You know about this week's US 'midterm' elections, right (on November 6, 2018)? Democrats won enough seats in the US House of Representatives to become the dominant Party in the House. Republicans held onto their majority in the Senate--and actually increased its majority in the Senate. What's the meaning of these results? Some in America say it proves that America has repudiated Trump by putting Democrats in control of the House. Some say it means Trump has now lost control of the US government. Those evaluations may be wrong. You see, US 'midterm' elections (elections exactly mid-way between a President's four-year term) are traditionally not friendly at all to a sitting President. Traditionally, the Party that holds the Presidency loses seats in both House and Senate in these midterms. Some say that, traditionally, midterms are a reflection of how Americans rate a President's performance. Some say, midterms are, traditionally, a referendum on a President's job performance. Just as traditionally, a President's Party loses seats in both the House and the Senate as a result of midterm elections. In fact, some say that, in the 84 years between 1934 midterms and the 2018 midterms (the last 21 midterm elections), the President's Party has lost an average of 30 seats in the House and 4 seats in the Senate as a result of a midterm election. Apparently, American don't much care for how a President is performing in the middle of his 4-year term. Apparently, Americans uses these midterm election to send a President a message: we don't like what you've done so far. For example, look at midterm results for President Barack Obama's first midterm election, 2010. His Party didn't lose 30 seats in the House (the recent average). It lost 63 seats. His Party didn't lose 4 seats in the Senate (the recent average). It lost 6. Final election results for all 2018 midterm races aren't in yet. Some races may require a recount. But as things now stand it looks like President Donald Trump's Republican Party also failed to match the average losses established during the last 84 years. For example, it appears right now that Trump's Party didn't lose 30 seats in the House. Depending upon final vote-counts, Republicans may have lost as many as 35. That's an above average loss. But it's nowhere near Obama's 63-seat loss in 2010. Trump's Party also didn't lose 4 seats in the Senate (recent average). His Party looks to have picked up an additional 1 or 2 seats (again, depending on final count numbers). There are three conclusions from these numbers, none of which is a negative for Trump. First, Trump did better than Obama, whose "excellence" as President is practically worshiped by Democrats. Second, it appears that Trump's Party didn't lose any seats in the Senate. There, his Party did significantly better than the 'worshiped' Obama. Third, all the headlines around the world that suggest that Trump lost big-time in these midterms are false. Nevertheless, the 'Trump is now wounded' political message will play out well across the world. It's the message anti-US and pro-Leftist elites want you to see. Actual election results don't matter. What matters is the anti-Trump narrative. What does Israel think of these US election results? Views vary, of course. But there's one Israeli view that might be typical. This view comes in the form of a cartoon. But it's not a simple cartoon. It's tricky. Like the US election itself, you'll have to look very, very closely to see what this one Israeli view actually means. The cartoon below is from the venerable Shlomo Cohen, who publishes regularly on israelhayom. The cartoon was first published (here) on November 8, 2018:
If, like some readers, you aren't able to figure out what the cartoon 'says', here are a couple of hints: first, look closely at the jet engines on the plane in the picture (which, of course, is depicted as Trump's official US President's 'Air Force One' aircraft). One engine cover has the decal of an elephant--you can see the elephant's red tail. In America, the elephant is mascot for Trump's political Party--the Republicans. The second engine cover above has a decal of the Democrat Party mascot--a donkey. As you may know, Democrats oppose Trump. Can you see those two decals? Here's a second hint. Democrats do not want the US to go in the same direction Trump appears to be taking the country. Democrats want the opposite of what Trump wants. Democrats want gun control, open borders, completely universal healthcare, increased support for Palestinians, more government regulation of business, more climate control regulation, higher taxes, potentially less support for Israel--and no sanctions against Iran. Look again at the cartoon. Look at the direction each jet engine faces. The jet engine with the Republican insignia faces in the normal direction, with a massive air intake as a 'face'. This engine will push the Trump aircraft forward by sucking air into the engine through that 'face' and shooting it out the rear of the engine. Look at the engine with the Democrat insignia. It's reversed. That is, the engine faces the wrong direction. The back end of the engine faces forward. When this engine is fired up, it will push the 'Trump plain' backwards. Therefore, the cartoon depicts what the cartoonist believes has happened in the US: two opposing forces (Democrat vs Republican) trying to push the Trump 'machine' both forward and backwards at the same time. The result, we infer, may well mean the plane makes no forward progress at all. It's a good cartoon. It captures the current conventional wisdom about the assumed impact on US governance of a Democrat-controlled House and a Republican-controlled Senate: a do-nothing government. Don't believe it. Trump isn't frozen by a Democrat-controlled House. He still has several 'political arrows' in his 'political quiver'. He can still move forward much of his political agenda- -and, maybe, most of what may be his most important political goal--to appoint conservative judges to the federal court system in order to push the ideological position of federal courts to the Right (here). Stay tuned. That huge 'machine' in the cartoon may not be as 'dead in the air' as everyone thinks. Trump may not be as 'handcuffed' by this election as Democrats would like us to think. So why is Israel concerned? Because Israel always worries about the US. Israel is always nervous about US attitudes. Israel worries too much about the US.
