Hillary’s controversial American-Israeli supporter

[cali]

Last edited Thu Feb 11, 2016, 07:37 AM - Edit history (1)

Haim Saban is one of the big money donors of the Democratic party. He brings considerable influence to bear, not just on Hillary, but on the DNC. His sole issue is Israel and making sure that Palestinians continue to get the short end of the stick from U.S. policy. That is not conjecture.


<snip>

Haim Saban and his wife Cheryl together contributed $5 million to the Hillary Clinton Super PAC—Priorities USA Action—between 2015 and 2016 alone, according to disclosures available on OpenSecrets.org, affiliated with the Center for Responsive Politics.

While the contributions are not surprising from long-time Clinton-backers, $3 million of them notably poured in after the presidential hopeful authored a letter to Haim Saban in July of 2015, seeking advice on “how we can work together” to defeat the growing movement to Boycott, Divest from, and Sanction (BDS) Israel.

In the note, Clinton touted her record of defending Israel “at every turn,” including her obstruction of efforts to hold Israel accountable for war crimes. “I have opposed dozens of anti-Israel resolutions at the UN, the Human Rights Council, and other International organizations,” she wrote.

“I condemned the biased Goldstone Report, making it clear that Israel must be allowed to defend itself like any other country,” Clinton continued, referencing a United Nations fact-finding mission into Israel’s December 2008 to January 2009 military assault on Gaza that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

“I know you agree that we need to make countering BDS a priority,” Clinton continued in the letter, which was released by Saban to the press.

<snip>

Saban has been open about his singular political motive, telling the New Yorker in 2010, “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.” He and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson once even weighed the possibility of buying the New York Times, which they dubiously claimed was too hostile to Israel. Saban has funneled his fortune into building up the Democratic National Committee headquarters, as well as the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brooking’s Institute.

As journalist Nora Barrows-Friedman noted in September, Saban joined forces with Sheldon Adelson to pour millions of dollars into pro pro-Israel organizations at U.S. universities with the “explicit intent of suppressing Palestine rights-based organizing.” Saban has since pulled from the joint campaign with Adelson and redirected his focus to getting Clinton elected, as AlterNet’s Max Blumenthal and Julia Carmel reported in October.

<snip>
http://www.salon.com/2016/02/06/hillarys_controversial_american_israeli_supporter_heres_whos_contributing_to_her_super_pac_partner/

[boston bean]

1. I will wait with bated breath all the posts accusing you of being an antisemite.

You know saying a jew who supports Israel, owns the party and then go on to intimate how he controls it:

Haim Saban is one of the "owners" of the Democratic party. His sole issue is Israel and making sure that Palestinians continue to get the short end of the stick from U.S. policy. That is not conjecture.

[Bonobo]

3. Maybe you should call her an anti-semite if that's how you feel.

If you don't, then exactly what kind of passive aggressive bullshit are you spouting?

[cali]

6. I think most long time people on DU know how I've fought anti-semitism here

for years.

[Bonobo]

7. I do. nt

[msanthrope]

2. Oh dear.....now the Democratic Party is owned by this Jewish couple? Come on....nt

[cali]

4. I said one of the owners.

Big money owns the party, whatever the religious affiliations of the person.

[msanthrope]

5. May we have a list of the owners? nt

[cali]

8. Here

http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2015/04/30/the-political-one-percent-of-the-one-percent-megadonors-fuel-rising-cost-of-elections-in-2014/?gclid=CjwKEAiA__C1BRDqyJOQ8_Tq230SJABWBSxnHbgJ1WskvLzyu6MQaAUL_YXkZLA6SU9lU-p3UNl9tRoCNMnw_wcB

[msanthrope]

10. Whole list....and you pick this Jewish couple to talk about? Interesting. Why them? nt

[cali]

12. Because they are donors to Hillary and because

of the amount of money donated to the DNC and because he teams up with one of the biggest republican donors and because he funds the very influential Center for ME studies at the very influential.

You know my record of fighting anti-semitism here. And anyone can do a search.

[beam me up scottie]

14. You don't need to justify your op, cali.

The fact that Hillary's surrogates are going after Bernie on Israel means this information is relevant.

And yes, your history of fighting bigotry is well known, ignore them, they're trying to bait you and derail your thread.

[cali]

15. Thanks, scottie

I really appreciate it.

[msanthrope]

16. Of course. Democratic, Jewish donors. Because that's who we need to make OPs about.

If Bernie wins the primary, should he eschew donations from this couple?

