AIPAC gearing up to spend $100M to eliminate “The Squad” (and those like them) from Congress once and for all

[bnew]

Spoiler: thread continued

Spoiler: full text

1/11
These facts are not in dispute: AIPAC’s purpose is to benefit a foreign country. If Jamaal Bowman loses today because AIPAC spent $14.5 million against him, everyone in Congress will be scared to death of AIPAC. They will all then serve Israel’s interests to make AIPAC happy.

2/11
Btw, other countries are idiots for not doing this. It’s so easy. Bribery is legal in America as long as you call it a campaign contribution and funnel it through American citizens. That’s why all the corporations do it. US Congress is for sale for anyone who has enough money.

3/11
They already do that bro.

4/11
I know. But the mainstream press comically denies it. Or they say it’s true, but facts are antisemitic. Right now, AIPAC controls about 85-90% of Congress. If Bowman loses, it’ll be 98%.

5/11
Do you have a single shred of evidence that Israel gives any money to AIPAC?

No you don't. Because it doesn't exist.

I wonder why you're not concerned about the 9 countries that spend more than Israel to influence our election according to Open Secrets.

6/11
AIPAC represents a huge segment of Jews and Zionists.

Your incessant obsession with AIPAC is so pathetic.

7/11
Must see.

AIPAC controls the US Congress

8/11
Journalist Tareq Abu Azzoum reporting on Israel's escalation of its massacres against innocent civilians in Gaza over the last few hours.

9/11
I see no problem here.

10/11
Bowman is gone because his fire alarm stunt embarrassed the Party masters

11/11
America has fallen. Or, it fell some time ago, and people are just realizing it. Voting to change things is an illusion.


To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196

Spoiler: larger images

AIPAC controlling everything... - sh.itjust.works

Context: >Rep. Jamaal Bowman loses New York primary to pro-Israel George Latimer, most expensive primary race ever https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz99x0w65dyo [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz99x0w65dyo]

sh.itjust.works

 

[bnew]

Jamaal Bowman’s Loss Is the Start of a New Era

Pro-Israel forces now have a blueprint to driving critics out of Congress.

nymag.com

EARLY AND OFTEN JUNE 25, 2024

Jamaal Bowman’s Loss Is the Start of a New Era​

By Ross Barkan, a frequent contributor to New York

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

George Latimer ousted Representative Jamaal Bowman, a two-term leftist and critic of Israel, in what’s believed to be the most expensive congressional primary ever fought. For moderates hoping to check the power of the Squad in Congress, it was a joyous night; for the many progressives who hoped to save one of their most prominent politicians, it was a deeply dispiriting — if no longer shocking — turn of events.

Latimer was technically an insurgent but didn’t campaign like one. Recruited by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Westchester County executive targeted Bowman for failing, in his view, to adequately support Israel in the wake of the Hamas attacks. AIPAC spent at least $14 million on behalf of Latimer, an extraordinary sum, drowning television and radio stations with advertisements lacerating Bowman and propping up the more conservative Latimer. Notably, the AIPAC-funded ads said nothing about Israel, instead focusing on Bowman’s alleged lack of loyalty to Joe Biden, who is liked enough by many Democrats. Bowman’s embrace of the Democratic Socialists of America, who are explicitly anti-Zionist, may have alienated moderate Jewish voters even more. While outside groups like Justice Democrats managed to contribute more than $1 million in ads to help Bowman, the spending was remarkably lopsided: By one tally, Latimer-aligned PACs had outspent Bowman seven to one. Rallies with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the campaign’s final days could not save him, either.

Bowman, a charismatic and unapologetic leftist with a penchant for controversy, would have had a tough reelection fight even if AIPAC hadn’t emerged to add so much rocket fuel to Latimer’s campaign. He faced a House censure for pulling a false fire alarm when Democrats were trying to stall a vote. Blog posts he wrote more than a decade ago appeared to give credence to 9/11 conspiracy theories, and his YouTube page following conspiracy accounts became news. He was forced to apologize after lavishing praise on Norman Finkelstein, the acerbic anti-Israel scholar, at a panel discussion. And he initially claimed reports of Hamas raping Israeli women on October 7 were “propaganda.”

