When Obama Calls Livni, Is He Dialing for Jewish Dollars?

Here's a news account that Obama called Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni while she was visiting the U.S. to offer his condolences on the latest Israeli victims of terror and make the right noises about a non-nuclear Iran and Israel's right to defend itself.

I wonder how many other foreign ministers Obama is calling. And no, there is no Israel lobby.

One reason for the call is Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia suburbs are a battleground, and a lot of liberal Jews live there. The older they are the more likely they are to vote for Hillary (my poll).

More intriguing is the money angle. As I say ad nauseum on this blog, the Washington Post reported that half of Democratic giving is from Jews. And these days Democratic giving is way outstripping Republican giving. It's not even close. Hillary and Obama have raised about $270 million from their contributors, while McCain is at a paltry $53 million.

Makes you wonder: Is Jewish money the biggest game in town? Is Jewish wealth one of the great engines of our economy? So is that why Obama is calling Tzipi Livni? I know, The Times is gonna get right on this...

Comments

[Dan Fleshler]

Phil,

Has anyone ever claimed "there is no Israel lobby" or that is has little power? Who is claiming this? Not Foxman or Dershowitz, et.al. Why do you keep using that rhetorical device, which is a glib distraction? Of course there is an Israel lobby. It is worth focusing on the extent of its power and how it operates, rather than continuing to prove or protest that it exists.

[Defenestrator]

Actually Dan, YES, people have claimed that the Israel lobby has minimal power. When Walt and Mersheimer published, the constant talk was that the lobby does not have power. That's the point! Further, we have no idea how it operates, but we do know the extent it stifles debate.

Phil, it's questionable how much Jewish wealth drives the economy. What it does do is drive electoral politics.

[Jim Haygood]

.

"Hillary and Obama have raised about $270 million from their contributors, while McCain is at a paltry $53 million."

I don't know how long it took to raise that $270 million. But let's suppose the money's rolling in at a rate of $50 million per month, of which $25 million a month is from Jewish contributors. Meanwhile, the neocons' Iraq War is costing the government $12 billion a month.

What this implies -- the ratio of $12 billion to $25 million -- is a raw return on Jewish investment of 480 to 1. Jews provide half the Democratic Party's contributions because the leveraged return is orders of magnitude higher than can be obtained anywhere else, even in a hedge fund.

In technical terms, the arrangement is like a pilot valve or a power transistor -- a small signal current (Jewish political contributions) modulates a much larger main flow (government spending on behalf of Israel). You don't need to be a Nobel Prize winner to see how this engine of national destruction works -- or to predict an exponential growth curve, which it indeed is following.

[Montag]

1. There is no Israel Lobby.
2. Clap hands if you believe in Fairies.
3. Lose weight without dieting--ask me how!

If you're able to say all three of these statements without laughing, then you're ready for the exciting career of mainstream journalism!