At breakfast this morning in Israel, all English-language news outlets had something to say about today's US midterm elections. Some stories were simply factual. They described the elections. They described the anger Democrats and Leftists (one-and-the-same?) harbored towards US President Donald Trump. Other stories worried about the impact a Democrat victory would have on US-Israel relations. We've heard that many Democrats in America appear to be anti-Israel. Would a Democrat victory hurt us? The main concern in America for these elections is that Democrats can become a majority in the US House of Representatives. Such a situation will absolutely affect how Republican members of Congress plan their future political strategy. It could certainly impact Trump's ability to govern. It could impact his political agenda. But how does a Democrat-controlled House impact US relations with Israel? The US House of Representatives has little to do with everyday US-Israel business. In fact, most of the time, the House has practically no impact at all on US-Israel relations. Israel's Left is interested in these US elections, but for a different reason. That is, Israel's Left hasn't figured out how to dislodge Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office. The Left wants him gone. But the man, at least until today, has been 'Mr. Teflon man': no Left-inspired or media-driven scandal sticks to him. Therefore, the Left watches a US election where President Trump's 'enemies' have used an attack strategy that has been especially personal, dirty, nasty and vicious. Israel's Left wants to know if such a relentless campaign of personal attack against a national leader can really change voter attitudes. If Democrats win in the US, Israel's Left will wonder if stoking the fires of such an intense personal attack will win here, too. If Democrats lose, Israel's Left would have to wonder if a similar vicious anti-Netanyahu campaign in upcoming 2019 national Israeli elections would lose, too. Of course, this is speculation. But such speculation isn't difficult to do. Israel's Left is pretty transparent in its interest in the Democrat 'take-no-prisoners' political attack against Trump. We saw that transparency at a recent Rabin Tel Aviv rally. At that rally on November 3, 2018, Israeli Leftists used the same exact words against Netanyahu which America's Left uses against Trump (see yesterday's post below). But other than this specific Leftist interest, why would Israelis be riveted by American elections? What's the attraction? My guess is, the aggressiveness of the attack draws us to those elections. You know how it is: a street fight always draws a crowd. Starting tomorrow morning (Wednesday, November 7, 2018), early political autopsies on the US elections will hit the news. From those analyses, we will surely ask our own questions: Will US-Israel relations really be altered by a Democrat victory (if that's what happens)? Will Israel now face increasing pressure from the US because, suddenly, Trump's hands are tied by those newly-elected and angry Democrats in Congress? Will these elections really, truly change anything? Or, will little change--except the noise level of political discourse? G-d knows. The rest of us will have to wait for the dust to settle--and for the Palestinian Authority to try to take advantage of any Democrat win.
