Between the lines: A story in The Atlantic on Wednesday noted that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the two other top VP contenders, are not facing such campaigns despite having similarly pro-Israel politics.
“Activists have not organized in force to discredit any of the non-Jewish contenders for vice president on these grounds. There are no viral memes against ‘Killer Kelly’ or ‘War-Crimes Walz,’” author Yair Rosenberg wrote.
Several high-profile Jewish lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), have since called out what they say is an antisemitic double standard.
What they’re saying: Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) told Axios in a statement that Shapiro has been a “highly successful governor” whose position on Israel “is in line with the position of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
“To judge him differently from any other potential VP candidate simply because he is Jewish is highly offensive and smacks of antisemitism,” she said.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a progressive who has criticized the Israeli war effort, said she hopes “all the potential VP picks are being given the same level of scrutiny on all the issues.”
“This is but another example that those who claim to be anti-Zionist are in fact, antisemites. Josh Shapiro has supported Israel, as have all the others that Harris is considering,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), noting Kelly’s “strong record of voting pro-Israel.”
Edit: none of this changes my support for Harris/Walz. Down vote away, truth hurts.
When he was 20… And yes, not all pro Palestinian protesters are the same as one another either, so I agree with him on a case by case basis. Tim Walz hasn’t divested from Israel and supports their right to defend themselves. But that doesn’t earn him a nickname.
Shapiro has since made a point of repudiating the views he expressed in that article, which was first surfaced by the Philadelphia Inquirer late last week. He told reporters that he no longer feels that way and stressed his young age at the time he authored the opinion piece.
“I was 20,” he said. “I have said for years, years before October 7, that I favor a two-state solution — Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side-by-side, being able to determine their own futures and their own destiny.”
…
Despite his now-repudiated youthful views on the conflict, Shapiro’s positions on Israel and Gaza are in line with the mainstream of the Democratic Party and match those of most American Jews.
I have no beef with any of the candidates and I support Walz now that he’s on the ticket. But the “genocide Josh” shit is uncalled for and is antisemitic, considering how unevenly that cudgel is employed. I agree with what the axios and nyt articles put forth, and the politicians calling out the nonsense.
Not at all. His position on Israel is correct, though his optics are terrible. Like all sane people, Shapiro supports a two-state solution and a free, independent Palestine. As for his support for Israel, consider his remarks about its leader: “I personally believe Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the worst leaders of all time,” Shapiro said in January, months before Chuck Schumer came out against Netanyahu. I couldn’t agree more—and Shapiro was ahead of the curve in pointing this out. That was also about the same time Bernie Sanders was still calling for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza instead of a ceasefire. It took three more months for Sen. Sanders to call Netanyahu an “awful, awful leader.” When did Shapiro first call Netanyahu a “terrible leader”? Back in November of last year, well before almost any other major politician.
It’s true that Gov. Shapiro has been a reactionary about campus protests against Israel. He came out strongly against them, saying we wouldn’t tolerate “people dressed up in KKK outfits.” Then he instituted a dumb executive order calling for state employees who protest in a “scandalous or disgraceful” way to be fired. No doubt anything that criticizes Israel would have qualified, though we never got to find out; by that time, all the protests against Israel had been disbanded and the students arrested.
But the pro list is much longer than this one con. Governor Shapiro also busted the pedophiles inside the Catholic Church. Do you know how much courage it takes to take on the Catholic Church when you’re a Jewish politician? I respect that strength and moral clarity. Over 300 predator priests were outed. Countless children were saved.
Yes, he has frustrating positions, like his recent push to lower corporate taxes in his state and his advocacy for school vouchers. Yes, he’s nowhere near ideal. But which Democrat is? Do you think Kamala Harris is going to change our position on Israel? Please don’t tell me you’re that naïve. And even if you think that, then great, you don’t have to worry about Shapiro’s position! He’s not in charge, she is.
Mr. Walz has not spoken extensively about Israel or Gaza.
In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, he condemned Hamas while saying he supported a deal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, writing on social media: “The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas, and Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. We cannot let terrorists like Hamas win.”
But he has been largely silent since then, even after calls from protesters in Minnesota for the state to divest from Israeli companies.
Kelly is a member of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism and is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act, which was introduced in the Senate in April. It proposes the appointment of a new presidential adviser dedicated to antisemitism, separate from Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who holds a cabinet-level position focused on global antisemitism.
In 2021, he decried an incident of vandalism at Congregation Temple Chaverim where his wife is a member — a rock thrown through a window. “Antisemitic attacks fly in the face of who we are as a country and as a state,” he said. “There is no place for hate in Arizona.”
In response to the campus pro-Palestinian protests, Kelly suggested deploying the U.S. National Guard would be an option to deal with violent demonstrators, though he said he did not think it would be necessary.
Edit: I think the take home from all of this is that I’m super glad Israel-Hamas is not going to be a hot topic this election anymore :)
Wait until people realize Harris and all the VP candidates have similar views on Israel.
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/01/josh-shapiro-israel-gaza-harris-jewish
Edit: none of this changes my support for Harris/Walz. Down vote away, truth hurts.
Shapiro tried joining the idf and compared the pro Palestinian protests to the KKK. Theyre not the same
When he was 20… And yes, not all pro Palestinian protesters are the same as one another either, so I agree with him on a case by case basis. Tim Walz hasn’t divested from Israel and supports their right to defend themselves. But that doesn’t earn him a nickname.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/josh-shapiro-israel-policy-positions-b2591439.html
…
I have no beef with any of the candidates and I support Walz now that he’s on the ticket. But the “genocide Josh” shit is uncalled for and is antisemitic, considering how unevenly that cudgel is employed. I agree with what the axios and nyt articles put forth, and the politicians calling out the nonsense.
https://www.newsweek.com/dont-fall-misinformation-campaign-josh-shapiro-progressive-choice-vp-opinion-1933039
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/us/politics/tim-walz-harris-vp-policies.html
https://forward.com/news/636147/mark-kelly-vp-pick-gabby-giffords-jewish-israel/
Edit: I think the take home from all of this is that I’m super glad Israel-Hamas is not going to be a hot topic this election anymore :)