Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that “at the grass roots” among African American voters, there is a growing perception that “Jewish people are attempting to pick our leaders. . . . There is some concern about that. It’s concern about any candidate being targeted by a special-interest group for voting on any one issue.”
I think AIPAC et al are being very stupid by targeting black Congressman who don’t vote “right” on Israel. Congress could not be more pro-Israeli if it were taking orders from my (late) bubbe and zeida. One vote, one voice, here or there makes no difference.
Because it plays into anti-Jew stereotypes, this kind of heavy-handed financial intervention to pick the winner of a largely African American race is actually a boon to anti-Semites of the black and extremist left-wing varieties. (See under: “Louis Farrakhan” and “Alexander Cockburn.”) What AIPAC et al appear to be saying is “We will tolerate no dissent of any kind on Israel in American public life.” They do Israel and America’s Jews no favor.
I agree. In addition, it provides an exploitable wedge issue between the two most consistently democratic-voting racial/ethnic groups.