In a suburban, racially diverse seat roping in large chunks of Westchester and a northern sliver of the Bronx, these controversies collectively weighed Bowman down, especially in the district’s sizable Jewish community. Four years ago, Bowman, a former middle-school principal, had unseated Eliot Engel, a high-ranking congressman and staunch Israel hawk. Many of Engel’s allies were out for revenge.

AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups have been casting about for challengers to defeat as many Squad Democrats — the AOC-aligned House group that has been willing to forcefully criticize the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza — as possible, and they’ve had, until Bowman, little to boast about. Summer Lee, a progressive from Pennsylvania, breezed to reelection earlier in the year, and threats to take on Rashida Tlaib, the Palestinian American congresswoman who supports the BDS movement, went nowhere.

But in Latimer, AIPAC had an ideal recruit. Until this race, he had been a liberal in good standing, working well with activist groups in Westchester and even campaigning with the support of the Working Families Party. Left-leaning Democrats celebrated him for defeating Rob Astorino, a right-wing Republican, and returning the county to Democratic control in 2018. If he was, more subtly, unwilling to ruffle the feathers of the county’s more reactionary forces, he rarely picked fights with the left and mostly focused on hyperlocal issues. Like a suburban version of Chuck Schumer, Latimer was known for showing up everywhere in the county, and no ribbon cutting or potluck dinner seemed too small for the hustling, neighborly pol to make an appearance. A former state legislator, he had been winning elections for three decades.

Even as Latimer swerved rightward in the primary, he was well positioned to deflect attacks from the Bowman campaign. In 2020, Bowman had won by portraying Engel, who waited out the pandemic in Maryland, as aloof and out of touch with the struggles of the district. Like Joe Crowley, who claimed a Queens residence but raised his family in Virginia, Engel was no longer active among his constituents. Latimer, though, was everywhere in Westchester, and he campaigned aggressively throughout the county.

Latimer’s triumph could come at a cost. He defeated Westchester’s first Black congressman in a primary that polarized around race. He angered many Democrats by claiming Bowman’s real constituencies were in San Francisco and Dearborn — Bowman and his allies accused Latimer of race-baiting. Black and Latino voters could view him as the new congressman for white, wealthy Westchester, where he resides, and not someone looking out for them. “I’m an outspoken Black man,” Bowman said during a recent debate. “His supporters don’t want that, because it challenges their power.”

On foreign policy, Latimer’s unstinting alliance with AIPAC might put him on the rightward fringe of his own party, alienated even from Schumer, who called for Benjamin Netanyahu to step aside earlier this year. Democrats in Congress have grown increasingly uneasy with the war there, as Israel continues to slaughter civilians and openly rejects the concept of a Palestinian state. For now, Latimer fits comfortably with the Israel hawks in New York’s House delegation, including the Bronx’s Ritchie Torres. But life for him in Congress may only get more complicated. The Netanyahu government continues to antagonize the Biden administration, and Latimer’s views on Israel bring him into closer alignment with Donald Trump.

Progressives, meanwhile, have been dealt a grievous blow. Bowman was a rising star and someone who could have, with enough time in the House, run for higher office. When he first ran against Engel, he was able to forge coalitions between working-class voters of color and college-educated activists. The Squad, without him, is still large enough and may grow in the coming years — even if Cori Bush, another prominent member, also loses this summer. But Bowman’s defeat marks the loss of a rare — if undisciplined — political talent. AIPAC and other moneyed forces will hope they’ve found a new blueprint for success: Recruit a willing, well-known lawmaker to run against a progressive and pump many millions into the primary.

