Sanders moves toward fight over Israel, forcing Hillary Clinton to navigate splintered party(HRC GP)

[Her Sister]

Bernie Sanders moves toward a fight over Israel, forcing Hillary Clinton to navigate a splintered party

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-israel-democrats-20160527-snap-story.html

[6chars]

1. He cares more about intra party than inter party battles

Trump has a very narrow path to the presidency, but everything Sanders is doing is widening that path. I will grant that this is not his aim - his aim is to move leftward what he thinks is an errant Democratic Party. But what he is doing - trying to create wedge issues in the party, continuing to beat the "crooked Hillary" drum in various ways, taking the warpath to a convention where he cannot win the nomination, is brinksmanship. He is continually raising the risk of a President Trump in a game of chicken with the hope that Hillary gives in (I guess since he has little to lose). Specifically, during late April, May and June, Trump has been the presumptive nominee and Hillary for all practical purposes is too, but Trump is free to spend all this time defining - swiftboating - Hillary. At the same time, she is distracted by Bernie's various attacks, making it harder for her to deflect the swiftboating, in some cases Bernie's messages only reinforcing Trump's definition of her during this critical period ("I suggest the superdelegates look very closely at the IG report&quot , trying to make her commit to positions that won't play in swing states, etc. And he is planning to do this all the way through the convention, by which the period of defining the candidates is done. In an alternate world where around the time his nomination became impossible, Bernie decided to support the inevitable Democratic nominee, the Democrats would have a 98% chance of winning in November not 65% or whatever Predictwise says now.

Ralph Nader, Jr.

[Her Sister]

3. He pretty much avoided this till now?

Did not even go to AIPAC!

[6chars]

6. This is a kind of ambush

I mean, if it is the most important cause for him - what he bases his platform committee reps on - it is odd that he didn't discuss the topic earlier. Not sure if this is his most important cause and he was just deceiving Jewish voters in states like Florida that he was more of a typical Jew in this regard, or if he is just choosing this cause to rile up some allies on the far left of the party in order to do whatever he is trying to do with Hillary.

[BootinUp]

2. He effectively threw an IED into the mix. Asshole. nt

[Her Sister]

5. D.E.S.P.E.R.A.T.E.

eom

[Jitter65]

4. He is being led by Cornel West in this or should I say being controlled by?

[6chars]

7. That's Future Secretary of State West, please.

????????

[ismnotwasm]

8. Huh.

I stay out of I/P arguments, but I saw an old speech by Sanders that I not only agreed with, was "pro-Israel" as far as it went.

Any way, to parse this out;

Sanders, in a interview with The Times on Wednesday, declared himself “100% supportive of Israel’s right to exist.” well, yes, that's very nice of you to say Senator, I agree wholeheartedly.


Israel, he said, has a right “to take all actions that are needed to protect itself from terrorism.”, again, not controversial, and a very common sense thing to say

“But I believe that for too long our country and our government have not given the Palestinian people the respect that they need,” he added. “Long term, if there’s going to be peace in the Middle East, a lasting peace, the Palestinian people are going to have to be treated with respect and dignity." Again, agreed. This is a priority and a pathway to peace.

So am I to assume, from the article, that Sanders is trying to place himself on, what, the Palestinian "side"? Because primary politics? Bad form Senator. Bad form.

[fleabiscuit]

11. There is a non sequitur.

“But I believe that for too long our country and our government have not given the Palestinian people the respect that they need,” he added. “Long term, if there’s going to be peace in the Middle East, a lasting peace, the Palestinian people are going to have to be treated with respect and dignity."

That is an ambiguity, a non sequitur.

What "respect and dignity" has not been given them? Who is the arbiter that is going to judge "respect and dignity?" What does that entail? Is it something that can be measured.

And such stuff.

I have a feeling you can actually flush out a more cogent answer than I.

I'm curious of your thoughts.

[grossproffit]

12. Bernie's bro brother is a BDS'er.

His name is Larry.

[still_one]

15. That won't be part of the rules committee, and it sure won't be part of

the Democratic platform

So if they try to call for that, it will be a non-starter, it isn't going to happen

[Her Sister]

9. There is this:

[SharonClark]

10. I'm certain Hillary's people on the committee will know how to handle

Cornel West. It will be a feather in Hillary's cap.

[still_one]

14. Cornel West won't be an issue. One person is not going to make the rules

It will be a group decision, and that means whether Cornell West likes it or not, he is going to have to work with other members of the committee

[still_one]

13. No one is fooled by his strategy. He is obviously trying to divide the Democratic party

There isn't a damn thing wrong with what the Democratic platform currently says. It calls for a two-state solution for gosh sake. What do they want to change? I suspect it will be something like "return to the 67 borders, or right of return, which is code word for the elimination of Israel". None of that will happen in the Democratic platform, nor should it. Any specific demands need to be negotiated by the respective parties, the Israelis and Palestinians, and not part of the Democratic platform.

It is this paragraph in the current Democratic platform that sets up the foundation for a negotiated settlement:

"It is precisely because of this commitment that President Obama and the Democratic Party seek peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A just and lasting Israeli-Palestinian accord, producing two states for two peoples, would contribute to regional stability and help sustain Israel's identity as a Jewish and democratic state. At the same time, the President has made clear that there will be no lasting peace unless Israel's security concerns are met. President Obama will continue to press Arab states to reach out to Israel. We will continue to support Israel's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, which have been pillars of peace and stability in the region for many years. And even as the President and the Democratic Party continue to encourage all parties to be resolute in the pursuit of peace, we will insist that any Palestinian partner must recognize Israel's right to exist, reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements."

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform#strengthening-alliances

Seven in 10 Americans Continue to View Israel Favorably

http://www.gallup.com/poll/181652/seven-americans-continue-view-israel-favorably.aspx