If you think Israel's Left isn't watching how tomorrow's US midterm elections turn out, you'd be making a mistake. If you are politically Right in Israel, you'd be wise not to ignore those elections. You'd be wiser to consider how Israel's Left studies those elections. Tomorrow's (November 6, 2018) US elections will determine if Donald Trump's Right-leaning Republican Party will retain control of both the US 'Lower House' (called the 'US House of Representatives') and its 'Upper House' (called the 'US Senate'). If Left-leaning Democrats win back a majority in the House of Representatives, you will see two things happen, neither of which will be good for the politically Right in the US. America's Left wants the US House of Representatives to turn Left. Israel's Left wants to see Israel turn Left. They have a lot in common. Can Israel learn from Left-leaning US Democrats? Certainly, a Democrat-controlled House gives America's Left power. With a newly-elected majority in the House, Democrats can work to block Trump's economic and healthcare agendas (here). Israel's Left is interested in that process. It wants to tear apart every Right-leaning legislation Netanyahu has passed through the Knesset. The second thing that'll happen if Democrats take over the House is the appearance of a long list of anti-Trump 'investigations' (here). These investigations won't just 'begin'. They'll be 'unleashed' (ibid). The goal for these investigations will be to bring criminal charges (if possible) against Trump appointees. Some Democrats say they'll also start impeachment proceedings in the House against President Trump. Democrats have already promised that, if they win a majority of seats in the House, they'll initiate a veritable 'blitz' of investigations (here). So far as impeachment is concerned, some Democrats--and mainstream media--practically salivate at the thought of it starting (here). Israel's anti-Netanyahu Left doesn't ignore this plan to dismantle the Trump legacy--and throw out Trump through impeachment. Israel's Left could well use the US anti-Trump game-plan as a model for dumping Netanyahu and dismantling his legacy. This isn't idle speculation. It's a conclusion drawn directly from the behavior of Israel's Left. If you want to see how Israel's Left uses the US Left's anti-Trump playbook to attack Netanyahu, you need look no further than the Rabin memorial rally that was held in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, November 3, 2018 (here). The language used by Leftists in Israel before, during and after that rally didn't just echo anti-Trump, language heard in the US. It was the same language. Moreover, the US midterms elections aren't being described as a 'politics-as-usual' election. They're being cast instead as a referendum on Trump (here, here). What's at stake here is, in other words, Trump's reputation. Israel's Left has a history of going after Netanyahu's reputation. The US elections could teach Israel's Leftists a thing or two about doing a better job of it. Israel's Left watches these US elections because the idea of a referendum about Netanyahu (here) seems appealing. After all, Netanyahu still faces possible criminal indictments for a series of corruption allegations. Making the 2019 elections "all about Netanyahu-the-criminal-to-be" might work--if, that is, the anti-Trump campaign in the US proves successful. To see how Israel's Left mirrors America's Left, compare the language used in the Tel Aviv Rabin rally (above) against the language used by US Leftists against Trump. For example, the Left in America accuses the Rightist Trump of dividing the country (here); he engages in 'fearmongering' (here); he incites for violence (here); he perverts government into a 'tool of partisan domination', seeking to persecute his political 'enemies' (here). Trump attacks his 'enemies' by 'scoring political points' (here). He engages in the 'politics of hate' (here). In Israel, the Left uses these exact same words to attack its own political enemies--those on the Right, most specially Netanyahu. That's what it did at the Rabin rally. It railed against Netanyahu's turning to 'the politics of hate' (here). It decried Netanyahu's "use of “incitement” and “fearmongering”. It called out against the government's using persecution of political rivals to score political points. It accused the Rightist-Netanyahu government of dividing the country" (here) . Beware, Mr Netanyahu. This copy-cat language may signal that Israel's Left is getting ready to copy the American Left's 'discourse of hate' (here) political strategy. Will Israel's Left attempt to build an anti-Netanyahu campaign strategy based upon US Democrats' anti-Trump US campaign strategy? We'll get the answer to this question soon enough. US elections begin in less than 20 hours (early voting has already begun). The results of these elections might tell everyone if relentless personal attacks on a political enemy can really change how people vote. Stay tuned.
