J Street Wins Nearly All Endorsed Races
As Republicans failed to capture the White House and lost Senate and House seats Tuesday, a pro-Palestinian lobbying organization claimed victory in 70 of the 71 endorsements it made this campaign season.
J Street, a liberal nonprofit describing itself as “pro-Israel, pro-peace,” featured White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett as a key speaker during its March policy conference in Washington.
Among other speakers, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, the leader of a Palestinian nationalist party and cousin of an imprisoned Palestinian terror leader, told the J Street conference that blame for imminent failure of a two-state solution will rest squarely on the shoulders of Israel.
Today, J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami sent an email to supporters with the subject line “ASTOUNDING.”
All 49 House incumbents endorsed by the PAC were re-elected. All seven of the J Street Senate candidates were elected, including Democrats Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, and Tim Kaine in Virginia.
J Street’s challengers and candidates for open seats were elected in 13 out of 15 races. Ben-Ami noted that the PAC adds one more and gets to its touted victory total if Ami Bera holds on to his razor-thin lead over Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.).
Lungren is not conceding as Bera holds a 184-vote lead with tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted.
J Street also cheered the losses of “One-State Caucus” Reps. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), Allen West (R-Fla.), Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), Frank Guinta (R-N.H.), and Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.). All were freshman reps who came to power in the GOP’s 2010 midterm Tea Party-driven rout.
West has launched a legal challenge of Democrat Patrick Murphy’s 2,456-vote lead. The congressman today asked a judge to impound ballots and voting machines, and his campaign called for a recount while alleging polling irregularities.
The lobbying group defines this “caucus” as “members of Congress who put Israel’s democracy and Jewish character at risk by promoting policies—such as annexation of the West Bank—that are at odds with long standing bipartisan support for a two-state solution.”
“This is an incredible victory – one that is part of transforming the political atmosphere around Israel in the U.S. that has blocked meaningful American efforts to achieve a two-state solution for decades,” Ben-Ami said.
He declared that “the campaign to sow fear and doubt among Jewish voters on Israel in an effort to defeat President Obama failed.”
There were no Republicans or independents on J Street’s endorsement list.
Tellingly, J Street also did not endorse either Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) or House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.). Both are strong pro-Israel members, and Sherman defeated Berman in a redistricting race yesterday.
The PAC’s victory lap comes at a critical time as Israel is faced with the possibility of having to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities — a prospect that was branded as needless warmongering at the spring conference.
Obama also has vowed to push a Mideast peace deal in his second term, which is bound to come with more pressure on Jerusalem to make concessions.
AIPAC, whose conference packed the DC convention center just weeks before J Street’s much smaller gathering, generically applauded in a statement “the election yesterday of a solidly pro-Israel Congress.”
“While there has been a very high turnover of members of the Senate and the House over the past few election cycles, there remains an extraordinary continuity of unwavering solidarity with Israel by both incumbents and challengers,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee stated. “Virtually all the candidates who were elected issued position papers and statements expressing their belief that Israel is an invaluable ally of America.”
Despite the losses of strong pro-Israel candidates, Mitt Romney still fared far better with Jewish voters than Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) did in 2008.
In CNN exiting polling, Jewish voters went 69 percent for Obama and 30 percent for Romney. This is close to the Republican Jewish Coalition figures from its own exiting polling, which saw the Jewish vote for the GOP candidate jump 10 points since the last election.
“The results demonstrate that President Barack Obama and the Democrats saw a significant erosion of support from 2008, while Republicans continued their trend of the last several decades of making inroads in the Jewish community,” said Matt Brooks, executive director of the RJC.
Israeli leaders sent congratulatory messages to President Obama on his re-election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring “the strategic alliance between Israel and the US is stronger than ever.” Netanayhu also sat down with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro this afternoon.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas likewise sent congratulations to Obama, while chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat called on Obama to push for 1967 borders, stop West Bank settlements “immediately,” and back the Palestinian bid for non-member status at the United Nations.
Hamas told Agence France-Presse that the group is “waiting to see if there will be a positive change in Obama’s policy or not.”
“We hope that Obama commits to legitimate Palestinian rights and stops his policy of double standards and bias towards Israel,” said spokesman Taher al-Nunu.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said today “any evaluation of the promise of change will be based on the actual policy and performance of U.S. officials.”
“The truth is that people in the Muslim world and Middle East are still waiting for the realization of the U.S. president’s promises,” Mehmanparast said.
I wish I could fully express how exhausted I am hearing about Israel. I just lost my country, perhaps for good, to communists. Maybe Israel can take care of herself for a while.
Israel is the canary in the coal mine. So goes Israel, so goes the rest of the world.