[cali]

17. That's an interesting question.

I doubt they'd be interested in donating to him, but he certainly should continue to eschew big money donations and stay away from SuperPacs.

[boston bean]

18. Why wouldn't they donate to Bernie. Bernie is a big supporter of Israel.

[cali]

20. Hilly says he isn't. Who do you think Saban listens to?

And Bernie had the temerity to criticize the Gaza attack. Hill gave a full throated defense of it. Next?

[boston bean]

22. Hillary questioned his normalizing relations with Iran?? Which even Bernie admitted was a stupid

thing to say.

You know as well as I that Bernie supports Israel as strongly as Hillary. Their records are almost identical.

[cali]

23. Tell it to your candidate. Team hill is the attacking him

for not being sufficiently pro-Israel. Tell hill she's lying

And stop making things up about what Bernie said about Iran.

[boston bean]

25. I'm talking with you though.

[cali]

26. Deflect, deflect. I already pointed out that Bernie criticized isreal

over Gaza while Hillary defended Israel over Gaza. That in itself is a difference. And he boycotted Netanyahu's speech to Congress. I've never seen him offer fulsome praise of Netanyahu. Hill has.

Keep deflecting and ignoring facts.

[boston bean]

28. I'm the one deflecting??

[msanthrope]

24. Clinton and Sanders have almost identical records on Israel.

Why wouldn't they donate to him.

[cali]

27. Why is Hillary attacking him on not being strong enough on Israel?

Whose money do you think helps funds those attacks?

[Warren DeMontague]

9. I suppose it's preferable to work with Adelson on Israel than it is to team up with him to put sick

people in prison for using medical marijuana, the way Debbie Wasserman Schultz did.



It'll be interesting to see the people who last week didn't know what a kibbutz is, accuse you of anti-semitism over this OP.

[cali]

11. No one, and I mean no one, here at DU has fought harder against

anti-semitism on DU then I have. I did change the op because I don't want this sidetracked but there is no doubt that Saban and other big donors, whatever there ethnicity and religious affiliation, have great influence on the party and individual politicians.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Yeah, i get it.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. cali for what it is worth I have had a bit of real life contact with the Sabans. Haim is anti Union

and detested in much of the entertainment business because of that and also due to methods of employing children and marketing to children which have not always been up to the ethical standards of the industry.

1998:
SAG Orders Its Members Not to Work for Saban Shows
January 31, 1998
"In an unusually strong action by the Screen Actors Guild, the union has declared television producer Saban Entertainment "unfair to performers," and charged the company with the "economic exploitation of children." In a letter sent to SAG members this week, the guild ordered its members not to work for any of the company's shows until it signs an overall agreement with the union."

Lots of history, lots and lots.

[cali]

21. Thank you for that information.

Would you consider posting an op about it? It's my understanding he's her biggest donor.

[KoKo]

31. More attention needs to be spent on WHO Supports the Clintons...

.

It's all tied up in her time as SOS and Clinton Foundation, imho.

Who GIVES THE CLINTONS the right to Rule our U.S. Foreign Policy? Who is Vetting Them from making Profits in their activities? Who is a Watch Dog in the Govt. for the People minding who and what countries our Elected Officials are Dealing With...and Making Deals With that the American Voters know Nothing about?



Aren't these Questions that we should ask our Politicians (who are supposed to represent us) at Town Meetings are even Phoning them and expressing our Opinions to?

Why is it..that Once Elected they don't bother with answering the Voters who Aren't part of their Big Donor Class and ignoring them?

As Bernie Says:

ENOUGH....is ENOUGH!

[ericson00]

29. GOOD! All the more reason I support Hillary and stand with the plurality of Dems and majority

of the broader country:



I'll take Israel and Haim Saban over terror and Cornel West and (self-hating) Noam Chomsky anyday. I stand with the AMERICAN view that Israel is the more honourable party. one of the big reasons I want Bernie Sanders away from the White House is the keep the Israel-haters, an UN-AMERICAN view, far away from power in this country. Let that be Europe's domain.

[KoKo]

30. "Pay to Play" and Control... To quote Bernie: "ENOUGH is ENOUGH!"

Bernie's campaign creates a path where "We the People" can take back control. We've defied the Supreme's "Citizens United" decision by giving what we can (Millions of Dollars) to a candidate who speaks for us. We can now tell the Power Brokers like Haim Saban they are on warning that the people will take back the Democratic Party and he and his wife Cheryl can Stuff It!