Tuesday brings another big primary night for Democrats, this time in Illinois.
Given the land of Lincoln's strong Democratic bent and the growing unpopularity of President Donald Trump, the primaries will likely be the major contest here.
And as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war with Iran causes global instability, America's relationship with Israel will likely play a huge role here.
Democrats have spent the last two and a half years having an often painful discussion around Israel. As the historic political home for Jewish Americans, the Democratic Party has long supported Israel. A Democratic president, Harry S. Truman, recognized the state of Israel in 1948.
But the war in Gaza caused a split between that older guard and the younger activist groups, who saw Israel's response to the October 7th attack by Hamas as either a war crime or a genocide.
The party has been slow to respond to these shifts. Two years ago when the party held its convention in Chicago, many convention attendees even agreed that a Palestinian should be allowed to speak. Many Democrats hoped to tamp down the conversation and delay it until after President Joe Biden, who called himself an "Irish American Zionist," left office and Kamala Harris defeated Trump.
That didn't happen, and now, the conversation is breaking out into primaries. On Monday, NBC News released a poll showing that only 13 percent of Democratic voters have a positive view of Israel compared to 34 percent of Democrats in 2023. In addition, 67 percent of Democrats sympathize with Palestinians now compared to only 18 percent who did so in 2013.
This dynamic has already played out in New York City's mayoral primary last year, where Zohran Mamdani beat the more pro-Israel Andrew Cuomo, though Valerie Foushee won in North Carolina's 4th district despite Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam criticizing Rep. Valerie Foushee for taking money from The American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Inside Washington previewed this race a bit last month, but here's a full breakdown. Grab a throwback Michael Jordan jersey and get ready for a rumble.
Read more here.
0 comentários:
Postar um comentário