AIPAC’s Plans To ‘Come Together’ Undone By Trump
By RON KAMPEAS JTA
WASHINGTON—
Hear out Donald Trump. Ignore Donald Trump. There were two distinct approaches to the Trump moment at AIPAC’s annual conference here, and there were mutual warnings that one or the other side would get burned.
The burn came fast, and it came to those who said listening to the front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nod was the right thing to do.
After days of repeated warnings to its activists not to disrupt Trump, and to treat speakers with respect, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee leadership JTA issued an extraordinary apology—but not to Trump. Instead, AIPAC said it was sorry for its members who had applauded his insulting remarks about President Obama during Trump’s speech at the Verizon Center. Many members roared and leapt to their feet when Trump suggested Obama was “the worst thing to ever happen to Israel.”
“While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the president of the United States and our President Barack Obama,” Lillian Pinkus, the lobby’s newly installed president, said from the AIPAC stage, joined by other AIPAC lay and professional leaders.
“There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night and for that we are deeply sorry,” Pinkus said, her voice choking. “We are deeply disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”
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http://www.jewishvoicesnj.org/news/2016-03-30/Home/AIPACs_plans_to_come_together_undone_by_Trump.html
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geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Their choice to cheer Trump's attacks on Obama. Theirs alone.
AIPAC might as well be named ReLiPAC--the Republican Likud Public Affairs Committee.
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)
Ford_Prefect
(7,901 posts)There is no independent Jewish voice in American Politics anymore. Only those sanctioned by AIAPC are allowed to speak. Therefore the statements made by Trump during his address have the same weight as if spoken by AIPAC officials. They certainly knew what he might say, invited him to speak and insisted that he not be interrupted no matter what he said.
The crowd reaction certainly belies the sentiment expressed by Pinkus. Whoever it was that OK'd that speech meant for the audience to hear it and must have known the reaction would be strong. Pinkus may not share those views but it seems that quite a few attendees did and made it clear.
“There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night and for that we are deeply sorry,” Pinkus said, her voice choking. “We are deeply disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”
If AIPAC so respects the President why did they help engineer Benjamin Netanyahu's insulting address to Congress?
