Als Antwort auf GarbageShootAlt2

Access to influence policy and legislation. But they seem to get mixed results. There have been a few studies that looked at the actual effects of lobbying. I may have to dig around but i can track them down. It's very interesting because it upturned what my assumptions were about lobbying.

It seems they find candidates that are already somewhat aligned and work no push the scale further. Like, someone like Latimer wouldn't need a lot to push the scale in favor of AIPAC objectives.

It's very interesting to read up on this.

Als Antwort auf Spectre

I recognize your anger, I am also distraught about Palestine and I wish we had a candidate who was adamant about not giving more aid to Israel. I'm not saying you need to give up on your ideals nor am I telling you to shut up about it. But let's be real here, as much as we hate it, we only have 2 choices in November, and one of them will cause much MUCH more damage to Palestinians, Americans, and quite possibly the entire globe if he gets elected. We CANNOT let Trump win, so again, as much as I don't like many of Kamala's stances, she is undeniably receiving my vote
Als Antwort auf queermunist she/her

Theoretically, sure, it's possible. I think what's more likely to happen if Trump fucks up is that Israel will just keep up the attack maybe with slightly less support. It's not like they are a U.S. State that has to abide by a SCOTUS decision; they are (for good and bad) their own sovereign nation and ~~could~~ WOULD MOST LIKELY make the choice to continue their abhorrent actions, regardless of whatever Trump himself might do.

The state of Israel is not a "puppet" of the U.S., only able to make a movement when given a command from the White House; it is closer to Frankenstein's Monster, fully capable of making its own decisions, and sometimes they choose to do evil things (regardless of how 'justified' they tell themselves it is). It's not a 1-to-1 comparison, but I think it's a better way to understand the whole situation