Democrats trying to unseat each other III

[lpetrich]

Will Stancil on X: "Dems have actually hit on ..." / X

Dems have actually hit on a successful ideological formula, which is normal liberalism with some progressive characteristics and local color. See Whitmer, Walz, Fetterman, Ossoff, Warnock, Evers, Shapiro. It works well almost everywhere. But no one wants to accept it works.

The basic issue seems to be that it’s an approach that is neither obsessively solicitous towards the white working class nor remotely interested in performative attacks on minorities and vulnerable groups, two things many political thinkers have a bizarre aesthetic attachment to.

The widespread inability to recognize the electoral strength of mainstream Dem liberalism is a reflection of the ideological composition of the political class, and especially how overwhelmingly that class is dominated by older white men, with their… particular fixations.

Basically, the same guys who write and consume 16,000 variations on “has wokeness gone too far” and “what do the forgotten men in this Ohio diner say” are also the ones passing judgement on liberal electoral politics. Little wonder they want more racism and more white populism.

Right I’m not saying this is all you need. You don’t win elections with ideological positioning alone. Other stuff matters a lot. E.g., Biden is struggling because he has Old Vibes. But in terms of ideology, Normal Socially Progressive Liberal is a-okay.

It's a departure from Clintonism, running on promises that one will do lots of progressive things, then getting all weepy and wringing one's hands about how one cannot do those things because one's hands are tied.

Only a few progressive PAC's now have endorsements, like Blue America, Catch Fire, and Progressive Democrats of America. Nothing from Justice Democrats or Our Revolution or some other such PAC's, at least not just yet.

 

[lpetrich]

Susheela Jayapal announces run for Congress, resigns from Multnomah County Commission - oregonlive.com - Pramila Jayapal's sister

Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal resigned from the Multnomah County Commission Wednesday morning to launch a run for Congress to succeed longtime U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

Jayapal, 61, and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales are the only two Democrats thus far who have entered the 3rd Congressional District race to succeed Blumenauer, who announced Monday that he would not seek reelection after nearly three decades in Congress. Blumenauer will continue to represent Portland in Congress through the end of 2024.

“It’s about certainly continuing the work that I’ve been doing at the county on local issues, addressing the homelessness crisis, public safety, wages for front line workers, all of these really important issues,” Jayapal said. “And it’s also about wanting to address the broader issues I can address in Congress. That is about fighting back against, I can call it nothing else but an extremist ideologue takeover of the Republican party, standing up for democracy, ... standing up for rights we’ve relied on for decades that are being rolled back, here very specifically talking about abortion rights.”

Others are considering running.

Deborah Kafoury, former chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, didn’t rule out the possibility that she could run for the seat.

...
State Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland, said in a statement on social media Wednesday that he was mulling a run and seeking input from the community.

Jayapal’s sister running for open Oregon House seat | The Hill

“We’re at a pivotal point in our country and in our district. With the Republican majority beholden to extremist ideologues attacking our democracy and our rights in ways we’ve never seen before, it’s more important than ever that we have an unwavering progressive voice in Congress to stand up for our values and bring us together to create the thriving, equitable community we need,” the Multnomah County commissioner said in a statement.

She doesn't have a campaign page, at least not yet.

 

[lpetrich]

Susheela Jayapal Is Ready To Join Sister Pramila Jayapal In Congress | HuffPost Latest News - the two were interviewed together

“I cannot imagine being on this path without Pramila and I can’t wait to work with her ― and we’re gonna irritate each other along the way,” Susheela Jayapal said as both sisters laughed.

Like Pramila, Susheela immigrated from India, and she worked for a while as a Goldman Sachs financial analyst and later as a lawyer for the likes of Adidas, before doing some nonprofit work. The sort of thing that AOC might have done when she graduated from Boston University.

“We are very good friends,” Pramila Jayapal said. “She has been a great inspiration for me. I mean, she was the first of us to come to this country and make it on her own at the age of 16. And she sort of helped me to see that I could do this thing too.”

“Of course, I’m supporting her because she’s my sister and I adore her, but I’m also supporting her because she is going to do such incredible things for the people of the district once she’s elected,” she added.

Donald Trump's election provoked her to run for office, as it did AOC and some others, also "her desire to tackle housing affordability and homelessness in the Portland area. If elected, the commissioner hopes to also focus on climate change, abortion rights and health care."

