Daily Alert Archives

The Josh Shapiro Problem

(New York Times) James Kirchick - One reason Josh Shapiro isn't on the Democratic ticket is because of his identity. Among the possible reasons Kamala Harris chose Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota over Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, according to a report in The Times, was that Mr. Shapiro's selection could "inflame the left." And chief among the reasons given for this potential inferno was Mr. Shapiro's allegedly extreme pro-Israel views. An article in The New Republic called Mr. Shapiro "the one vice-presidential pick who could ruin Democratic unity" and claimed that he "stands out among the current field of potential running mates as being egregiously bad on Palestine." A group of far-left congressional staffers and the Democratic Socialists of America teamed up to produce an open letter demanding that Ms. Harris "say no to Genocide Josh Shapiro for vice president." Critics dug up a column Mr. Shapiro wrote for his college newspaper over 30 years ago when he was 20 arguing that the Palestinians were "too battle-minded" to co-exist with Israel. They conveniently ignored his longtime support for a two-state solution and his harsh criticism of the country's prime minister. Mr. Shapiro is a thoroughly mainstream liberal Zionist whose views on the Middle East were virtually indistinguishable from those of his vice-presidential rivals, so the effort to single him out and target him in an open and organized campaign against his selection had to have been motivated by something else. It's hard to escape the impression that some of Mr. Shapiro's detractors were riled because he is Jewish. If having a commitment to Israel is a barrier to being on the Democratic presidential ticket, it bodes ominously for future Jewish participation in Democratic Party politics. When Joe Lieberman became the first Jew to serve on the presidential ticket of a major American political party as the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in the 2000 presidential election, running with then Vice President Al Gore, he was a more highly observant and hawkishly pro-Israel Jew than Mr. Shapiro. This was widely considered to be an asset. Whereas other minority identities are celebrated within the party, being a proudly pro-Israel Jew is becoming a hindrance.
2024-08-20 00:00:00
Full Article