By John Ruberry
Although the White House denies it, there have been reports that Joe Biden has told Israel to delay its expected invasion of Gaza.
The speculation is that Biden wants the Hamas terrorists to release the estimated 200 hostages, some of whom are Americans, beforehand.
My belief is that Biden is instead trying to placate the old school, pro-Israel wing of the Democrat Party, which can trace its founding to 1948, the year of Israel’s founding, and the woke, pro-Palestianian, and yes, pro-Hamas wing of the Democrats. Think of Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as the face of the old guard and think of US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), of the Squad, as the face of the new wing.
Can Biden–or more accurately, his handlers–pull it off?
For now, yes.
But the longer what I’m calling a “warm war” between Israel and Hamas continues, the more likely Jews will question why they support the Democrats. Oh, before October 7, there was cold war between Israel and Hamas, once the invasion of Gaza starts, then that will be a hot war.
The daily protests in support of Palestine/Hamas, populated by wokesters and Palestianian-Americans who equate Israel with Nazis, must eat at the heart of most Jewish people.
Most American Jews of course are Democrats, for a lot of reasons, but the primary one, in my opinion, is that as a discriminated people, Jews feel they should stand up for other marginalized groups. Party affiliation for the politically engaged–and Jewish people usually are–is not something that is easily shed. Much like religion.
For instance, my parents, Irish Catholic Democrats, despite their disgust with what was called “the New Left” in the 1960s–I now call that movement the proto-woke–took a decade to switch their political affiliation. Jimmy Carter of course hastened their transition, as it did for so many other Dems.
The false Zionists-are-Nazis drumbeat is a daily rhythm. Ten more weeks–well short of a decade–of this hatred might be too much to bear for many Jews.
Jewish people are generous donors to the Democrats and other liberal groups. At roughly 2.5 percent of the US population–which is concentrated mostly in Blue States–we are not about to see a lasting Republican majority if there is a rightward shift among Jews. But some reliably-Democrat House seats in states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even California might become swing districts.
A few years ago, Little Marathon Pundit had a Jewish boyfriend. You name the woke cause, and he supported it. I asked her to see how “Sam” felt about the growing anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party. Sam told her it was “troubling.” Jewish Democrats I know have had similar trepidations for years.
But now there is a daily two-hour-hate parade in many large American cities against Israel, and yes, Jews. As well as daily anti-Jewish memes poisoning social media, many from celebrities.
The parades and the meme frenzy will wind down once the Israel-Hamas war is over; hopefully that conflict will end with a resounding victory for the IDF.
Afterwards, we may see a different Jewish electorate.
John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.
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