Not only is Israel the canary, but everyone who believes that the crocodile will eat them last is not living in a reality-based world, including leftist Jews, and garden variety anti-semites.
The fact that J Street invited Jarrett attests to their anti-Israel bent, and to their anti-American mendacity, even though they wear their patriotism on their sleeve. Have mercy!
For if they are as smart as they think, they would know what her plans are for America & Israel, and understand that she is a whole lot more, other than the Radical/Islamist-in-Chief’s number one woman -http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/11/02/valerie-jarrett-her-mischief-making-capable-of-upending-western-civilization-the-unofficial-buck-startsstops-at-her-door-addendum-to-barack-hussein-obamas-hidden-hand-commentary-by-a/
People are entitled to their opinions, but they are not entitled to revise the facts. And the fact of the matter is, anyone who thinks they won by implanting The One, for four more yrs, is technically true, but they dare not call themselves pro American, or pro Israel. They are anti-western in all ways that matter!!
The facts are even worse than stated above. There is MORE to come.
Not only is Israel the canary, but everyone who believes that the crocodile will eat them last is not living in a reality-based world, including leftist Jews, and garden variety anti-semites.
The fact that J Street invited Jarrett attests to their anti-Israel bent, and to their anti-American mendacity, even though they wear their patriotism on their sleeve. Have mercy!
For if they are as smart as they think, they would know what her plans are for America & Israel, and understand that she is a whole lot more, other than the Radical/Islamist-in-Chief’s number one woman -2012/11/02/valerie-jarrett-her-mischief-making-capable-of-upending-western-civilization-the-unofficial-buck-startsstops-at-her-door-addendum-to-barack-hussein-obamas-hidden-hand-commentary-by-a/
People are entitled to their opinions, but they are not entitled to revise the facts. And the fact of the matter is, anyone who thinks they won by implanting The One, for four more yrs, is technically true, but they dare not call themselves pro American, or pro Israel. They are anti-western in all ways that matter!!
The facts are even worse than stated above. There is MORE to come.
What is it with all these jews who keep voting for the most liberal or socialist of representatives?
GM
It’s cool. Armageddon is right around the corner. A nuclear Iran will launch on Israel. And Israelis will die, en masse, again, but not without unleashing its own nuclear arsenal on the animals who destroyed her.
If you think the Dems are commies, you haven’t lost your country, you’ve lost your mind.
That’s a thoughtless remark, Jeff. Very short-sighted. If you think your country is lost now, then consider a situation where Israel, the Little Satan, might be defeated by Islamic forces, without American support. Such a victory would embolden the enemy, and they would not rest until America, the Great Satan, would be next. Stop whining and get to work on regaining the Senate in 2014.
I think Jeff is entitled to at minimum 1 day of whining.
There are a few things progressives say that make my brain get out of gear because I don’t no how to respond to something so ignorant. These phrases open my eyes to how people simply don’t know how things work.
“Israel is responsible for the failure of the two-state solution” ranks up there. Really, the Palestinians and Arabs talking about wiping Israel off the map regardless of the creation of a legitimate Palestinian Arab state has nothing to do with it?
Then there’s “Romney wants to take women and blacks back to 1950.” For women, I think we’re shooting for 2011, when women were expected to be adults. I don’t even get blacks, except for those racists that insists that targeting welfare is targeting blacks, who inherently can’t take care of themselves, apparently.
Also, “The Bush tax cuts caused the recession.” Excuse me? Tax cuts made people not pay back their home loans? It wasn’t the government enabling banks to give loans to people who couldn’t pay so that politicians could say they raised home ownership rates? Of course, followed by the job killer, Obamacare.
The only time a person on the right has struck me silent with ignorance, was when a creationist friend of mine asked, “If we’re evolved from apes, why do apes still exist?” The media would destroy any politician who said anything so out of touch, but the idea that Arabs are stopping peace in Palestine is seen as just as ignorant.
Answer: those are not ordinary apes, my dear, they’re the Democrats.
Apes who commit vote fraud on a regular basis.
There is a huge amount of evidence and some of us are compiling and posting it.
J street’s responsibility for this outcome is about just as much AIPAC responsibility for military “aid” to Israel. Nothing at all. Don’t give them any credit. I can’t decide if they are just Kids of Kommies, who never understood the anti-semitic aspect of the Communists anti-Israel tirades, or that they are great scammers suckering the racists for money. Lots of charities are like that.
“”Also, “The Bush tax cuts caused the recession.” Excuse me?”"”
Here’s how it works: To finance government deficits the government borrows money. This money comes much from banks, because they like the securest investments. That money is taken out of the pool of credit for the people, business, industry. Like in Europe. All those riots and stuff. Bush II said “deficits don’t matter.” Only two percent of the people in this country believe that, and those are divided between very politically engaged Republican and Democrat partisans.