 

[the cac mamba]

It's weird that only "progressives" think Israel intentionally starving a bunch of kids to death is objectionable this is where we're at?

no, progressives aren't the only ones who find it objectionable. the problem is that;

-Hamas started it/still has hostages, fights and hides among civilians because they don't give a fukk about the civilians either, and progressives refuse to acknowledge it

-it's laughably stupid for these cartoonish leftists, who are off-the-map liberal on every other issue, to be talking about "fukk the election, i won't vote to stop a trump presidency because Gaza". if you're indifferent to politics and aren't bothering to vote biden, that's fine. if you're a hardcore progressive who wants to Lose For Gaza, you're a fukking buffoon

-and oh yeah; biden's alternative donald trump is not a fukking pro-Palestine politician. he's hardcore pro-israel

 

[Pressure]

no, progressives aren't the only ones who find it objectionable. the problem is that;

-Hamas started it/still has hostages, fights and hides among civilians because they don't give a fukk about the civilians either, and progressives refuse to acknowledge it

-it's laughably stupid for these cartoonish leftists, who are off-the-map liberal on every other issue, to be talking about "fukk the election, i won't vote to stop a trump presidency because Gaza". if you're indifferent to politics and aren't bothering to vote biden, that's fine. if you're a hardcore progressive who wants to Lose For Gaza, you're a fukking buffoon

-and oh yeah; donald trump is not a fukking pro-Palestine politician. he's hardcore pro-israel

The simple answer is they aren't interested in an honest discussion. They're simply hoping to use this as a harbinger for their own revolution.

Therefore it's of no value to discuss the entirety, but just focus on oppression and revolution.

 

[88m3]

Help AOC fight back >> | There are less than 8 weeks left until Alexandria’s primary election. Here are 3 things we need you to know about her multimillionaire opponent: 1.... | By Alexandria Ocasio-CortezFacebook

There are less than 8 weeks left until Alexandria’s primary election. Here are 3 things we need you to know about her multimillionaire opponent: 1....

www.facebook.com

 

[Professor Emeritus]

no, progressives aren't the only ones who find it objectionable. the problem is that;

-Hamas started it/still has hostages, fights and hides among civilians because they don't give a fukk about the civilians either, and progressives refuse to acknowledge it

The claim that progressives aren't condemning Hamas or blaming them for starting it is an utter lie that you've repeated before. When I called you out with EXTENSIVE receipts, you couldn't even acknowledge it, and here you come repeating the lie again.

https://www.thecoli.com/threads/john-fetterman-went-to-congress-and-became-a-bigger-piece-of-shyt.1033278/post-52735224

-it's laughably stupid for these cartoonish leftists, who are off-the-map liberal on every other issue, to be talking about "fukk the election, i won't vote to stop a trump presidency because Gaza".

Did Jamaal Bowman say he wasn't going to vote for Biden? What fukking relevance does this have to the post you're responding to or anything else in the thread?

If your concern is getting progressives behind Biden even if they don't like what's happening in Israel, then you should have WANTED Bowman to be running in November so that progressives have something to hope for. Lining up alongside Israel to oust him makes shyt worse, not better.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

The simple answer is they aren't interested in an honest discussion.

Holy shyt, you just co-signed an outright lie by @the cac mamba in order to claim that THEY are the ones who aren't interested in an honest discussion.




Remember when y'all thought foreign interference in an election was the worst thing that could happen to our democracy, Mr. "Honest Discussion"?

 

[Pull Up the Roots]

The Campaign Against Jamaal Bowman Was Dirty Politics at its Worst

Whatever you think of the New York congressman, no election should look like this.

www.currentaffairs.org

This brings us to the ugly subject of racism, which is never far from the surface in U.S. politics. Throughout the campaign, George Latimer made some truly shameful racialized comments about his opponent, each more offensive than the last. Among other things, he said Bowman had an “obvious ethnic benefit” against him, claimed that Bowman didn’t “mention people who are not Black or brown” during the campaign—a flat-out lie—and told him that “your constituency is Dearborn, Michigan” (which has a large Arab and Muslim community) rather than New York.

He also accused him of “taking money from Hamas,” which prompted Bowman to threaten a defamation suit. Latimer’s proxies engaged in race-baiting too, with a group called the Fairshake PAC running an attack ad that slammed Bowman for putting a picture of Black Panther activist Assata Shakur on a “Wall of Honor” when he was a middle-school principal. This was nasty stuff, and Bowman was understandably angered by it. In response, he amped up his own rhetoric, promising to show Latimer and his funders “the power of the motherfukking South Bronx.” For that, he got scolded by New York Times opinion columnist Pamela Paul, who was simply aghast that Bowman had “proudly cursed in a manner unbecoming to a public official.”