News headlines aren't just introductions to news stories. They're a short-hand story-board that can reveal who we are and where we're headed. Headlines over the last year that cover US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are a case in point. They suggest that these two men are dangerous. They will, we are to infer, lead us to doom and destruction. Like prophets of old, recent news headlines prophecy a world-wide Armageddon (here). Will these headlines really prove prophetic? The language news headlines use to describe this coming doom-and-destruction aren't just about Trump and Netanyahu. They're also about how the future will treat them: both men will be politically and personally humiliated. They will fail at our expense. They won't serve out their elected terms. They'll bring us all down. Read the headlines. Follow the story-line they create. Here's that story-line. The headlines that damn us to doom seem to fall into six categories. Each category ratchets up the doom we face, until we get to the final category where the 'doom' is fully articulated. Here are those six categories: First, there are headlines that proclaim Netanyahu's approaching failure: -"Eulogizing Bibi, Once Again" (October 2018, here) -"Israel Will Not Survive Netanyahu. And That's a Good Thing" (April 2018, here) -"The four corruption scandals circling Benjamin Netanyahu", (March 2018, here) -"The Final Days of Benjamin Netanyahu's Rule", (February 2018 here) -"Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption scandal keeps getting worse — but he's still coming to Washington to meet with Trump" (February 2018 from jerusalempost, here) -Bethan McKernan, "Israel corruption scandal: Benjamin Netanyahu defiant over growing calls for him to step down", independent, February 14, 2018
-"Can Netanyahu survive?" (February 2018, here) -"Scandal after scandal: Netanyahu questioned over corruption charges for fifth time" (November 2017, here); -"A corruption investigation could bring down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu" (August, 2017, here) -"The Scandals that Could Topple Netanyahu" (February 2017 here) -"An Israeli Scandal With Political Consequences" (September 2017, here) Second, there are headlines that prophecy for Trump, 'this is the beginning of the end; or, 'the end is near'' (that's the language of prophecy, isn't it?). Here's a brief video summary of how headline language has depicted Trump. It comes from here:
Third,there are headlines about the damning link between these two 'incompetent failures': -"Israel and the U.S. Are Triggering a Risky, Unnecessary War of Choice in the Middle East" (May 2018, here) -Trump and Netanyahu are really one-and-the-same person, Trumpenyahu (March 2018, here): -"The striking similarities between Trump and Netanyahu" ( ibid); -"Trump and Netanyahu are playing the same game" (January 2018 here) -"Donald Trump's New World Order" (June 2018, here) -"Trump and Netanyahu, the Con Artists Cooking Up Cataclysmic Conflict With Iran" (May 2018, here) -"Meet Donald Trump’s twin: Benjamin Netanyahu" (March 2018, here) -"Trump, Netanyahu rage, rage against realities of immigration" (April, 2018, here) Fourth, there are headlines that declare how these two unfit leaders will undo all we cherish: -"Israel’s Nation State bill could destroy the peace process once and for all" (July 2018 here) -"A proxy war between Israel and Iran is looming — and it could become the Middle East's 'worst war' in decades" (April 2018 here) -"Donald Trump Is Driving Us on a Road to Hell in the Middle East" (May 2018, here) "To Save His Own Skin, Netanyahu Will Destroy [Israel's democratic legal] System" (February 2018 here) -"Israel Nudges Trump Towards War With Iran" (May 2018 here) "Unholy alliance: Palestinians trampled as Trump targets Iran and pulls Arab states into alliance with Israel" (October 2018 here) "Trump tries to destroy the West" (June 2018 here) "Will the fervor to impeach Donald Trump start a Democratic civil war?" (May 2018 here) -"Netanyahu to Make It Official: Fascism Is What We Are" (July 2018 here) -"World War 3: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will 'DESTROY SYRIA' if Iran does not withdraw (June 2018, here) "Trump Wants to Destroy the World Order. So What?" (July 2018, here) "Trump, Netanyahu, et al: all the ways democracy is crashing and burning" (September 2018, here) Fifth, headlines tell us how our end will begin: -"Trump warns evangelicals of 'violence' if GOP loses in the midterms" (August 2018, here) -"Actor James Cromwell warns of 'revolution': 'There will be blood in the streets' if Democrats lose" (October 2018, here) -"TRUMP SAYS GOP ELECTION LOSS WILL MEAN BIG STOCK MARKET LOSSES" (October 2018, here) Sixth, headlines repeat the main anti-'Trumpenyahu' message: in a world where Leftists (supposedly) demand peace, these men are warmongers:
-"Netanyahu openly boasts of Israel’s war on Africans" (January 2017, here) -"Will Netanyahu Regime Wage More War on Gaza?" (October 2018, here) -"Will Trump start a nuclear war with North Korea?" (December 2017, here) -"Is Trump’s Iran Policy Meant to Start a War?" (October 2018, here) -"Are we on the brink of World War 3?" (September 2018, here) -"HOW TRUMP COULD TRIGGER ARMAGEDDON WITH A TWEET" (September 2018, here) -"On the possibility of Donald Trump starting World War III" (September 2018, here) -"Why Is Trump Trying to Start a War He Cannot Win?" (July 2018, here) -"Could Donald Trump start a nuclear war?" (March 2018, here) -"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Leads US President Trump to War with Iran" (October 2017, here) -"Israeli MPs give Netanyahu power to wage war without cabinet vote" (May 2018, here) -"Egypt academic: Netanyahu pushing US to start war against Iran" (September 2018, here) -"Netanyahu Says Israel Preparing for War With Gaza" (October 2018, here) -"Pat Buchanan: Bibi Netanyahu wants the US to fight a war with Iran on behalf of Israel" (April 2018, here) -"NYT fails to report that Netanyahu started air war over Syria as corruption probes close in on him" (February 2018, here).
Finally, there is one headline that sums up the entire doom-and-disaster story-line: "Trump and Netanyahu drive towards war" (May 2018, here).
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Headlines aren't just window dressing for news items. They tell a larger story. They tell us where we are most likely headed. The headlines above sell doom and destruction. They try to convince you that US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are as close to evil as leaders can get. These headlines shout, Trump and Netanyahu are destined to fail--and they'll take us with them!! Words have meaning. Words influence people. Words take us to our future. It's November, 2018. Do you know where your words will take you?
The passage of a new 'Nation-State Law' in Israel on July 19, 2018 created an uproar. This new Law is called, "Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish people". It lays out what is Jewish about Israel. Apparently, that's a problem. christiansciencemonitor captured the essence of the uproar over this new Law by asking, "Does new law tilt Israel away from its democratic values?" (here). The concern is, this new law says, in essence, that Israel is the Jewish nation--for the Jewish people. That's the key problem--Israel's 'Jewishness'. This is offensive to Liberals everywhere. For some, this new Law means that Israel's democracy will be sacrificed in order to promote 'Jewish' over 'democracy' (here). For others, the new Law means simply that Israel has given up on democracy--to embrace fascism (here). In Israel, Leftist Tzipi Livni summed up this concern for the new Law's negative effect on Israel's democracy with this statement, "What the hell has Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got against the Declaration of Independence, which includes a specific commitment to full equality" (here). Her concern was that the new Law harms Israel's commitment to 'equality'. It makes Arabs 'less equal'. The problem with this argument is that it suggests two things, neither of which are true. First, Livni suggests that the Declaration of Independence is really what she calls a 'covenant of equals' (ibid); and second, she suggests that the Declaration is about equality first, 'Jewish' second. In fact, the reverse is true. Israel's Declaration of Independence is all about what's Jewish about Israel. Its commitment to equality appears more to be an addendum to the Jewishness of Israel, rather than the 'main thing'. You can see this dramatic focus on 'Jewish first-not democracy' by simply looking at how often certain words appear in the text of Israel's "Declaration of Independence" (text here). As you look at the list below of words taken from that text, ask yourself a question. Is Israel's Declaration of Independence about 'democratic values' or 'full equality'--or is it about the Jewish nature of Israel? This list of Declaration words answers the question: -birthplace of the Jewish people; -Here their [the Jews'] spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped; -gave to the world the eternal Book of Books; -never ceased to pray and hope for their return; -Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland; -they made the desert bloom, revived the Hebrew language; -the spiritual father of the Jewish [not democratic] state, Theodore Herzl; -proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country;