Couldn’t agree more with Barghouti: the failure of the two-state solution lies squarely on the shoulders of Israel. Thank The Almighty that the people and the leaders of Israel see the light on that one!
What committed Jew in his/her right mind would be pushing for a situation in which a democracy (Israel) would agree to exist side-by-side with an acknowledged terrorist encampment which is committed to the democracy’s destruction and all the Jews in it?
This won’t be happening while the earth still rotates.
J-Street can endorse all it wishes; the U.S. president can pressure all he wants; the arabs can rant, rave, and riot til the cows come home. There will be no two-state non-solution. It is dead, kaput, fini, ended, over, and done.
Next case, please.
And by the way, there never were and are not today any 1967 BORDERS. Please get the terms straight: at the end of the 1967 arab war of aggression (unprovoked, of course), when the fighting stop, there are dotted lines on the maps. ARMISTICE Lines. That is all they were. They have no significance whatsoever.
And Israel has been well able to stand on its own for quite some time now. Sadly for this U.S. administration, Israel enjoys very heavy support from most elected officials outside of the wh and always with the American People.
Finally, Israel has forged very strong strategic economic, technological, and military arrangements with India and China. The dependence upon the U.S. is declining, even as the U.S. (thank you, BHO)power and influence declines.
To the arabs: good luck at the u.n…..
For you establishment Republicans who dissed us libertarians, including the absolutely shameful way Ron Paul supporters were treated throughout this campaign, guess what. You lose! Do you have any clue that you threw away an entire generation of libertarian conservatives? I know the answer.
Eventually most will grow up. The facts of life are conservative like that.
It’s almost like you are oblivious to the fact that many of this sites Above the Line posters are Neo-Cons (who grew up).
If you believe that Neo-Cons (who grew up) are basically communists in denial, I understand you and am not oblivious whatsoever. Else, I completely disagree.
So J-Stret is claiming to have influenced the outcome or that the new Congressmen want to destroy Israel in the name of peace? It so happens the Flat Earth Society also makes the same claim, it follows the new Congresspeople are all flat earthers.
J-Street is simply an anti-Israel cult, they deserve exactly the same respect as any other group of anti-Semites or bigots. Would the PJ media have published an article describing the claims of the Nazi Party? Frankly this article is a waste of bandwidth.
We had our butts kicked. Our country is now lost forever!
Don’t fight. Take more Soma. Resistance is useless. BTW: FU!
This election shows that american jews are still living into an ” history bubble ” as if the outside world convulsions does not bring consequences into their lifes.It is exactly the contrary in Europe; here in France the ennemy, the muslim invasion is very much a big problem, crime,anti-jewish murders and arsons, poverty, ignorance, imposition of sharia laws into the daily routine at street levels, school levels, health system levels , totally veiled woman all over the place; the muslim invasion is able to mark its territory and to impose its will on the overall majority.Of course the anti-israel speech is now part of their propaganda machine BUT we jews are very aware of the threat and we DON’T lend an helping hand ,like J Street is doing , to their vicious attacks on israel.So group like J Street are almost non existent . I see that J street exploit the ignorance of its constituency and the historical unawareness of most of american jews.There is still a big gap in their perception of the threat.
Netanyahu may regret his getting involved in US politics, throwing his support behind Romney while publicly dissing Obama. Sure, Obama has dissed Netanyahu, but Israel needs the US more than the US needs Israel. And J Street is not “pro-Palestinian” rather it just has a different perspective than AIPAC.
google J-street anti Israel or read Prof. Barry Rubin’s essays on J-Street if you want to know the truth about J-Street. J-Street is an Arab and Iranian funded front group aimed at undermining American Jewish support for Israel. Their unstated endgame is the destruction of Israel. They are not a “peace group” in spite of what some of their more gullible members may think.
Soros also contributes to them, do you think he is pro-Israel?
“And J Street is not “pro-Palestinian” rather it just has a different perspective than AIPAC.”
They’re the children of people who couldn’t figure out the anti-semitic content of Soviet engendered anti-Israelism that became a fad in the West.
J Street is only relevent to itself. They have no traction or influence because the liberal American Jews they claim to represent could care less in the first place. Few of them even know that J Street exists or what it does. If you asked them they would think it was some part of J-Date (online Jewish dating service) which they do know about.
Even the staff at J Street are hardly Jewish. The director of the organization said this about his staff: “They’re all intermarried,They’re all doing Buddhist seders.” At their conference last year a Jewish reporter was dismayed that she could not find any Kosher food provided, even as an option.
Best to ignore them.
