WITH THE DEMOCRATIC primary season winding down, members of the Squad are speaking more directly than ever about the role that the pro-Israel lobby played in silencing critics of Israel’s human rights abuses in Congress, as well as Democrats’ complicity.
As the Democratic National Convention entered its final day in Chicago, the topic of the war on Gaza and the role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in elections had been largely absent from the main stage. No Palestinian speakers got time on the dais, despite the protest efforts from the “Uncommitted” movement this week.
Instead, the conversation among Democrats about pushing for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, and the party’s role in allowing AIPAC to shape its primaries has been taking place outside the United Center, where progressives held protests to hold convention delegates’ feet to the fire.
And victims of AIPAC’s political campaigns were on hand to add their voices to the demonstrations.
AIPAC existed well before Citizens United.
True. But was their power and influence this extensive before CU?
Absolutely. In fact one of my first posts to Lemmy was documenting how every POTUS, VPOTUS, Speaker of the House, and Senate Majority Leader has spoken at an AIPAC conference going back to the Clinton Administration. They’ve likely been the most powerful lobbying group in America since at least the early 90s and most American’s had never heard of them until recently.
It’s my opinion that AIPAC’s power both predates and has nothing to do with Citizens United.