Mandela Barnes Did Not Take Money From AIPAC
The last time we talked about Mandela Barnes at Milwaukee Beagle we accused him of taking money from AIPAC. This is untrue, and as the writer of the piece I apologize for the mistake.
In my slightest defense a lot of people seem to have been tricked by a post that went Wisconsin electoral politics version of “viral.” So much so that Barnes himself later clarified as much on Twitter. That original post is a screen grab from Open Secrets that lists Senate candidates who received money from “pro-Israel groups.” This is a nonstarter for many, but it is true that he did not take money from AIPAC, he took money from a different group called J Street.
How did this myth grow so large as to elicit an explicit response from Barnes himself? Well one reason is that I don’t really understand his day job and he probably saw the post while scrolling social media. The other bigger reason is that the post sort of uses AIPAC as a blanket term to mean “money from pro-Israel groups.” Which is understandable if you are not a campaign finance nerd, but the two groups are different things.
AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) describes itself as “a bipartisan pro-Israel political action committee. It is the largest pro-Israel PAC in America and contributed more resources directly to candidates than any other PAC.” That word “bipartisan” is incredibly important to the conversation, as they do give money to a large number of both Democrats and Republicans. Notably when they give money to Democrats it is given to moderates in order to stave off progressive challengers who may be critical of Israel. This demonstrates the monolith that is pro-Israel sentiment in Washington.
J Street
AIPAC has earned its bad reputation, and is perhaps comfortable existing as a villain in the minds of us on the left. Where J Street finds its niche is as a softer, more liberal version of being “pro-Israel.” They have finally come out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine - 2 years late. Hearing a group as large as J Street talk of peace and even a state for Palestinians shows progress on this issue, (although to the vocal majority of pro-Israel supporters, the few concessions made by J Street might as well put them in league with Hamas). They are still very much a “pro-Israel group,” and their “two-state solution” is a compromise that will not end Israeli aggression.
The political reality is that a “pro-Israel position” is inherently right wing, and this puts J Street in a very complicated position. The tensions in their position are outlined inthis 2021 article from Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs, “These are all things that the left emphasizes that J Street can’t talk about… The BDS campaign, the International Criminal Court prosecution, and the apartheid discourse—all of these elements potentially threaten, or I think do threaten, the existence of a Jewish state, because there is a clear understanding that Israel’s character as a Jewish state is preventing it from granting anything like equal status to Palestinians.”
I like this article because it captures the very familiar position of the liberal-zionist. They are a group of people trying to thread the needle between recognizing the humanity of the oppressed, while knowingly propping up the oppressor. What they are missing, and what leftists know is that non-violent actions like Boycott, Divest, Sanction are the compromise positions.
Why’d You Have To Go And Make Things So Complicated?
I reject the common refrain that the politics of the Middle East are “complicated.” This excuse has long been used to end the conversation around recent events that are not all that complex, and to preserve the status quo. The modern state of Israel is a settler colonial state that used a mandate from Western countries to forcibly and violently remove a people from their homeland of generations. This appeal to “thousands of years of history,” misses the point when we are talking about real harm caused by people still alive that has destabilized a region and led to the mass death of Palestinians.
What needs to be done is not “complicated.” The United States needs to stop writing Israel a blank check with which to do war crimes. Palestinians deserve to be enfranchised, and their self-determination needs to be restored. Those in Israel and their western benefactors need to be held accountable, and reparations to those in Palestine need to be given. What I will concede has complications is how this is to be done.
I tend to agree with former Knesset member Shlomo Ben-Ami when he says “everyone is born in sin, even nations” this is the tragedy of nationalism and it is the people who end up being hurt. The complications of reorganizing the current state of Israel while hurting the fewest innocents does seem complicated. What is important to consider is that Israel is an explicit ethnostate, and that Palestinians will never have equal rights to the Jewish population in Israel under the current form of their government. So whatever plan for a lasting peace needs to create a secular state where Jewish people, and Muslims can be guaranteed equal rights.
Anyway, So Mandela Barnes is Terrible
This of course leads us back to Mandela Barnes. Taking money from J Street is not the political liability that taking money from AIPAC is, but the two ultimately work to pressure him into the same pro-Israel position. Neither organization would tolerate a Senator that they financed proposing a reduction of aid to the state of Israel. The liberal-centrist exists in proximity to the two sides, where on one end there is fascism, and the other side is justice. They are the middle managers, and serve the status quo. If Mandela Barnes (or Sara Rodriguez, David Crowley, or some other centrist/corporate Democrat) takes the governor's seat, we will once again become bystanders to this futile balancing act. It is important not to look away from the wars in the Middle East, remember Palestinian Genocide is Relevant in Wisconsin Electoral Politics.
J Street and AIPAC serve similar interests, and ultimately lead us into the same results. The Democratic Party machine led by corporate-friendly centrists constantly attempts ticky-tack adjustments to our Capitalist-Patriarchal-White Supremacist nation, but will never meaningfully challenge those systems of oppression. We are constantly damned as the media infastructure holds “pragmatic” centrists on their shoulders like fucking Atlas. The results of this lack of progress is a stagnated minimum wage, Obamacare, expanded prisons, the death of Roe v Wade, and the 100 year decimation of Palestine. Fascism is breaking down the door and liberals like Joe Biden and Mandela Barnes are not fighting back.
To Mandela Barnes, I am sorry for adding to the confusion on your taking money from AIPAC, that was lousy of me. I still maintain that the PAC money you have received helps to outline why you are a bad candidate, and you should drop out. Also did you push this guy? What the hell is that all about?