Conservative cheerleading for Israel makes a peculiar impression on those of us with a historical memory because antisemitism was a hallmark of American conservativism until Hitler made it odious. The solution of the puzzle is not that difficult, however. The right is still largely antisemetic, but the antisemitism it has embraced reflects the hatred that Israeli Zionists display towards non-Zionist Jews, those faithless internationalists who put universal human values above blood and nation. You guys could save yourself some time and bother by simply translating the relevant passage of Mein Kampf and adapting them for use in your denunciations of “liberal Jews.”
By the way, to anticipate an obvious criticism, the emergence of Zionist antisemitism certainly doesn’t mean that the old fashion, garden variety antisemitism has disappeared from the world as anybody who has ever seen Hamas propaganda knows very well. It’s also important to note that criticizing Israel doesn’t imply you admire Israel’s local enemies or endorse their policies, anymore than recognizing that current Israeli policy is gradually putting that state in an untenable position means that you want to see the Israelis driven into the sea. In politics, it is very important to realize that the enemy of your enemy is probably also a dick.
The organization we are talking about, J-Street very much considers itself Zionist and its founder refers to himself as a Zionist Jew. Criticism of J Street is that they are simply wrong and their ideas, which have been tried for decades, have failed to bring any resolution.
By definition a non-Zionist does not believe in a Jewish state of Israel at all. It should be no wonder then that Israelis and Israel supporters find this a threat.
Israel is not an idea or a theory it is a fact. A non-zionist calls for elimination of the State of Israel and who knows what to be done with it’s inhabitants. Naturally there are people who are strongly opposed to this. In reality those 7 million Jews would perish or be driven out as has happened in every country run by Arab Muslims. I shudder to think what would happen to the Israeli Arab “traitors”.
There are plenty of criticisms and counter arguments to be made about various Israeli policies. However when you characterize those who want the state eliminated as putting “universal human values above blood and nation.” and the other side as ‘Mein Kampf’ adherents the possibility of rational discussion vanishes and it becomes obvious that you are not in the camp of someone who merely wants to debate settlements vs negotiation. After all, we do not debate Nazis.
As I pointed out in my earlier post. The ‘liberal Jews’ we are talking about have about as much connection to or understanding of, Israel as they do Judaism; little to none. They are not non-Zionists or fighters for some noble cause. I know because they are the family and people I have known and been around all of my life.
As I posted elsewhere, the US does not see a future with Israel around. The better alternative is Israel gone, leaving an open field to build an alliance against a nuclear Iran, especially after it destroys Israel.
The narrative is not if, but when Israel is gone. Worse, Israel’s allies among the Christian right are on the run, and have no meaningful whack left after the election.
Harrison’s anti-semitism is nutty. What we have in the US is a silent holocaust where Jews leave the faith because of the lack of pressure for unity. Were Harrison right, there would be no Jews in the US or no Israel. I am really tired of people who malign others for advantage. His post makes no sense.
Israel had a chance to have a chance but failing it will soon be at an end.
that last sentence:
“Israel had a chance to have a chance but failing it will soon be at an end.”
of course, the words
“will soon be at an end”
are plain enough and
mean what they say
but all in all
what the hell are you talking about?
“J” Street is George Soros and his one world government types. However, Glenn Beck is right. Making nice with the Islamists is like being friends with a cobra and then be surprised that it bites you.
There is simply NO two state solution for Israel and the Arabs. For the Arabs will not coexit with anyone else nor any other religion. Its a violent, dominant
relgion. Either submit (or else). For the Arabs stated goal is pushing Israel into the sea. All else is simply a fan dance. They hope to overtake Israel by increments, a little piece here, and a piece there.
Agreed – “J Street” is a George Soros (and co) funded wipe-Israel-off-the-map group.
Soros and his “Progressive” friends are also active in the present Israeli election, and with the same objective – the total extermination of Israel.
However, I agree with PattMor – the “World Governance” types (Soros and co) are wrong to think they can “use” the Islamists. The Islamists will end seeking control of the wonderful “International Commumity” that the Progressives think they will rule for ever.
all over the place
every nook and cranny in
my neck of the woods has
a couple or three
just google j-street rabbis
and you’ll find rosters
in every region and
state of the union
just for your reference
hefty roster of rabbis for obama too
Same thing. No difference. Out of their minds.
The Democrats put large amounts of money in those races. In FL-18 Patrick Murphy or his father or supporters issued a bigotted video showing a cartoon of Congressman Allen West beating up a white woman. Disgusting tactics involving bigotry and slander. In the age of Obama, Dem hostility to Israel, such as seen at the Dem convention with their boos for Jerusalem, has grown, Obama hostility having struck a resonance in his party.