Jayapal’s sister vying for open Oregon seat - Roll Call

As county commissioner, Jayapal has focused on homelessness, economic justice, public safety and caring for vulnerable populations, according to her constituent newsletter. She stepped down from the position Wednesday, as required by the county’s charter.

I'm posting all this because she still doesn't have a campaign page.

 

[lpetrich]

AOC is now calling out AIPAC by name - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

After AIPAC complained that a Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, voted with AOC, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, and Summer Lee,

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "AIPAC endorsed scores of Jan 6th insurrectionists. They are no friend to American democracy.
They are one of the more racist and bigoted PACs in Congress as well, who disproportionately target members of color.
They are an extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy." / X

Justice Democrats on X: "In fact, AIPAC endorsed 109 Republican members of Congress that voted to overturn Joe Biden’s election—including the current Speaker Mike Johnson." / X

Mark Pocan on X: "Got to admit, this sums up how many feel about what @AIPAC really is about. Insurrectionists, WTF. No friend of democracy." / X

Then
Mark Pocan on X: "What @AIPAC doesn’t tell you is they raise money from big Republican donors & spend it in Democratic primaries against Democrats. It’s a cynical, undemocratic strategy. And since they clearly don’t care about dead, kids, it’s all about backing a conservative Netanyahu position." / X
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "Rep @MarkPocan is right.
It is past time for us to recognize how toxic of a presence AIPAC has been in our political system.
They actively boost candidates who tried to overthrow the US election & run smear campaigns on members of Congress who stand up for human rights. Enough" / X

 

[lpetrich]

AIPAC and Israel: Why one swing-state Democrat is going after Netanyahu's most powerful ally in D.C. - "In an interview, Rep. Mark Pocan called the lobbying group AIPAC a “cancerous presence on our democracy and politics.”"

Introducing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee:

Both the top-ranking House Democrat, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and the top-ranking Republican, Speaker Mike Johnson, counted the Israel lobby as their top donor in the 2022 cycle. (In that midterms cycle, pro-Israel lobbyist groups and individuals contributed over $30 million to congressional candidates.)

AIPAC, in particular, is vociferously supportive of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and willing to spend heavily to oppose any American politician it perceives as a critic. Thus, many politicians—and a lot of Democrats, who often bear the brunt of AIPAC’s anger—are fearful of being perceived as having crossed the Israel lobby in any way.

But not Rep. Mark Pocan, a progressive House member from Wisconsin. “I don’t give a fuck about AIPAC—period,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I think they’re a cancerous presence on our democracy and politics in general, and if I can be a surgeon, that’s great.”

Gaza is plagued by poverty, but Hamas has no shortage of cash. Where does it come from?

NBC News on X: "More than 80% ..." / X

More than 80% of Gaza’s population lives in poverty, according to the U.N.

But Hamas has an investment portfolio of real estate and other assets worth $500 million, experts say, and an annual military budget of as much as $350 million.

then
AIPAC | Text ISRAEL to 24722 | #StandWithIsrael on X: "Hamas spends $350 million ..." / X

Hamas spends $350 million every year trying to kill Israelis instead of helping Palestinians.

Building rockets and tunnels instead of schools and hospitals.

So why are you trying to keep Hamas in power, @AOC @RashidaTlaib @IlhanMN @JamaalBowmanNY @MarkPocan @CoriBush?

No truce with terrorists. No ceasefire with Hamas.

then
Mark Pocan on X: ".@AIPAC is good at not telling the truth. ..." / X

.@AIPAC is good at not telling the truth.

We speaking BILLIONS annually to assist Israel. Pocket change to feed millions of Palestinians who live in an open air prison Gaza, who are not Hamas.

We don’t support Hamas.

We just don’t support killing kids which it seems you do.

