For all the talk about “the Jews” controlling Hollywood, the media, and/or space-lasers, it’s kind of counterintuitive that Israel — the only Jewish nation on Earth — would receive such dreadful PR. Israel’s public image has taken a beating.
In a perfect world, your PR campaign should elevate and enhance your public image, pulling you forward. (Pro Tip: If your public image isn’t ahead of your brand, you’re not doing it right.) In Israel’s case, it’s become an anchor — a drag that’s slowing everything else down.
Paradoxically, with the destruction of Hezbollah, the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, the humiliation of Iran, and the pummeling of Hamas, Israelis have never been safer. Their enemies are vanquished.
But at the same time, its public image has never been worse.
Gone are the days when the “good liberals” would protest China’s subjugation of Tibet. (“The Dalai Lama?! That’s so 1990s, bro.”) Or condemn Middle Eastern countries for executing homosexuals, or anything else. Today, their sole focus is Israel.
Okay, but that’s on the left. What about the right?
Bad news, guys: The mainstream media says that conservatives are abandoning Israel, too!
Yesterday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) became the first Republican to call the Gaza situation a “genocide.” Politico quickly took note, warning that President Trump was now in danger of being on the wrong side of the issue: “MAGA is turning on Israel over Gaza, but Trump is unmoved.”
From the article:
[T]he GOP’s right flank is growing increasingly frustrated with the war in Gaza, arguing the war is politically noxious for the president and a moral stain on the country’s reputation.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) became the first congressional Republican to call Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip a “genocide.” In a tweet Monday night slamming fellow House Republican Randy Fine of Florida, she said that the “genocide, humanitarian crisis and starvation” in Gaza is as horrific as the Oct. 7 attacks.
Outside of Congress, prominent MAGA influencers have also stepped up their criticism of Israel. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Steve Bannon are among those condemning Israel’s actions and warning that the issue is a political liability for the Trump administration with the president’s base. [emphasis added]
A “political liability,” eh? Yikes, that surely means Israel’s polling numbers in the GOP are cratering! Oh no, how low did they go?!
When you get to the 14th paragraph in the Politico article, we finally get to the statistics:
Still, 71 percent of Republicans in the same poll voiced support for Israel’s war effort. That number has changed minimally since Trump took office. [emphasis added]
“Changed minimally,” eh? Well, in the context of an entire longform article about “MAGA turning on Israel over Gaza,” this surely means they’ve dropped at least some, but maybe not as much as expected? …Right?
WRONG!
The Politico article was referring to a newly-released Gallup poll that revealed:
In contrast [to Democrats and independents], 71% of Republicans say they approve of Israel’s action in Gaza, up from 66% in September. [emphasis added]
So, in an article about MAGA “turning on Israel,” the actual truth is that Israel’s support had INCREASED amongst Republicans by five points!
I know the anti-Israel wing of MAGA doesn’t want to hear it, but they’re firmly in the minority. More than 7 out of 10 Republicans disagree with them. Don’t tell me our “base is divided” when over 70% is on the same side.
But it doesn’t feel like 71% of Republicans are pro-Israel when you read the media, watch a YouTube video, or scroll on social media — does it?
Instead, it feels like everyone hates Israel.
Welcome to the “horseshoe theory” of politics, which posits that the most extreme ends of the political spectrum are a helluva lot closer to each other than to the middle. It’s how Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ilhan Omar, Candace Owens, AOC, Tucker Carlson, and Nick Fuentes reached a “meeting of the minds” (such as they are) over Gaza and Israel.
The reason why the horseshoe theory works so well is that the far-right and the far-left might disagree over policy, but attitudinally, they’re in lockstep:
- They’re knee-jerk contrarians;
- They LOVE conspiracy theories about shadowy, powerful, “secret” entities;
- They feel victimized by the status quo;
- They’re suspicious of globalism and “the elites”;
- They don’t have faith in the two-party system, mostly due to “corruption” and “outside influence,” and favor radical (revolutionary) change.
Not too many of ‘em in the real world. As we’ve noted, they’re only a tiny percentage of the Republican base: More than 7 out of 10 Republicans support Israel, and those numbers are INCREASING. Yes, we’re all saddened by the loss of civilian life. Still, we recognize that Hamas started this war, Hamas deliberately put Palestinians in harm’s way, and Hamas could end the carnage TODAY by releasing the hostages.
But the online world? Far-left and far-right voices are everywhere — and they’ve converged on the issue of Gaza.
And this could give Elon Musk the opening he’s looking for.
Part of the reason the far right and far left are flourishing online is the nature of the internet. (Pinsker Law of PR #83: “Intensity” and “popularity” aren’t the same thing, but if you spend most of your time online, intensity and popularity become utterly indistinguishable.) Social media rewards intensity and outrage; It doesn’t reflect popularity.
You go viral by pushing buttons, not by reaching a consensus.
Israel and/or Gaza are “high intensity” issues. They’re wonderful for drumming up social media engagement. (Whenever you mention Israel or Gaza, the comment section is always a hoot.) But y’know what else is a “high intensity” issue?
Our old pal, Jeffrey Epstein.
And there’s a very wealthy billionaire who cares a great deal about the Epstein case.
Recommended: Trump Is Sitting on a Big, Gigantic PR Goldmine. It’s Time to Cash It In.
If Elon Musk is serious about forming a third party, his smartest move would be to cater to disenfranchised voters. He can’t build his party via the middle; those people already have a political home. “Normal” Republicans and Democrats aren’t going to join Musk.
Instead, he needs to target the far-right AND the far-left.
Attitudinally, Musk is already in their camp. And with a small tweak of the X algorithm, he can make anything go viral: Epstein, Israel, Gaza, genocide — you name it. It’s entirely within his grasp.
Combining the “Epstein conspiracy” fanboys with the “Israel is committing genocide” acolytes would give Musk a real, viable political coalition. Best of all, both “issues” are perfectly tailormade for social media consumption (which is an added benefit if you happen to own X). All it would take is some further bending of the ol’ horseshoe.
After all, the two sides are converging anyway. Might as well give ‘em a home.
Just something to keep your eyes on.
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