The Democrats ignored massive dissent on Jerusalem. - Reason.com

"Although Democrats adopted a plank supporting the constitutional overturning of Citizens United for the sake of democracy, they managed to ignore their own party rules and delegate voices this afternoon when amending the party platform. DNC Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa announced the party required a two-thirds vote to amend the party platform. However, minutes after failing to reach the threshold after three separate votes, he awkwardly moved forward and declared the two-thirds threshold had been reached."  Reason.com

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So, the Democrats love democracy but.... not really.  The more Villaraigosa repeated the voice vote, the louder were the "nays."  He's a good machine politician and so, in the end, he ignored the dissent on the "we love Israel" planks in the platform.  As he said on MJ today, there were no registered complaints.  He is lucky.  Any such complaints would have forced a roll call vote.  How embarassing that would have been.

"Every family has its ups and downs."  Quotation? 

The "down side' for Democrats in their relentless quest for diversity is the diversity itself.  Traditional Democratic support groups like Jews and especially Zionist Jews have less and less "clout" in the face of the indifference of the multitude of other groupd for whom Zionism is just another tribal nationalism seen through the anti-colonial lens of the predominately "left" orientation of today's Democratic Party.

The platform committee tried to walk away from the worshipful attitude towards Israel that Zionist money and media power still dictate.  Then the delegates tried to vote down the platform amendments.  AIPAC won that vote.  How long will that continue?  How long will US policy be dictated in Tel Aviv?  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2012/09/05/what-bibi-wants/

http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/05/dnc-chair-villaraigosa-declares-super-ma/print

Comments

[Harper]

To win reelection, Obama needs 41 percent of the white vote and 85 percent of the non-white vote (with a high turnout near 2008). His polling numbers among Jewish voters is down by about 10 points, from the mid-70s percent in 2008 to the mid-60s this time (polling data from comparable points in the campaign). Everything that Obama does is calculated to his reelection, even matters of war and peace. Will Bibi read the bully operation at the Dem Convention, which was fully backed by Obama to reinstate the Jerusalem capitol plank, as a rebuff to Dempsey? BTW, Vice Chairman of the JCS, Admiral James Winnifeld, is in Israel right now meeting with counterparts. Hopefully he is reinforcing Dempsey's warning, which has truly hit Israel like a bomb.

[par4]

I think "Liberal" would be more accurate than "left". One would be hard pressed to find a "Communist" or a "Socialist" in the modern Democratic Party.

[turcopolier]

par4

I do not agree. The views of many of the people on exhibit at Charlotte go far beyond any reasonable definition of "liberal." This is just as true as the obvious truth that many of the illiterati on display at Tampa merited something more than "conservative." pl

[TWV]

No socialists in the Democrat party?
Take a look at this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2rBF6M8T0I

[Cal]

The Dems are diversity on steriods, I am gaging from hearing about every single issue voter niche 24/7..not that I am against their 'rights' whatver they are, but I'm sick to death of hearing about it and the entire party built around 1,001 niche groups.
I don't know what the repubs are except even worse in the opposite way.
No one to vote for.
Do I have a 'hopefully' no more ME wars choice besides Obama?

[Buzz Meeks]

The "vote" reminded me of anti-Soviet propaganda films I saw in school as kid. AIPAC said jump, the ward-heelers and touts asked how high. Zio-fascism in the open and the delegates roll over and get punked without a whimper or a damn fight.

[turcopolier]

BM

Yes, a shameful thing. To make all this even more shameful, Chris Matthews, the whirling dervish of the Democratic Party, asked a black army retired soldier with a cap, if he had been in VN. The man said "two years." "Were you in it?" meaning "in the shit." The soldier said yes. The swine draft dodger, Matthews, is beneath contempt. pl

[Medicine Man]

It really is machine politics. The Ron Paul delegates got treated in a similar way at the RNC convention. No room for dissent anywhere, apparently.

[Phil Cattar]

If I did not know better I would swear that the ghost of Benzion Netanyahu ,the recently deceased 102 year old father of Benjamin Netanyahu,visited Obama in a dream.Anyway................somebody or something got to him.

[Tyler]

Either way we're voting Israel 2012 apparently.

The Democrats are learning that no matter how big you think your tent is, eventually it starts getting crowded.

[The beaver]

May be the Mayor of Chicago got to him. After his speech at the Convention he told the NPR people that he will be on the road raising money for the campaign. I guess he knows which doors to open but he needs something in return!!!

[turcopolier]

Beaver

All he has to do is ask Lester Crown. pl

[The beaver]

Col

May be Emanuel was the messenger and that's why we saw that flip-flop.

[turcopolier]

Beaver

Yup. without any evidence I would guess that is what happened. pl

[The beaver]

Colonel

Plus:

Multiple sources told The Cable that several lawmakers pressed the White House directly Wednesday, including Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Steve Israel (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/06/democrats_play_the_blame_game_on_israel_platform_flap

AIPAC still owns the politicos !

[The Moar You Know]

As a Dem, that was one of very few disappointing moments during the convention. The crowd's reaction to it was awesome, though, painfully obvious where the party stands as opposed to where the party leadership stands.

Obama doesn't want to lose one single vote. That's smart politics. I think from what we've seen over the last three and a half years that it's safe to say that no matter what's in the platform, Obama's not going to go out of his way to do Israel, and specifically Bibi, any favors.

Still want to know what Bibi pulled that's gotten Obama so pissed. He's never struck me as the angry type, but boy, it's obvious that Netanyahu got under his skin but good.

[Altoid]

Wish I could recall something more specific, but I seem to remember there was an exchange very early in his term when Netanyahu tried to tell him what to say, essentially to speak for him, while standing next to him at a public event. If I were in BHO's place that might do it for me.
As would N's mobilizing every available official domestic group and person to work against Obama from the get-go, poisoning the well, as it were. No specific information on that, though; just what seemed palpable.

Plus apparently N. has a habit of yelling at recent American emissaries-- I can't imagine the latest time was the only one. And who knows what a guy like him might have said directly to Obama. Maybe Woodward will let us know?