 

[lpetrich]

Thomas Massie on X: "AIPAC always gets mad when I put America first.
I won’t be voting for their $14+ billion shakedown of American taxpayers either.
Let them know what you think by replying to their post.
They are intentionally misrepresenting my intent and the resolution I voted against." / X
then
AIPAC | Text ISRAEL to 24722 | #StandWithIsrael on X: "Charges of dual loyalty are antisemitic and insult millions of patriotic Americans who stand by Israel. The U.S. is stronger when Israel is secure.
No misrepresentation, your vote says it all:
NO to standing with Israel
NO to condemning Hamas
NO to helping Israel win this war" / X
then
Thomas Massie on X: "This baseless smear is meant to intimidate me into voting to send $14+ billion of your money to a foreign country. Please let AIPAC know we are broke, and these tactics don’t work on this Congressman." / X

 

[lpetrich]

In Israeli-Palestinian battle to sway Congress, only one side wins - The Washington Post - "Support for Israel is a uniquely bipartisan sentiment on Capitol Hill, a reflection of a powerful lobby and an imbalance of exposure to Palestinians"

Publicly voicing support for the Palestinians has proved risky, however. A third of the nearly 20 pro-Israel resolutions and bills proposed by lawmakers in the weeks since Hamas’s attack have focused on condemning Israel’s critics — including protesters and university students. One House resolution condemned an activist group for rallying in New York City in “solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”

Back to Slate.

That hasn’t slowed Pocan. “The reason I’m poking the bear is because they’ve become a Trojan bear. AIPAC at least pretended to be bipartisan when I first got [to Congress]. Now they’re basically a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GOP,” he told me. “It’s time to call them out for what they are—a front group for conservative policy here in the U.S.—instead of being afraid of them.”

Though AIPAC claims to be bipartisan,

Increasingly, the group gives lavishly to far-right Republicans. (In 2022, it famously endorsed 109 Republican members of Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 election results.) And the group raises millions of dollars from Republican megadonors, including billionaire Trump-backer Bernie Marcus.

In the 2022 election cycle, AIPAC was part of a super PAC spending blitz that shattered records by putting up tens of millions of dollars in ad buys against progressive candidates and on behalf of more conservative Democrats in safe blue districts. It went after incumbents and open seats alike, and was largely successful. In Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, the group managed to oust one of the most prominent Jewish members of Congress, a former president of a synagogue, Andy Levin, in favor of a more conservative, hawkish—and, pointedly, non-Jewish—candidate, Haley Stevens. They did nothing similar in Republican primaries.

AIPAC has been targeting AOC, Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, Cori Bush, and Ilhan Omar.

Mark Pocan: “Bluntly, a lot what they’ve been doing is just going after women of color. I believe the reason I’m even thrown into the loop is because I’m a white guy, which gives them a bit of cover.”

Sometimes, those attacks have been so merciless that they’ve drawn ire from Democratic leadership. AIPAC once ran ads with Ilhan Omar’s face photoshopped next to Hamas rockets, a campaign which quickly resulted in her receiving death threats. Even after a rare rebuke, in which Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, then the top two ranking Democrats, vocally condemned the ads, AIPAC refused to take them down. It actually put more money into them; the ads continued to run for months.

About two AIPAC PAC's,
Akela Lacy on X: "House Dem Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries in presser on DMFI attacks on Rep. Tlaib & news that Mainstream Democrats PAC may primary her and Rep. Bush: “Outside groups are gonna do what outside groups are gonna do. I think house Democrats are going to continue to support each other”" / X

 

[lpetrich]

AIPAC vs. progressives: Israel’s war in Gaza has set the stage for a huge primary battle in 2024.

One of the biggest, bitterest, and most expensive political battles of the 2024 election cycle has emerged: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of the most powerful, best-funded influence operations in Washington, is planning to go all out to knock the famed “Squad”—the small group of highly visible and popular progressive legislators of color, most of them women—out of office.

...
AIPAC wants “to make the statement this cycle that no one is safe from their wrath, that if you speak out, you can be targeted no matter how popular or how many cycles of incumbent you are,” said Connor Farrell, president of the progressive fundraising group Left Rising, in a phone call. “It’s extremely audacious.”

...
Israel policy was rarely ever mentioned in the ads those super PACs ran against progressives in the 2022 election cycle. But the lobbying group clearly sees Republicans (and conservative Democrats) as more likely to push for unconditional military aid from the U.S. to Israel, and has, in recent years, seen some mission creep toward the advancement of conservative policy priorities more broadly.

