It’s hard to believe that Election Day was just two weeks ago. But we’ve learned a lot since then, and with two Senate runoffs in Georgia, the 2020 election is not over yet. We are not a political organization – we choose to be focused on policy, and a single-issue at that. But who runs our country matters, and we believe that the American people have made clear for decades that we want sensible leaders, not fringe activists, to represent us.
Meet the Fringe
No party is immune from being infiltrated by those unfit for office. Recently, Colonel (ret) Douglas Macgregor was brought into the Defense Department to serve as a Senior Advisor to the Acting Secretary of Defense. Macgregor is unfit for the job. Just as we took issue with the Obama Administration naming Chuck Hagel to serve as Secretary of Defense, due to his past bigoted and inappropriate comments about supporters of Israel, so to do we levy the same condemnation at Macgregor.
Macgregor’s anti-Semitic comments have been well documented in the media, so we won’t rehash them here, but suffice it to say that anyone who denigrates American leaders like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Lindsey Graham (or any American) for standing with Israel, lacks the character and judgement to serve in government leadership.
Likewise, Reverend Raphael Warnock, the candidate running to unseat Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, should be rejected by Peach State voters. Georgia stands with Israel. And Warnock is anti-Israel and has lied about the
Jewish state. He didn’t just oppose the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem or denigrate Christian Zionist preachers, he demonized Israel and her soldiers.
Yes, Warnock’s spin masters put together an op-ed in his name in which he claims to be pro-Israel, but frankly we don’t believe him. This piece wasn’t a heartfelt apology for past insult and injury; it was a robotic recitation of pro-Israel positions aimed at misleading Georgia voters.
Pro-tip: If you want to know what a candidate thinks about an issue, believe what s/he said before running for office.
Meet the Future
Despite the existence of such fringe individuals, the truth is that the incoming Congress is overwhelmingly pro-Israel.
For example, Representative-elect Ritchie Torres, a liberal Democrat from New York, was recently described by Bloomberg’s Eli Lake as being in the “anti-anti-Israel
caucus.” Torres has spoken against those who would destroy Israel. And rather than being intimidated by BDS activists when they protested against him in his home state, he saw through their bullying. All indications are that Torres is unabashedly supportive of the Jewish state. We look forward to working with Mr. Torres when he gets to Washington.
We also look forward to working with Representative-elect Maria Salazar, a Republican from Miami-Dade who unseated Rep. Donna Shalala. Shalala, unfortunately, opposed President Trump’s decision to exit the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and reinstitute sanctions against Tehran.
Conversely, Salazar has been very direct about her position on Iran, noting in an interview, “We’ve got to make sure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons now, tomorrow or ever.”
Salazar also said in the same interview, “I will definitely be an advocate for Israel. Everything Israel needs, everything Israel gets.”
Anti-Israel elected officials like Representatives Ilhan Omar and Thomas Massie do not represent mainstream Democrats or Republicans. The same goes for fringe individuals like Macgregor and Wornack.
The party’s leaders need to put the fringes where they belong (far, far away from the room where decisions are made) and recognize that the future of both parties belongs to those who see Israel as a democratic ally that shares American values and is worthy of American support – people like Torres and Salazar.
Sincerely,
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