All these words appear in the opening four paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. There is no mention of democracy or equality--or of any other democratic value--in those opening paragraphs. Instead, what you see is a series of statements that spell out how the state of Israel is the fulfillment of a Jewish dream held and cherished by the Jewish people for generations. There is nothing at all in these opening paragraphs about democratic, secular ideals or 'equality'. After these opening four paragraphs, you'll find the following additional words in the next eight paragraphs: -Jewish people -Jewish people; -Jewish people; -Jews; -Jewish state; -Jew; -Jewish people;
-Jews; -national [Jewish] homeland;
-Jewish community;
-Jewish state; -Jewish people; -Jewish people; -Jewish community'; -Zionist; -Jewish state; -Shabbat; -Jewish state. The words above appear in the first 63% pf the Declaration--that is, they appear in the first 12-of-a-total-of-19 paragraphs. The focus of these first 12 paragraphs has nothing to do with democratic values. They are all about what is Jewish about the state of Israel. Finally, in the 13th paragraph, you see a reference to such democratic values as freedom, justice and peace. But then, take a closer look at the explicit context of these words: -After using the words, Jewish and Ingathering of exiles (a religious reference) at the beginning of paragraph 13, the text continues by stating, "it [the new state of Israel] will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel [emphasis mine]". Note that in Israel's founding document, the ideas of freedom, justice and peace will not be brought to Israel 'as envisaged by the founders of the American Declaration of Independence'--or as 'envisaged by the writers of the United Nations Charter'. Israel's ideas of freedom, justice and peace will be created in Israel as envisaged by the prophets of Israel--a decidedly Jewish, religious and Biblical reference. You can argue over what 'as envisaged by the prophets of Israel' means. But you simply cannot interpret this reference as being associated exclusively with non-Jewish secular 'values of democracy'. The reference is Jewish. It is only after this Biblical link that we finally see a reference to secular democratic values. In the 13th paragraph, the Declaration finally adds that Israel will 'ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its citizens". In fact, it is only after linking freedom, justice and peace to the Jewish Bible that the Declaration says that Israel "will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations"--not the other way around. Altogether, the Declaration refers to Jewish matters (including religion) some 34 times. The Declaration, by contrast, mentions secular political ideas only 3 times--and in one of those three clauses, the association is with the Jewish Bible (as stated above), not secular political ideals. Livni is only 3/34ths right. Israel's Declaration of Independence does express a specific commitment to democratic values. But it also express a far greater commitment to Jewish history, the Jewish people and the Jewish religion--something Livni chooses to ignore. Livni's outburst against what's Jewish about the 'Declaration' proves the need for a Nation-State Law. She and her Leftist friends consciously choose to deny the ascendancy of 'Jewish' in Israel's Declaration of Independence. They choose deliberately to overturn the Declaration's Jewish nature to present that Document, as Livni has suggested, as a 'covenant of equals' when in fact it is instead a 'covenant of what will be Jewish about the state of Israel' (here). Look at Livni's misrepresentation this way: Israel's Declaration of Independence talks about Jewish before it talks about 'equality'. I's primary focus is Jewish, not equality. Livni and her Leftist friends see the Declaration of Independence as demanding that every Israeli citizen have equal rights (ibid). That's fine. But that's only the smallest part of the Declaration. Livni denies the fact that, in Israel's Declaration of Independence, equality is not defined as a secular idea. It's defined as an idea derived from Jewish Torah, not a secular source. This Biblical link suggests that there is a clear mandate to define 'equality'in Israel as a Jewish value. Leftists talk about the 'citizens of the state'. That includes Arabs. But the Declaration talks about the Jewish people of this state--and all the inhabitants [not citizens] of this state. There's a huge difference between 'citizens' and 'inhabitants'--a difference which Israel's Leftists prefer not to discuss. Livni's misrepresentation is why the Nation-State Law is needed. Too many politicians (and news outlets) in Israel seek to deny what's fundamentally Jewish about Israel. They look at this Jewish state with their own secular political agendas. They reject what's Jewish. They embrace what's not Jewish. The new Law simply clarifies that Israel really is the Jewish state.