Paul is educated, if not smart. She surely knows what the term “tone policing” means, and how it’s historically been used to silence and marginalize people of color who speak out about social injustices. That’s exactly what she was doing to Bowman. Notice, for contrast, that the liberal press never raised a stink when Joe Biden called a Fox reporter a “stupid son of a bytch” onstage in 2022, or referred to Donald Trump as a “sick fukk” in closed-door meetings. Joe’s a white man; he’s allowed to get angry. Bowman, apparently, is not.((Nor, for that matter, is Rashida Tlaib, who the right-wing Christian Broadcasting Network referred to as a “foul-mouthed Islamic congresswoman” after she said to “impeach the motherfukker,” meaning Donald Trump, in 2019.))

In this respect, the treatment Bowman received from the New York Times wasn’t much different from what he experienced with Marjorie Taylor Greene, who claimed to feel “threatened” by Bowman’s “aggressive” mannerisms last year. Like Greene, both the Latimer campaign and the press dealt freely in stereotypes and insinuations about Bowman’s race whenever it suited their agenda. And because of the aforementioned gerrymandering, there was a wealthy white audience just waiting to be pandered to.

And then, of course, there’s the millions of dollars the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) donated to Latimer’s campaign. According to Democratic operative Lis Smith (who’s better known for other work), it’s a “disgusting antisemitic trope” to even mention this.

That’s an odd thing to say, since AIPAC themselves have been loudly bragging about their role in Bowman’s defeat, saying in a public statement that “The outcome in this race once again shows that the pro-Israel position is both good policy and good politics.” To any Democratic politician paying attention, that’s a veiled threat: If you step out of line, we’ll flood your primary with dark money and bury you.

It’s not even a secret at this point. Speaking to Axios, an unnamed senior House Democrat said that “spending at this volume inevitably has a chilling effect on lawmakers” and that “They [AIPAC] do that a lot.” Barack Obama has also admitted as much, saying that “Those who criticized Israeli policy too loudly risked being tagged as ‘anti-Israel’ (and possibly anti-Semitic) and confronted with a well-funded opponent in the next election” in his 2020 memoir, A Promised Land. (Is Obama antisemitic now, too?)

 

[the cac mamba]

Holy shyt, you just co-signed an outright lie by @the cac mamba in order to claim that THEY are the ones who aren't interested in an honest discussion.




Remember when y'all thought foreign interference in an election was the worst thing that could happen to our democracy, Mr. "Honest Discussion"?

i know you aren't big on accountability, but maybe Bowman shouldn't have voted against fixing his constituents' roads like an unserious idiot did the jews make him do that?

 

[No1]

Holy shyt, you just co-signed an outright lie by @the cac mamba in order to claim that THEY are the ones who aren't interested in an honest discussion.




Remember when y'all thought foreign interference in an election was the worst thing that could happen to our democracy, Mr. "Honest Discussion"?

I’m not even engaging anymore for the point of discussion, mostly just fight off misinformation here and there. This board sucks now. You’re either MAGA or you have to tow the most disingenuous party line or you’re a “Berniebro.” No wonder they have no issue with AIPAC’s strategy - they’ve been using it for 8 years.

 

[FAH1223]

 

[Pull Up the Roots]

Wesley Bell sold out quick.

 

[No1]

Why are dapping this @Atlrocafella what has Bush ever done for you to be against her?

 

[Long Live The Kane]

Wesley Bell sold out quick.

Quick and in a hurry, shyt is sad man…went from a vanity campaign to unseat Hawley in the senate to saying “Nevermind! That Zionist check cleared ….sorry Cori!” when AIPAC came knocking…damn shame, the primary is two days removed from 10 years since Mike Brown was killed and both of them rose to local fame during the protests in Ferguson…they’re low for this one, but wouldn’t be possible without someone so willing to backstab

 

[Atlrocafella]

Why are dapping this @Atlrocafella what has Bush ever done for you to be against her?

I just dap shyt just to dap it.