...
Bush is facing St. Louis prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who was running for Senate until late October. Bowman is facing 70-year-old Westchester County executive George Latimer. Lee is facing perennial candidate Bhavini Patel. Omar is facing a rematch with Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, former Illinois congressional candidate Sarah Gad, and military vet Tim Peterson. Jewish Insider has reported that AIPAC is still feverishly recruiting for a challenger for Tlaib as well, and is reportedly still looking for primary challengers for Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez.

So Ilhan Omar has three challengers. Will they split the anti-IO vote among them?

Ayanna Pressley has had no primary challengers in her time in office - none in 2020 or 2022.

AOC had some primary challengers back in 2020, but she beat them by a sizable margin, and she had no primary challengers in 2022.

 

[lpetrich]

The Far-Right Israel Lobby Is Shutting Down Democratic Voices for Palestinian Rights - "AIPAC is funneling mounds of money to pro-Israel candidates, including in Democratic primaries. Now, all Democrats likely know that expressing anything short of unwavering support of Israel’s siege on Gaza means they might be outspent in the next election."

Even more peculiar was that in those races, the public-facing AIPAC and DMFI ads and messages did not focus on Israel, but rather on a wide spectrum of issues, including loyalty to the Democratic Party. It was a cynical strategy with clear efficacy. In Ohio, the popular Bernie Sanders ally and former Ohio state senator Nina Turner was defeated. In Maryland, the veteran former Democratic congresswoman Donna Edwards was defeated. In Minnesota, Ilhan Omar only managed to beat her primary opponent by a few thousand votes. Only three other candidates opposed by AIPAC and DMFI found a way to win office.

Then AIPAC vs. Andy Levin.

Of the twenty-two Democrats who voted to censure Tlaib, all but four have taken AIPAC money. Meanwhile, other Democrats are likely aware that if they say anything critical about Israeli policy, they could become an AIPAC target. The AIPAC-aligned DMFI is already spending money against Tlaib and backing primary opponents for others who haven’t supported Israel’s war.

 

[lpetrich]

Alex Sammon on X: "NEW: Sources say AIPAC is gearing up to spend over *$100 MILLION* as part of a campaign to knock the Squad out of congress in 2024. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, and Rashida Tlaib are all marked for high dollar challenges. (pic link)" / X
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "Criticism of the Israeli gov ..." / X

Criticism of the Israeli gov is virtually nonexistent in US politics, but apparently that’s not enough.

Gotta spend *$100 million* to unseat the few who believe in Palestinian human rights & a ceasefire that most Americans already support.

The acceptable level of dissent is 0.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Alex Sammon on X: "NEW: Sources say AIPAC is gearing up to spend over *$100 MILLION* as part of a campaign to knock the Squad out of congress in 2024. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, and Rashida Tlaib are all marked for high dollar challenges. (pic link)" / X
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "Criticism of the Israeli gov ..." / X

Criticism of the Israeli gov is virtually nonexistent in US politics, but apparently that’s not enough.

Gotta spend *$100 million* to unseat the few who believe in Palestinian human rights & a ceasefire that most Americans already support.

The acceptable level of dissent is 0.

Yes, AIPAC is against the squad, but not for the reasons you think! AIPAC is very much in favor of the two party solution. They are the more moderate part of Israeli politics. The squad is much more aligned with the Jewish far right wing group in that both are against the two state solution. What's the phrase, strange bedfellows make ......?

 

[lpetrich]

Yes, AIPAC is against the squad, but not for the reasons you think! AIPAC is very much in favor of the two party solution. They are the more moderate part of Israeli politics. The squad is much more aligned with the Jewish far right wing group in that both are against the two state solution. What's the phrase, strange bedfellows make ......?

Evidence: {}

 

[lpetrich]

AOC Was Offered $100,000 by AIPAC. She Turned Them Down.
Top Pro-Israel Group Offered Ocasio-Cortez $100,000 Campaign Cash, Per New Book | HuffPost Latest News

About a week later, she was in Kansas City with Bernie Sanders for a rally on behalf of labor attorney Brent Welder, with the duo hoping to make the case that even in Kansas, Bernie-and-AOC-style populism can flip a swing district. While there, she also got a lesson into how things typically work in national politics. Corbin Trent, her communications director, got a call from a man saying he represented donors to the organization AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

They told him there was $100,000 ready to be handed over to Ocasio-Cortez to “start the conversation” with the organization, with much more than that to come. Chakrabarti and AOC both told me they were shocked at the offer. The campaign was flush with cash and it was rejected out of hand. “I was expecting the corruption to be much more subtle,” Trent told me. “This was basically a bag filled with cash.”

though

“This is the first time AIPAC is ever hearing of this story,” said Marshall Wittman, spokesperson for AIPAC. “To the extent it ever happened, it did not involve AIPAC.”

