American Republicans tend to be very pro-Israel. Do you think that fact makes some people (maybe you) less likely to currently support Israel?

[Anonymous]

I feel some people are pro-Palestinian simply because siding with Israel in the current conflict would put them on the same side as Republicans. And for some liberals, that is unthinkable and always wrong. What do you think?

Yes, I agree with that.

No, that is dumb. People look at political issues independently and logically.

See results.

[nightdrot]

Voted for "See results," but mostly because the premise of the question is slightly flawed and the "No" answer was biased on a certain basis. Quite simply, this was not a balanced set of answers. "Yes" is "yes," but "No" was premised on certain assumptions.

In point of fact, for most of the 20th century and until recently, the Jewish vote was heavily Democratic. In part because, it may be recalled, President Truman - a Democrat - supported the creation of Israel. While President Eisenhower - a Republican - seemingly sided against Israel (and against two NATO allies, Britain and France) and in favor of Egypt in the Suez Crisis of 1956.

This pretty much set the stage for the voting patterns of the Jewish community up to, indeed, the most recent presidential election. Where, it should be added, President Biden carried the Jewish vote by a not inconsiderable 17 points. This notwithstanding that, by that point, the consensus in the USA was pretty much pro-Israel on both sides. Also adding that the Jewish vote was impacted by many other factors besides Israel, not least the identification of the Democratic party, fair or not, with the civil rights movement and minority rights.

This is, to be fair, beginning to change. To start, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR has, in some ways, made Israel less strategically important to the USA. While the energy economy has made the states of the Middle East Arab oil producers relatively more important. While, to add a third dynamic, the Democratic party has begun to shift its' emphasis away from oil to energy alternatives.

Also, the rising populist movement on both sides - Trump is populist and Biden derivatively so - has made claims of defending the oppressed much more important to the internal dynamics of both parties. For Republicans, the Jews have historically been an oppressed minority whereas for Democrats, a generational shift has moved the emphasis to Palestinian Arabs.

This generational shift is reflected in the passing of "the Greatest Generation" that served in or has living memory of World War II, and later the oppression of Jews in the USSR in the Cold War. Even more interesting - and is reflected on college campuses - those currently attending college - were barely 2 years old when September 11 happened. For them, it is old history and not a galvanizing memory as it is for those who watched it happen,

In a nutshell, the factors at play are not dividing Democrats from Republicans, but dividing the parties internally. This is having a somewhat larger impact on the Democrats - and costing them Jewish support - because for so long the Democratic party was the party that helped build and support Israel.

Indeed, interestingly, the parallel on the GOP side is the split over Ukraine. The party of Reagan, the party that won the Cold War, is now badly split over Ukraine, with populist Republicans, (see also Rep. Matt Gaetz as Exhibit A), pushing against more aid to Ukraine. This also harkening back to the isolationist past of the GOP.

Bottom line, while there may be a grain of truth to the premise of the question, there are far more complex demographic, cultural and political dynamics at play. In fact, Democrat support for Israel and backing of the Jewish vote is still very real but is making a generational shift. The younger generation gradually shifting to what are seen as the newly oppressed in the name of a populist politics that also gave the nation "political correctness" and "wokeism."

So while the question as posed has a certain degree of truth, the reality is far more complicated. In fact, the Democrats - at least as far as the Jewish vote goes - remains the pro-Israel party. The change being more within the demographics and generational shift of the party than in a reaction to current circumstances.

[jshm2]

You're confusing three different issues, kiddo.

Republicans aren't "pro" anything. They basically worship money. It it makes a profit, then it's conservative. The occupying state of Israel is a very profitable weapons buyer from the companies in which Republicans are shareholders.

As for "Pro-Palestinian," you must have your head up your ass if you don't understand many people have family and friends in the region. Right wing dipshits like to think Palestinians exist only in Palestine.

As for "liberals" they side according to their idealism. It's why they are a nebulous politically, and are political Karens.

[Asker]

That is not true. For religious reasons, many Republicans support Israel. It has nothing to do with money.

[nightdrot]

You do realize, of course, that contrary to the stereotype, the higher the income level, the more likely a voter will be a Democrat. The GOP is now the party of the lower middle class.

This transformation has been taking shape since the late 1980s and is been accelerated as the economy has been moving from a manufacturing/extractions base to a tech/service base. This transformation of the economy - which has its' parallel in the 19th century shift of the economy from a mercantile/agricultural base to a manufacturing/extractions base - has generated a transformation of the two parties.

Thus, the GOP, once the party of the upper middle class now finds its' main base of support among lower middle class workers. Indeed, even some transformation among lower income workers for a variety of cultural reasons.

You are sloganeering - it is really not serious analysis - in outmoded stereotypes.

[DaisyM23]

being pro-palestinian has nothing to do with being left wing, there's just more correlation there because left wing people care more about all people than right wing people do - to put it simply, in my opinion, siding with israel is siding with a settler colony committing genocide and the ethnic cleansing of a people they stole land from

[Anonymous]

Being pro-Palestinian has nothing to do with being left wing, there's just more correlation there because left wing people don't care about innocent people like the right wing people do - to put it simply, in my opinion, siding with Palestine is siding with a settler colony committing genocide and the ethnic cleansing of a people like they did on October 7th.