Newsom SHOCKS With Israel 'Apartheid' Statement
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Gavin Newsom, a 2028 presidential hopeful, has notably altered his public position on Israel, acknowledging the 'apartheid state' framing and suggesting military aid conditioning.
- ❖This shift is viewed as a political maneuver to appeal to a Democratic base increasingly disgusted with Israel's actions in Gaza and US complicity.
- ❖Newsom's prior interview with Ben Shapiro, where he struggled to define 'genocide' regarding Gaza, is cited as evidence of his lack of deep conviction.
- ❖The hosts compare this moment to Trump's challenge of the Iraq War consensus in 2016, suggesting Newsom is opening the 'Overton window' for new discourse on Israel.
- ❖The Israel lobby (AIPAC) is perceived to have lost its absolute ability to enforce unquestioning support within the Democratic party, evidenced by their support for candidates like Valerie Fushi who expressed criticism.
- ❖Democrats who tacitly support the current war risk being seen as trusting Donald Trump as Commander-in-Chief, creating a political trap for them.
Insights
1Gavin Newsom's Strategic Pivot on Israel
Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has significantly altered his public stance on Israel. Previously a staunch supporter, he recently acknowledged the 'apartheid state' framing for Israel and expressed openness to conditioning U.S. military aid. This shift is interpreted as a calculated move to align with the Democratic base, which has grown increasingly critical of Israel's actions in Gaza.
Newsom's comments on 'Pod Save America' where he discussed the 'apartheid state' framing and the necessity to 'rethink' military support. This contrasts with his prior 'lockstep support' and his evasiveness on the 'genocide' question during an interview with Ben Shapiro.
2Weakening Influence of the Israel Lobby (AIPAC)
The Israel lobby, particularly AIPAC, appears to be losing its absolute power to enforce unquestioning support among Democratic politicians. Historically, AIPAC would actively campaign against any candidate critical of Israel. However, recent events, such as their funneling money to Valerie Fushi despite her critical stance and signing the 'Block the Bombs Act,' indicate a forced adaptation to the changing political landscape within the Democratic party.
The hosts detail the case of Valerie Fushi, a Democratic primary candidate who shifted to a more critical stance on Israel and refused AIPAC funding, yet still received AIPAC-aligned money through a Super PAC. This suggests AIPAC is now willing to support less-than-ideal candidates rather than risk losing entirely.
3The 'Overton Window' Shift on Israel Policy
Newsom's willingness to articulate previously taboo criticisms of Israel is seen as a significant expansion of the 'Overton window' within mainstream Democratic discourse. This is compared to Donald Trump's 2016 challenge to the Republican consensus on the Iraq War, which allowed other politicians to express privately held doubts publicly without severe political repercussions.
The hosts explicitly draw a parallel between Newsom's comments on Israel and Trump's 2016 stance on the Iraq War, stating that Newsom is creating a 'permission structure' for others to speak more critically.
4The 'Trump Problem' for Democrats Supporting Current Conflicts
Democrats who support or tacitly approve of ongoing military actions, such as the war powers resolution, face a dilemma: their support implicitly aligns them with Donald Trump, who is the current Commander-in-Chief. This creates a political vulnerability for Democrats who generally distrust Trump but find themselves supporting his administration's military endeavors.
The hosts discuss Representative Lansman's interview where he struggled to reconcile his distrust of Trump with his support for military operations, stating he trusts 'the military and our generals' but not the President.
Lessons
- Political strategists should closely monitor shifts in public opinion within the Democratic base regarding US-Israel policy, as it directly impacts candidate positioning and lobby influence.
- Candidates for office, especially Democrats, must develop nuanced positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict that resonate with an increasingly critical base, rather than relying on traditional lockstep support.
- Lobbying groups like AIPAC need to re-evaluate their strategies, as their previous hardline approach of punishing dissent is becoming untenable within the Democratic party, forcing them to adapt to a more complex political environment.
Quotes
"He's making that easy right now. Let's talk about that. But the issue of BB is interesting because he's got his own domestic issues. He's trying to stay out of jail. He's got an election coming up. He's potentially on the ropes. He's got folks the hard line that want to annex the West West Bank. I mean, Freeman and others are talking about it appropriately. Sort of an apartheid state."
"It breaks my heart because the current leadership in Israel um is walking us down that path where I don't think you have a choice but that consideration."
"For Gavin Newsome to say those two things five years ago, I was absolutely it will never happen. And it just shows you how much the country has moved and specifically how much the base has moved and how important this is to people. He no longer thinks he can get away with it."
"This man is just a cynical weather vein, right? Like that's how you should look at his finger in the wind. There's no principle here. It's just him trying to read the tea leaves and being a relatively skilled operator... of trying to figure out where he needs to be politically balancing the concerns of the base versus the donor class."
"Prior to 2016, nobody could say that the Iraq war was a disaster. You couldn't say it. There was nobody who was willing to say it. Trump came in, he was like, 'No, it was a disaster.' And that opened the floodgates for all of these new politicians and others to say what everybody privately thought, but which the donor class didn't want you to say."
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