J Street Meddling Turns Illinois Race into Two- Vs. One-State Debate
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Democrat Tammy Duckworth (seen with husband Bryan, an Army Major) received J Street support and now favors a Palestinian State.
Photo Credit: Official campaign photo
Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, is an Iraq war veteran challenging Representative Joe Walsh, Republican of Illinois’ northwest suburban 8th congressional district (about an hour’s drive from Chicago, give or take).
Duckworth’s credentials are considerable. She lost both of her legs in a Black Hawk helicopter mission in 2004. In 2006 she lost by 2% of the vote a Congressional bid in Illinois’ 6th congressional district. After her loss, Duckworth continued to serve as a major in the National Guard and was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
In 2009, she received a presidential appointment to serve at the federal level as assistant secretary of veterans’ affairs.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, to a military family, Duckworth moved around Southeast Asia due to her father’s work, until, at age 16, they settled in Hawaii. A graduate of Georgetown University, Duckworth joined the military in 1990.
There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with Tammy Duckworth, except for the fact that she has received the endorsement of J Street, the leftist pro-Palestinian, “tough-lovers” of Israel PAC.
The group told the NY Times it expected to raise “$50,000 or more” for her campaign.
J Street likes Duckworth because her “experience training with the Israeli Defense Forces, has instilled in her a strong support for Israel and the belief that a two-state solution can best assure Israel’s long-term security and character.”
“I stand by Israel,” candidate Duckworth said in a telephone interview to the Times, “but from everything I’m hearing, a two-state solution is really the way forward. Sometimes the best security is peace.”
Now, there’s a thorough analysis of a century of Mid-East history…
Tammy Duckworth was trained as a helicopter pilot (she co-piloted the flight that ended with her own injury), and has done superbly taking care of veterans affairs. Why must she delve with seemingly little preparation into the Israel-Palestinians quagmire? Is it really just the 50K?
Her Republican opponent, Rep. Joe Walsh, is a Tea Party activist, at least for now. In the 1990s he defined himself as a moderate Republican. Perhaps he will become one again when the zeitgeist is right.
The Illinois 8th Congressional District is more than 80% white, but the Republican and Democrat finished neck and neck there in 2010. Traditional Jewish Democrats would have probably been inclined to vote for Duckworth, if they didn’t know about the J Street support.
Joe Walsh has taken full advantage of this turn of play to declare his staunch opposition to the two-state solution. His article, “Myth of a two-state solution,” published in the Washington Times, could have been written by Ze’ev Jabotinsky:
“It has been 64 years since the United Nations General Assembly approved the Partition Plan for Palestine and the struggle to implement a ‘two-state solution’ began. Today, we are no closer to that end. That reminds me of the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By that definition, everyone who continues to cling to the delusion of a two-state solution is insane. There is no such thing as a two-state solution. It cannot work, it has not worked, and it will not work.
“The only viable solution for the Middle East is a one-state solution: one contiguous Israeli state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. There will not and cannot be lasting peace in the Middle East until then.”
Compared to the naive sounding “Sometimes the best security is peace” advice prescribed by his opponent, Walsh’s piece is a masterpiece of knowledge and analysis (frankly, well beyond what you’d expect from a Tea Party member in good standing).
But whether Walsh wrote the article or hired a really smart person to write it for him, the result is the same: a Congress member with a fresh approach to tired, old policies. Of the two of them, it is Tammy Duckworth who comes across as sticking with old dogmas, without giving them serious attention.
Thank you once again, J Street, for helping Jewish voters decide which candidate is better for them and for Israel.
tell a friendAbout the Author: JewishPress.com Senior Internet Editor Yori Yanover has been a working journalist since age 17, before he enlisted and worked for Ba'Machane Nachal. Since then he has worked for Israel Shelanu, the US supplement of Yedioth, JCN18.com, USAJewish.com, Lubavitch News Service, Arutz 7 (as DJ on the high seas), and the Grand Street News. He has published two fun books: The Cabalist's Daughter: A Novel of Practical Messianic Redemption, and How Would God REALLY Vote.
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One Response to “J Street Meddling Turns Illinois Race into Two- Vs. One-State Debate”
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The George Soros owned and run “J”udenrein Street has proven itself irrelevant. There is absolutely no support amongst Jews, with most of their “following coming from the ubber left and islamist community. When Tammy goes down in defeat, the exent of their irellevance will surely show
In any "wave" election, candidates get elected that are an embarrassment to their party. After the 2010 election, Walsh has proven to be the #1 embarrassment to the Republicans. He lost a condo to foreclosure and faced lawsuits from a former campaign manager for nonpayment of services, and from his ex-wife for over $100,000 in back child support. He also had his driver's license suspended for not paying his auto insurance. Duckworth lost both her legs and the use of an arm serving in the US military and yet Walsh, who has never served in the military, had the chutzpah to criticize her military record, saying, "What else has she done?" It used to be that religious Jews would run from politicians with such bad midot!
And it should be pointed out that it is Duckworth's position, not that of Walsh, that is closest to the position of the US and Israeli governments. Walsh wants Israel to annex the West Bank and limit the political rights of the Arab residents there. That isn't quite Apartheid, but it is close. Duckworth, PM Netanyahu, and President Obama support a two state solution. How can someone who openly opposes the Israeli government, and urges it to take action that will make it a pariah state, be considered pro-Israel?
I'm no fan of J Street, but a stopped clock is right twice a day. This is one of those two times.
"That isn't quite Apartheid, but it is close."
Why wouldn't that be apartheid? It might not be as bad as South African apartheid, but denying the vote to half of the country purely on ethic/religious grounds has to fit any definition of apartheid.
The South Africans went further, mandating segregation in every kind of public service, even medical care. Walsh has not suggested that Arabs should not be treated in Israeli hospitals!
Haven't the Gazan and Judean Arabs suggested that for Jews, at least when they are not insisting that PA areas be judenrein?
Simon, Hamas wants the entire Middle East to be Judenrein.
Using that term almost got me banned from dailykos.com. Instead, they ended up banning the most rabid pro-Palestinian commenters.
They're not meddling; they're just telling the truth. Take your heads out of your behands and start seeing the world as it really is. Your AIPAC position will only lead to the end of Israel as a Jewish democratic state.
AIPAC supports a two state solution:
http://www.aipac.org/issues/the-peace-process
J Street support shows this woman is not a genuine friend and supporter of Israel.
J Street is run by Godless Marxist Jews–who are self hating and Israel hating.
The kind of foolish Jews who support Barack H. Obama–even after he has repeatedly proven he hates Israel–and is pro Islamic Arab murderer.
2 states already exist. The parting was done in the 1920s with 2/3 of Palestine given to the Palestinian Arabs and 1/3 to the Palestinian Jews. Stop trying to give Judea to the Palestinians who aren't from their Hashemite king's tribe.