There not even being vague about it.
“WE ENCOURAGE the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.”
How is that not foreign election interference?
At what point can we just call it and say the USA is an asset of Israel?
The US and Israel are part of the same joint imperial project.
Do you think AIPAC can operate without permission?
If ever a site begged to be hacked with pictures of war crimes....
Although it wouldn't do shit for those demons
Israel does not own the US, the US allows AIPAC to exist to maintain its own interest among congresspeople (etc.). Only one of them is existentially dependent on their working together, and it's not the US (though the US massively benefits).
Nah, Israel is just the 51st state. It is part of the USA by this point. It just wants preferential treatment.
We fund Israel so much more than any other state. Imagine if all that money went towards public infrastructure in the US instead
Wow. I guess we all just need to start a human rights company and then we’d be golden.
Yup, and with good reason. Thanks "Citizen's United!"
https://www.commondreams.org/news/progressives-lose-oregon-primaries
https://apnews.com/article/cori-bush-aipac-house-race-missouri-568c1a84974b8ba176a8d27a8375de42
I used to think lobby groups are influential in determining the outcome of these elections but I think the reality is they align themselves with candidates that are slated to more likely win. Sometimes they even fund both candidates. Money just doesn't seem to translate to effective victory. Look at Bloomberg in 2016. That guy spent an ungodly amount of money on his campaign - - - more than all the candidates combined or something close.
Cory Bowman was already waning in popularity. From your article:
Bowman had several compounding low-level mistakes and scandals that could easily be hammered home to voters, like pulling the fire alarm at the Capitol or his controversial hip-hop lyrics. Beyond that, Latimer is a popular politician who has represented most of the district’s voters for years. Add in more money than any group has ever spent on a congressional primary by an enormous margin, and you have the conditions for a win.
I think it all depends. I'm not saying AIPAC is not influential. I just don't think it's so clear cut. I think the money in more to get access. The reality is Israel is popular with boomers, and Dem boomers vote. We are starting to see a shift with younger voters but it's just not there yet.
I think the money in more to get access
Access to what and for what purpose?
Access to influence policy and legislation. But they seem to get mixed results. There have been a few studies that looked at the actual effects of lobbying. I may have to dig around but i can track them down. It's very interesting because it upturned what my assumptions were about lobbying.
It seems they find candidates that are already somewhat aligned and work no push the scale further. Like, someone like Latimer wouldn't need a lot to push the scale in favor of AIPAC objectives.
It's very interesting to read up on this.
It certainly goes some way to explain why lobbyists buy politicians for pennies in the grand scheme of things, but ultimately you're saying the same thing with a different inflection.
Sort of. It's a mixed bag is what I'm saying. It's just not as impactful as we all imagine it to be. Some politicians are very corrupt obviously. But it's not this prevalent "corporations own congress" kinda thing.
Correct
True, but why not post a link to an article from a reputable source than just a low-effort image?
It's shitty, but you will get one of them in power, and it's encumbent on you to vote for the obvious lesser of two evils.
If you like the Greens (or whoever else's) policies, work to fight for them the other 1,458 days of the election cycle - polling day is for buying a few more years of moribund US democracy - not for pissing away your vote and letting the fascists in.
#bothsides