Bad Day for Democrats
First, Jason Turkish, the Jewish Democratic fiance of Rep. Haley Stevens, defeated in the Michigan primary by Abdul El-Sayed, gave an interview with the Detroit News stating that he will be voting for El-Sayed's Republican opponent Mike Rogers and will be attending a Rogers campaign rally because,
"We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul."
I don't know what he is talking about there.
And, that he had witnessed,
"an escalation in his [El-Sayed’s] rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe.”
Have not heard of any "escalation". Note here "makes folks unsafe", and then below:
"Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats."
Those three statements are AIPAC propaganda. AIPAC gave gazillions to Haley Stevens. Six days before the election, Turkish (what a name for a Jew) gave this interview. Turkish does not say what El-Sayed did that was so "reckless" toward the safety of Jews";
Turkish doesn't say how El-Sayed "escalated" his rhetoric, but here and in his last statement, are the money shots:
Whatever he said it "makes folks unsafe". It doesn't matter what he said. It "makes folks unsafe" is end of story.
And then BOOM!
You cannot talk about Israeli genocide. American Jews get death threats "every time" you do. End of story. WHETHER IT'S TRUE OR NOT YOU CANNOT TALK IN AMERICA ABOUT ISRAELI GENOCIDE. What else can you not talk about in Jewish history? Oh, the Holocaust. You cannot be a Holocaust denier, it's a crime! To state what I hope is obvious, the Holocaust happened; 6 million European Jews were systematically exterminated. You should NOT be permitted to deny the Holocaust. What Turkish and his AIPAC friends are trying to do is similarly criminalize criticism of Israel, WHETHER IT IS TRUE OR NOT.
So if this is transparent propaganda, how is this so bad for Democrats?
Because it might work.
Because it plays on peoples' fears, which are frequently not entirely rational.
Because El-Sayed is a villain straight from AIPAC central casting. Look at him, look at that menacing face, that beard, he's a MAN. LISTEN to him! He's ANGRY. What would you do if HE showed up for Passover dinner?! And you know what is name is?!
And because El-Sayed has done one thing anyway that would make rational, sensible Jews feel unsafe (Turkish didn't say "feel" (emotion), he said "makes them unsafe" (the condition of being unsafe) and reasonable non-Jews suspicious: he associated with renowned antisemite, Hasan Piker. El-Sayed broke with Piker but that's bad!
Then, El-Sayed, a too quick tongue, was asked about the firebombing murder of a woman who survived the Holocaust. "Hurt people hurt people", he replied. That was very callous.
Thus Michigan is one Senate seat that is in more jeopardy than before today.
The second reason this was a bad day for Democrats comes from, and in, Alaska:
Inside Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot
Operatives aligned with Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee for Senate, spent months recruiting candidates to peel votes from Senator Dan Sullivan, the Republican.
The Times revealed that the Peltola campaign, in consultation with the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, searched for a guy with the nearly identical name as the incumbent senator to confuse Alaska voters, split the Republican vote, and elect Peltola, the Democrat. They found him in a fishing village and is name is Dan S. Sullivan. Dan S. made it through the all-comers primary and is on the ballot...in six days.
I have not been a Mary Peltola fan, I don't view her as a reliable Democrat (more like Fetterman, Sinema and Manchin), but this is just such a dirty-trick bullshit ploy. And it might work, too. It has so far.
8:58 pm:
Dolores Huerta, influential labor leader, feminist and civil rights icon, dies at 96
AP
No. I will not accept that. For all that she did, she and her legacy are forever broken by "It was worth it". Her TWO rapes and TWO CHILDREN by Cesar Chavez were "worth it". AP, it is white-washing bullshit to call Dolores Huerta a "FEMINIST" icon. Put in there, "feminist who said two rapes were worth it and civil rights icon."
Dolores Huerta, influential labor leader, feminist who said two rapes were worth it and civil rights icon, dies at 96
1:04 am:
Helluva way to start Wednesday. A substantial change in Associated Press' reporting:
“We must establish a strong, right-wing, nationalist government.”
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli voters delivered a rebuke [previous: "sharp rebuke"] to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right and religious governing coalition, but exit polls Wednesday suggested the election had no clear winner and indicated that the long-serving Israeli leader was far from defeated after three years of war ignited on his watch.The exit polls suggested voters gave opponents of the current government a solid majority [previous: same]
in the next parliament. But it’s not clear if those disparate parties — which include Arab-led factions who appear to have made a historic showing — are willing to form a coalition. If they are, it would likely take weeks of haggling.[Netanyahu] called on his opponents to line up behind him and dismissed the idea of a partnership with Arab parties — whose constituents make up 20% of Israel’s population — as treasonous.
Similarly, he has called for the Israeli Jewish filmmakers of "Naza" to be stripped of their citizenship for being treasonous.
“We must establish a strong, right-wing, nationalist government,” said Netanyahu...That what you voted for Israeli Jews, Nazareal? Your state has already lost public opinion in the U.S. You, the Israeli Jewish people still have support. For how long, idk. Come November 3, you will not have the U.S. House and the odds are slightly against you in the Senate. And come January 20, 2029, no matter who the next U.S. president is, you will not have their support. You know what I state as fact to be fact and you know that my projections are the likely.
...“We must not endanger Israel and establish a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties.”
While exit polls indicated Netanyahu would face a difficult path to return to office, in his defiant speech he made clear he had no intention of stepping aside. Even if he is unable to form a government, Netanyahu’s inflammatory rhetoric against the Arab parties could complicate any attempt by his opponents to partner with them and sets the stage for a potential new vote where the Israeli leader could make gains.That's what he did twice previously, Israeli Jews, and he remained in power. Five elections if I recall correctly? Israeli Jews, as I wrote yesterday, this is your dysfunctional system, your votes, your government. The result of your votes is, it seems now, "a strong, right wing, nationalist government,", for Nazareal. That is very ugly, Israeli Jews.
Your state, along with mine, will attack Iran after November 3, and we together will commit more war crimes, more genocide and you will lose more Americans and more American elected representatives. Cutting off aid to Nazrael is a very real possibility. But you know that. Until January 20, 2029, you will be free to show the true, ugly face of Israeli Jewry to Americans and the world.
The close results also suggest that Netanyahu’s opponents were unable to capitalize on the public anger and grief sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks to decisively unseat Netanyahu.
Everything that I wrote yesterday was true, you know it was. "Decisively unseating" Netanyahoo was necessary to have future American support. It looks like you have spoken and you have not delivered. It seems real and plausible that Netanyahoo will continue as your Prime Minister. That is unequivocally unacceptable to most Americans and American politicians. But you knew that. You knew the risks, you knew the consequences and you decided to accept them.
A setback for Netanyahu but not an outright defeatI don't think Nazrael is going to survive without American support. I know it WOULDN'T have. Your preferred American president told your preferred Prime Minister directly, "Everybody hates you. Everybody hates Israel now." He said abroad, "Israel wouldn't exist without me." You know it's true. It's one of the few things I have ever agreed with him on. You chose to risk it; you think you can survive on your own. I don't think you can. We'll see who's right.
Israel’s leader, a savvy political operator who has delivered last-minute upsets in previous elections, appeared to have been rebuked...But those appearances were deceiving. You did not rebuke Netanyahoo.
...by voters disappointed in his alliance with the far-right and angry over draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.But you weren't disappointed or angry enough. We'll begin to see who's right as soon as November 3 and we'll know for sure on November 7, 2028. You will be, it looks likely: Alone. Your choice. You were beseeched and warned.