 

[Harry Bosch]

Yes, AIPAC is against the squad, but not for the reasons you think! AIPAC is very much in favor of the two party solution. They are the more moderate part of Israeli politics. The squad is much more aligned with the Jewish far right wing group in that both are against the two state solution. What's the phrase, strange bedfellows make ......?

Evidence: {}

This took me about 3 seconds!

AIPAC - The Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021

The Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 (S.1061 and H.R. 2748) supports and seeks to expand the recent peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. The bipartisan bills recognize that these agreements have the potential to t

www.aipac.org

 

[lpetrich]

AIPAC vs. AOC & The Squad: Pro-Israel Lobby Group to Spend $100M to Target Progressive Lawmakers | Democracy Now!

As we begin a pivotal election year in the United States, we look at the powerful U.S. lobby group AIPAC, which is set to spend more than $100 million to defeat progressives who are critical of Israeli human rights violations in Palestine. That includes Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress. AIPAC’s outsize influence in national campaigns comes with “an implicit threat,” says The Intercept's Ryan Grim, whose new book, The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution, was published last month. “That money will still be spent, but it will be spent against you instead,” he says about politicians who dare to turn down the pro-Israel lobby's deep pockets. “That really, to a shocking degree, constrained what Democratic candidates were willing to say when it came to criticizing Israel.”

Ryan Grim:

And so, I heard of so many different conversations that would be held among consultants in campaigns that were worried that AIPAC or DMFI was going to start spending millions of dollars in their race. And they would meet, they’d have a conference call, and they’d figure out, “OK, how do we stave this off?” And so, this is without AIPAC even spending a dime. And they would say, “Well, let’s — you know, the easiest thing we can do is, let’s just post 'I stand with Israel.'” And some candidates would just do that. And then, others would reach out to DMFI — John Fetterman, his campaign did this; others did it, as well — and say, “What do we need to do? Like, what kind of policy positions do we need to publicly have so that you’re going to stay out of this race? Not that you’re going to fund us, but that you’re not going to fund our opponents?” And that, really, to a shocking degree, constrained what Democratic candidates were willing to say when it came to criticizing Israel.

 

[lpetrich]

'I Don't Give a F*ck About AIPAC,' Says Mark Pocan - "It's time to call them out for what they are—a front group for conservative policy here in the U.S.—instead of being afraid of them."

"I don't give a fuck about AIPAC—period," Pocan (D-Wis.) told Slate politics writer Alexander Sammon. "I think they're a cancerous presence on our democracy and politics in general, and if I can be a surgeon, that's great."

"The reason I'm poking the bear is because they've become a Trojan bear," Pocan explained. "AIPAC at least pretended to be bipartisan when I first got [to Congress]. Now they're basically a wholly owned subsidiary of the GOP."

"It's time to call them out for what they are—a front group for conservative policy here in the U.S.—instead of being afraid of them," he added.

Noting AIPAC and Israel: Why one swing-state Democrat is going after Netanyahu's most powerful ally in D.C.

Mark Pocan on X: "What @AIPAC doesn’t tell you is they raise money from big Republican donors & spend it in Democratic primaries against Democrats. It’s a cynical, undemocratic strategy. And since they clearly don’t care about dead, kids, it’s all about backing a conservative Netanyahu position." / X
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X: "Rep @MarkPocan is right.
It is past time for us to recognize how toxic of a presence AIPAC has been in our political system.
They actively boost candidates who tried to overthrow the US election & run smear campaigns on members of Congress who stand up for human rights. Enough" / X

 

[lpetrich]

Mark Pocan on X: "I should be glad to get tagged regularly by the GOP/Netanyahu front group @AIPAC. Without me, their tags would be all people of color, showing their generally more racial approach to their conservative politics. At least the more they tweet the more they expose themselves." / X

"Bluntly, a lot of what they've been doing is just going after women of color," Pocan told Slate. "I believe the reason I'm even thrown into the loop is because I'm a white guy, which gives them a bit of cover."

