Biden became ‘Genocide Joe’ by Philip Weiss (Part II)

To understand what Joe Biden is thinking, it is worth reviewing presidential
history, to remind ourselves how significant the Israel lobby is as a force. A
few key moments:
–Truman overrode his own State Department and his own opposition to the
idea of a religious state to back Israel’s establishment and then turn a blind
eye to its expansions. John Judis wrote in his history, “Genesis,” that Truman
did so because he needed $100,000 from political donors Abe Feinberg and
Ed Kaufmann – a huge sum in 1948–for a whistlestop campaign trip through
the midwest when his campaign was broke and Thomas Dewey was
threatening to make him a one-termer.
–Both Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush lost their bids for a second term
in the White House, and it is said that both politicians saw the Israel lobby as
a factor in those losses. Carter repeatedly challenged Israel over its
settlements and believed that taking on Israel and its American lobby cost
him his job. “From the New York primary [in March 1980] onward, I believe
Carter was left with the view that New York Jews had not only defeated him
in the primary but were also a factor in his loss in November,” Carter aide
Stuart  Eizenstat writes .
Bush also hammered Israel over settlements, “because I think this is what the
American people want,” he said. But Bill Clinton ran to Bush’s right in 1992
with the support of the Israel lobby and defeated him. Tom
Friedman summarized the lesson: “President Bush the first stood outside the
White House one day and said I’m one lonely man standing up against the
Israel lobby. What happened as a result of that… is that Republicans post
Bush I, and manifested most in his son Bush 2, took a strategic decision, they
will never be out pro-Israel’d again. That they believe cost them electorally a
lot.”
–Obama made the same calculation. His need for the endorsement of Haim
Saban and other “major Jewish donors” caused him to give in on Israel’s
unending landgrabs, Judis writes. And Obama aide Ben Rhodes confirms that
view. When Obama and Netanyahu clashed the year before Obama’s
reelection campaign, Rhodes had to call “a list of leading Jewish donors . . . to
reassure them of Obama’s pro-Israel bona fides.”

Obama waited for his second term to take Israel on over the Iran deal in
2015. In a major speech, he said that Israel was the only country in the world
that opposed the deal. And while Benjamin Netanyahu is completely
“sincere” in his opposition, Obama said, “As president of the United States, it
would be an abrogation of my constitutional duty” to defer to Israel’s wishes
on this matter.
–Trump of course abrogated his duty. He did whatever Israel wanted
including trashing the Iran deal and moving the embassy and seeking to
legalize illegal settlements – all to maintain the support of his largest donor
Sheldon Adelson, who gave 100s of millions to Republicans.
This is the history that counts for Joe Biden. He is going to go by the playbook
that has evolved over his lifetime — regardless of the growing sympathy for
Palestinians in the Democratic base that is evident in poll after poll./The
good thing about today’s crisis is that the lobby’s influence is naked. “Sleepy
Joe has a new nickname– Genocide Joe,” cracked another friend at
Thanksgiving. It is impossible to imagine Biden ignoring the world’s calls for
ceasefire or his own base’s outrage over the images of slaughtered
Palestinian families and children – impossible to imagine that without the
influence of the organized Jewish community, which patently does not care
about these victims, or when it does mention them says that Hamas is to
blame./Another good effect of this crisis is that it has provided a different
picture of the Jewish community from blind support for Israel: the vigorous
opposition to Israel’s militarism among young and progressive Jews. Witness
the incredible cease-fire demonstrations organized by IfNotNow and Jewish
Voice for Peace. The growth of anti-Zionism will transform (and redeem) the
Jewish community. And be a major factor in transforming U.S. policy, as well.