Where is the GOP outrage about Rubio’s Israel Snub?
Listed in: Israel, GOP Hypocrisies, NJDC News, Opinions
Originally Published in The Times of Israel
By NJDC Executive Director Aaron Keyak
During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama reiterated his firm support for the State of Israel and his commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who delivered the Republican Party’s official rebuttal, omitted any mention of Israel or Iran from his speech. Quite simply, the Republican Party’s State of the Union response snubbed Israel, and NJDC called them out for it.
We didn’t question the GOP’s commitment to Israel or make allegations of anti-Israel bias within the party. All NJDC did was urge Republicans to “support President Obama and his strong leadership on these important issues—or at least mention them when they choose to give a broad national address.”
However, what would happen if the situation were reversed? What if a Democrat said nothing about the U.S.-Israel relationship or missed this particular opportunity to convey unity on stopping Iran’s nuclear program? Based on the Republicans’ history, we can assume they would have behaved as follows:
* Republicans would be shouting at the top of their lungs about how Israel had been “thrown under the bus,” “delegitimized,” “insulted,” or even “abandoned.” Worse, the President’s personal and deep commitment to Israel would be attacked, with some Republicans recycling the “most anti-Israel President” and “deep hostility towards Israel” lines throughout our community. In addition, some fringe Republican would make headlines by falsely comparing the President to Jimmy Carter or invoking Reverend Wright or by screaming and yelling about how the President of the United States stands with the terrorists and Israel’s enemies.
* Republicans would run full-page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal slamming the President, repeating the same false attacks on his record and the same baseless attacks on his character.
* Republicans would plaster their smears on billboards, bus shelters, yard signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, buttons, kippot—pretty much any available surface that could be seen by another person.
* And, Republicans would put together a YouTube video that repeated all of the same smears that were used during the election. The predictable doom and gloom theme would be present in the video, and it may very well be turned into a TV advertisement. They would also cut robocalls and radio ads that dishonestly combine unrelated statements by the President and the Israeli Prime Minister that get immediately debunked by nonpartisan journalists.
You may think I’m exaggerating, but far too many of these reactions actually took place over the last four years. The Republican Party has demonstrated throughout the Obama Presidency that it will not miss an opportunity to spread falsehoods and distortions about President Obama’s Israel record or use Israel as a political football.
As Israeli and pro-Israel leaders have consistently noted, it is important that we maintain the bipartisan nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship. After all of the pro-Israel actions taken by the President during his first term, including leadership in preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, unprecedented military assistance to Israel, support for the Iron Dome defense system, and defending Israel’s legitimacy on the world stage, it’s time for Republicans to quit their smear campaign and come together behind the President.
But, in the meantime, we’re going to continue to call them out.
