“Why does it matter to you?” the host inquired.
“It doesn’t matter to me, but anybody that gets on TV, journalism 101, you’re supposed to tell your audience, that you supposedly care about, whether or not they may have a conflict of interest with you,” Eric said. “Because this guy is Jewish that means that he is concerned about Israel, which is only right, but the point is..”
“I’m normally pretty tolerant to people who ask questions,” Cardin said, “but I’m not [going to tolerate] your assumption. I take great offense to that. Our loyalty is to America, our concerns are to America, our religion is our personal business and should have nothing to do with an evaluation by anyone as to our objectivity on issues concerning America.”
“Look at my record, look what I’ve stood for,” Cardin added. “I stand by my record, and I find your assumptions offensive.”
Even Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is Jewish, a self-professed Democratic Socialist and agnostic who says he is “not a fan” of the Netanyahu government, got the dual loyalties insinuation from no less a personage than the revered Diane Rehm (of Syrian ancestry) on NPR. It appears that Senator Sanders’ support for the Iran deal did not spare him the assumption that he might be just as, or even more, loyal to Israel than the United States. The confusion probably arose about his spending time on a Kibbutz in Israel when he was younger, or maybe Rehm actually did think every American Jew holds an Israeli citizenship. What was striking about the Rehm gaffe is that she made it and just kept running with the ball, and implied that if not Sanders, then other Jewish politicians aroused suspicion.
Rehm: “Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel.”
Sanders: “No.”
Rehm: “Forgive me if that is—”
Sanders: “That is some of the nonsense that goes on the internet, but that is absolutely not true.”
Rehm: “Interesting. Are there members of Congress that have dual citizenship or is that part of the fable?”
Sanders: “I honestly don’t know, but I have read that on the internet. You know, my dad came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket. He loved this country. I am, you know, I got offended a little bit by that comment, and I know it’s on the internet. I am obviously an American citizen and I do not have any dual citizenship.”
Senator Cardin can be credited for making anti-BDS, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, legislation part of US trade policy by adding it to a Fast Track trade bill in late June. Cardin added Amendment 20 or a section called Commercial Partnerships into the bill with provisions to:
i) To discourage actions by potential trading partners that directly or indirectly prejudice or otherwise discourage commercial activity solely between the United States and Israel.
(ii) To discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel and to seek the elimination of politically motivated nontariff barriers on Israeli goods, services, or other commerce imposed on the State of Israel.
(iii) To seek the elimination of state-sponsored unsanctioned foreign boycotts against Israel or compliance with the Arab League Boycott of Israel by prospective trading partners.
There was belated opposition to this addition by pro-BDS progressives, but the legislation had already passed. John Kirby, spokesman of the State Department, lamented the fact that there wasn’t a distinction made in the amendment between Israel proper and the settlements. He emphasized that, since 1967, no US Administration has “defended or supported Israeli settlements or activity associated with them.” The Administration could ignore the Cardin provision, but that might lead to a big court case some day hence.