Ilhan Omar on X: "AIPAC ..." / X

AIPAC literally ran ads with my face next to Hamas rockets, resulting in a string of threats against my life.

When Democratic Leadership called them out, they refused to apologize and kept the ads up.

What they are doing is insulting and Islamophobic.

You cannot claim to be progressive while launching a Super PAC that exclusively targets progressives and supports Republicans in the general.

noting Aida Chavez:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "I don't agree with Congresswoman Omar's comments, but it's very disappointing to see deeply cynical and inflammatory ads twisting her words. As we always respect Israel's right to defend herself, there must be a serious effort on the part of both parties in the conflict to end the violence and respect the rights of both the Israeli and Palestinian people."

 

[lpetrich]

Bernie Sanders on X: ".@AIPAC has supported dozens of GOP extremists who are undermining our democracy. They’re now working hard to defeat progressive members of Congress. We won’t let that happen. Let us stand together in the fight for a world of peace, economic and social justice and climate sanity." / X

AIPAC has spent lavishly on both Republicans and non-progressive Democrats and was the number one donor to both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) during the last election cycle.

The group has also been a top contributor to lawmakers like Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who not only vocally support Israel, but also attack colleagues like Tlaib and Omar for their pro-Palestinian views. AIPAC was by far Gottheimer's largest contributor in the 2022 electoral cycle, donating more than $216,000 to his campaign. The same goes for Torres, who received over $141,000 from the group during the same period.

Back in Nov 2, 2023,
Mark Pocan on X: "Little sisterish groups ..." / X

Little sisterish groups of @AIPAC are now running false & racially-charged ads against @RashidaTlaib.

We need to demand they take them down.

Lies and distortions won’t save the lives of children in Israel or Palestine. No member supports Hamas attacks. We need to be better.

talmon joseph smith on X: "NYT: "More than 90% of Palestinians in the territory say they have regularly gone without food for a whole day, according to the United Nations." (pic link)" / X
then
Mark Pocan on X: "Let’s do this again, @AIPAC. ..." / X

Let’s do this again, @AIPAC. Not one peep from you on the NYT article re: conditions caused by Netanyahu’s attacks that are starving people in Gaza.

Prior to the war supplies flowed more easily. Now starvation. Illegal acts of war?

Now your turn to call Netanyahu out for this.

 

[lpetrich]

2 US Senate candidates allegedly offered $20M to challenge Rep. Tlaib

Earlier this month, Nasser Beydoun claimed a businessman offered him $20 million to drop out of that race and challenge Representative Rashida Tlaib instead.

“I understood how corrupt the political process is, but I never realized how corrupt it was till that meeting,” said Beydoun.

Beydoun declined the offer.

“I called Rashida and let her know what was going on, and you know, I didn’t think much of it,” Beydoun said. “But when the story about Hill (Harper) came out, then I said wait a minute, this is, you know, it’s not a one-time deal,” Beydoun said.

and
Hill Harper on X: "I didn’t intend ..." / X

I didn’t intend for a private phone call to turn public. But now that it has, here’s the truth.

One of AIPAC’s biggest donors offered $20m if I dropped out of the U.S. Senate race to run against @RashidaTlaib.

I said no. I won’t be bossed, bullied, or bought.

Great.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, denied involvement in any of these alleged offers.

...
“I even told them that my views are very similar to Rashida’s, so how do I help,” Beydoun said. “And he said that they don’t care. They understand you’re pro-Palestinian, but they just want Rashida out,” he said.

So they hate RT so much that they would replace her with someone much like her.

 

[Derec]

AIPAC vs. AOC & The Squad: Pro-Israel Lobby Group to Spend $100M to Target Progressive Lawmakers | Democracy Now!

"Democracy Now" is an outfit that is rabidly anti-Israel, and they have been for years.

As we begin a pivotal election year in the United States, we look at the powerful U.S. lobby group AIPAC, which is set to spend more than $100 million to defeat progressives who are critical of Israeli human rights violations in Palestine.

No. They are opposed to Israel defending itself whenever Palestinians attack it.

That includes Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress. AIPAC’s outsize influence in national campaigns comes with “an implicit threat,” says The Intercept's Ryan Grim,

This guy again? He also wrote the article you posted in the AOC thread.