Israel and Congressional Democrats

October 22, 2010 By 16 Comments

[This article was originally published at National Review Online.]

How should American voters concerned with Israel’s welfare and security vote in the U.S. Congressional elections on Nov. 2?

This much is clear after almost two years of Democratic control over the executive and legislative branches of government: Democrats consistently support Israel and its government far less than do Republicans. Leaving Barack Obama aside for now (he’s not on the ballot), let’s focus on Congress and on voters.

Congress: The pattern of weak Democratic support began just a week after Inauguration Day 2009, right after the Israel-Hamas war, when 60 House Democrats (including such left-wingers as Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, and Maxine Waters) and not a single Republican wrote the secretary of state to “respectfully request that the State Department release emergency funds to [the anti-Israel organization] UNRWA for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance” in Gaza.

In the same spirit, 54 House Democrats and not a single Republican signed a letter to Barack Obama a year later, in January 2010, asking him to “advocate for immediate improvements for Gaza in the following areas” and then listed ten ways to help Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization.

In dramatic contrast, 78 House Republicans wrote a “Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu” letter a few months later to express their “steadfast support” for him and Israel. The signatories were not just Republicans but members of the House Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus.

So, count 54 Democrats for Hamas and 78 Republicans for Israel.

In the aftermath of the March 2010 crisis when Joe Biden went to Jerusalem, 333 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter to the secretary of state reaffirming the U.S.-Israel alliance. The 102 members who did not sign included 94 Democrats (including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi) and 8 Republicans, a 12-to-1 ratio. Seventy-six senators signed a similar letter; the 24 who did not sign included 20 Democrats and 4 Republicans, a 5-to-1 ratio.

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  • jacob

    DEMOCRAPS ???

    I STILL REMEMBER FDR AND THE "SAINT LOUIS" …

    PERHAPS THE AMERICAN JEWS FORGOT IT ALREADY BUT NOT THIS REPUBLICAN

    • scum

      'Democraps'?? REALLY??????? That's the best you can do. Sorry you flunked out of 2nd grade

  • ajnn

    The Saint Louis was a ship filled with refugees from Nazi Germany who were prevented from seeking refuge from the Nazis by FDR and his administration. Saving Jewish lives at that time was not popular. The polls showed most Americans were against it and the issue was not important enough for FDR to risk a few popularity points.

    The only refugee ship that was permitted into the United States landed in Corpus Cristi, Texas because of the passionate intervention of Congressman Lyndon Johnson. Almost, but not all politicians were unwilling to lose a few poll-points in the service of human life.

  • Wesley69

    What I don't understand is that Jewish voters still prefer the Democrats to the Republicans despite how this administration has treated Israel. This has gone on as long as I remember, back to LBJ. LBJ, who was a friend of Israel as opposed to JFK, who wanted to be more even handed in his approach to Arab-Israeli Relations.

  • CAROLE63

    We will all be judged on how we treated the nation of Israel and the jewish people!
    Almighty God said `I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you`

    In the history of the world this has certainly come to pass and will continue!

  • jgreene

    The DemocRAT Party is essentially a Leftist Socialist party and doesn't support Israel or for that matter, America. They are mentally ill. However, the election in November will eliminate sufficient numbers of them to begin the return to sanity and Constitutional government in Congress.

  • jaythehistorian

    This article illustrates how a people who are known as among the brightest , most educated seem to lose all reason when it comes to politics. Most Jews continue to worship FDR and the democrat party , in general. Jews who vote democrat are in a time warp. This is not 1932. The Conservative Republicans stand for almost everything which is beneficial for Jews: 1. Low taxes 2. support for Israel 3. stopping wealth distribution 4. stopping special treatment for blacks and hispanics 4 and 5.most Conservatives support enforcement of immigration laws.

    • Salt5792

      Unfortunately, American Jews will vote Democrat, even if Obama nukes Tel Aviv. It's in their DNA.

      • ziontruth

        For HaShem's sake, when will people abandon this stubborn materialism? DNA has nothing to do with it. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," it is prophesied, and you can see for yourself, the suicidal stupidity of Jews everywhere (in Israel as well as in the US) is inversely proportional to their religiosity.

        In other words, the more they turn to Orthodoxy, the more the American Jews are capable of leaving the Democrat holding-cell and the more the Israeli Jews stand strong against the ideas of capitulation to the Arab settler-colonist invaders. What's needed isn't genetic engineering but a spiritual "reJewvenation" (to use Alan Dershowitz's term). Jews need to come back to Orthodox Judaism, to the Torah, which holds no truck with Marxist ideas and is Zionist through and through.

      • Samurai Hit Woman

        The Jews are a gifted people. God has called them to be His people to use those gifts for His purposes. Unfortunately so could Lucifer use those gifts and does use them.

        Thus the Jews are being used as agents of “evil” as well as” good”, this explains a George Soras and Saul Alinsky, for example.

        The same people who brought us Jesus and His disciples, who taught love, hope and peace, also bring ill to the world. Because that’s the way the world works and could be no other way since this is a world based on duality where one thing or being exists so does its opposite.

  • seadog1946

    US citizens should be concerned about the loyalty of US voters solely concerned with Israel's welfare and security.

    • ziontruth

      "US citizens should be concerned about the loyalty of US voters solely concerned with Israel's welfare and security."

      Thank you, Mr. Mearsheimer.

      US citizens should be concerned about the patriotism of US voters pushing for sacrificing a non-Muslim country to the Muslims.

      Don't get me wrong, I'm not against those who call for getting the US out of all involvement in the Middle East (in fact, could be great for Israel in the long run to be free of considerations as to what the US government might say to its every tiny move); but many are the interventionists in isolationist clothing, really wishing to strong-arm Israel into concessions toward the Arab imperialists.

  • USMCSniper

    I sometimes think that Nancy Pelosi has Dysthyroid Eye Disease als called Grave's eye disease and thyroid … the eyes bulge out and give the person a look of wide-eyed staring. Observe her closely.

  • Wesley69

    What can be done for Jewish voters to see the truth about this regime? What will it take, the destruction of Israel? I certainly hope the hell not!!!!!!!! Obama IS NOT in your corner!!!!!!!!

    All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
    Thomas Jefferson

  • Gil Solnin

    Had Jewish voters paid attention to who Obama's key foreign policy advisors were during his primary run they might not have supported him at all. Every one of his advisors had well established anti-Israel credentials.

    However it is worth noting that following the Biden rip to Israel and its after effect, The Jewish caucus (Senators and Congressmen) of primarily Democrats saw fit to hold a special meeting to change Obama's rhetoric toward Israel. They were becoming aware that their own consituents had had enough of this administrations overt anti-Israel posture and language.

  • BUTSeriously

    There is only one way to support Israel, who has never demanded the restoration of the Balfour, yet this is the only test of her supporters. The corruption of the Balfour Mandate, while not in anyone's radar today, is the greatest post-W.W.II crime and its impacts will linger forever.

    The Balfour's corruption was and remains an illegal deed, a genocidal aspiration perpetrated under extreme diress when the Jews were totally helpless after w.w.II.The pollution is not with the climate but here:

    'IT WILL BE A HISTORIC COMPROMISE TO GRANT TWO STATES IN PALESTINE – NE FOR THE JEWS – AND ONE FOR THE ARABS" – A cigar chomping Churchill.

    Are you one who calls a 3-state as a 2-state today? This evil dead caused 9/11 and Eurostan. Honest Christians must wake up and cease chanting VE VERE NOT AVARE again.