Jewish political activism in America, its influence, strength and power

Abu Juwairiya

Junior Member
"Jewish political activism is found at all levels, from the ballot box to the
highest councils of government and politics. It is estimated that Jews now
comprise between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of those actively involved in
the Democratic side of American politics.

They were prominent in the top management entourage of nearly all of
the principal Democratic presidential contenders in 1972: Edmund S.
Muskie was managed by Berl I. Bernhart; Henry S. Jackson had Ben J.
Wattenberg; Hubert Humphrey used Max Kampelman; George McGovern
had Frank Mankiewicz.

Of the Richard Nixon "political enemies" list, released by the Senate
Watergate Committee, seven out of the first eight, and a total of twelve out
of the first twenty were Jewish.

Of the three principal national public opinion surveys, two (Louis Harris
and Daniel Yankelovich) are Jewish. Pollsters have discovered that an
extraordinarily high percentage of people, who ask to do their interviewing,
are Jewish.

One of the nation's most prominent political reporters, David S. Broder,
is Jewish, as was the late Theodore White, our most popular political
historian and author of The Making 0f the President. There have been
innumerable Jewish speech writers for virtually all candidates and presidents,
including the former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee,
Robert Strauss.

It is a fact that Jews are simply more active and interested in politics than
their fellow Americans
. Nearly four times as many Jews as non-Jews
protested American-Vietnam military policy.

Another source of power is the media. The major television networks
were founded by David Sarnoff, William S. Paley, and Leonard Goldenson.
These organizations are heavily Jewish, as are their reportorial staffs.
The fact that no network "anchor man" is Jewish is explained by Isaacs
as an effort to avoid the appearance to the viewing public of being too
'Jewish." 'Jews could be the 'back room' presidents of the network news
divisions, while the non-Jewish anchor man could project a comforting
WASP image to an overwhelmingly WASP audience."


The newspaper industry, as such, is neither owned nor controlled by
Jewish interests. However, the newspapers in which Jews occupy senior
editorial positions are especially influential in national politics.
These
include the New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal,
and New York Post. The late Walter Lippman, perhaps the greatest of
modern political journalists, was Jewish, as were Arthur Krock and David
Lawrence. These have been succeeded today by such prominent and capable
political journalists as Joseph Kraft, Max Lerner, and William Safire.

A further and very effective source of political power is the presence of
Jews in the government itself.
While the number of Jewish office holders,
at the national level, do not exceed the relative proportion of Jews to the
general population, the number of Jews in staff positions in Congress and
in many of the federal administrative agencies far exceeds their proportionate
representation in the population
.
Many of these are key positions which
can be, and are, effectively used to accomplish specific objectives.....

How the "us" (Jewish minority) manages to get things done, according
to the staffer, is explained by the fact that senators "have a million things
to do and generally take the recommendations of their administrative
assistants." If the senator does not cooperate, the next step is to call for
"outside help" which means direct pressure on the senators from their
Jewish constituents." (Source: "One Nation Under Israel" By Andrew Hurley, P 90-91, 1999)
 

MehmetHilmi

Junior Member
We need to step up our game. Muslims in America are too relaxed to care for politics. The problem is also with an old mindset. Our parents keep pressuring us to be doctors or engineers yet they look down on law or politics. We have a bunch of good doctors, but who will defend our interests in government? Who will be our mouthpiece? The Jews are light years ahead. And one more thing, they look after each other!
 
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Abu Juwairiya

Junior Member
We need to step up our game. Muslims in America are too relaxed to care for politics. The problem is also with an old mindset. Our parents keep pressuring us to be doctors or engineers yet they look down on law or politics. We have a bunch of good doctors, but who will defend our interests in government? Who will be our mouthpiece? The Jews are light years ahead. And one more thing, they look after each other!

While Muslims remain far from being one strong community in the US, the Jewish population has common values and shared interests which make unity among them stronger. Although the Jewish lobby is also not representative of all Jews, there is a consensus on ideals, fears and what they deem to be their responsibilities in light of the Talmud and biblical passages relating to the Day of Resurrection. In this respect, the ties of religion pull them together against both the Palestinians and Muslims in general and survival of the Jewish State.

Muslims on the other hand remain detached from the reality. They show or appear to show possession of less influence, knowledge of political organisational will and ability to attract candidates for office, support from the mass media or value/worth for outsiders to view and listen to their causes. While this is not the only way to seek attention, it is the manner in which the Jewish lobby has been so successful since the 1960s and remains so to this day.
 

Abu Juwairiya

Junior Member
Anyone interested in the Israel Lobby should read and analyse 'The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy' by John J Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. The 350 Page book outlines how American Jews first assumed and retained the strong and leading position they occupy today despite representing less than ten per cent of the population.

As with all lobbies and special interest groups it has not met with success at every turn, has had to contend with politicians who have refused to accept the official line and has had to accept reverses among their own ranks, but by and large the status quo is yet to be challenged and successfully relinquished.

It is also not just a matter of number of Jews per constituency for a candidate to speak in favour of Israel, but the danger of influence among prominent advertising agencies and individuals that can swing votes one way or another by quick, effective and often ruthless media onslaughts for or against candidates not credited to be strongly in favour of Israel in local, regional and national elections.

As the book expounds, the Arab/Palestinian/Muslim perspective is a lost cause. There are lobbies that represent and speak on their behalf, but with powerful adversaries already in place and with more authority and power, the former is not considered worthy of attention. While the Jewish lobby can promise and patronise a candidate's career by championing their image for years to come, the same reception is not forthcoming from Muslim groups, neither is influence, the possibility of greater personal prestige or immediate wealth. To vote or speak against Israel can however mean loss of one's seat and hostility from the mass media, perhaps even a label of anti Semitism. Sometimes conscience is less interesting than political advancement and career progression, especially if the candidate has dreams of a future in politics.
 
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