Glen Greenwald: Dem leaders out of step with voters on Israel's attack on Gaza

[Bjorn Against]

Dem leaders out of step with voters on Israel's attack on Gaza
BY GLEN GREENWALD

A new Rasmussen Reports poll -- the first to survey American public opinion specifically regarding the Israeli attack on Gaza -- strongly bolsters the severe disconnect between American public opinion on U.S. policy toward Israel and the consensus views expressed by America's political leadership.

Not only does Rasmussen find that Americans generally "are closely divided over whether the Jewish state should be taking military action against militants in the Gaza Strip" (44 percent to 41 percent, with 15 percent undecided), but Democratic voters overwhelmingly oppose the Israeli offensive -- by a 24-point margin. By stark contrast, Republicans, as one would expect (in light of their history of supporting virtually any proposed attack on Arabs and Muslims), overwhelmingly support the Israeli bombing campaign (62 percent to 27 percent).

It's not at all surprising that Republican leaders -- from Dick Cheney and John Bolton to virtually all appendages of the right-wing noise machine -- are unquestioning supporters of the Israeli attack. After all, they're expressing the core ideology of the overwhelming majority of their voters and audience.

Much more notable is the fact that Democratic leaders -- including Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi -- are just as lock step in their blind, uncritical support for the Israeli attack, in their absolute refusal to utter a word of criticism of, or even reservations about, Israeli actions.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1360270,CST-EDT-open03b.article

[Sensitivity]

1. Follow the money: Media and Pols are bought and controled by same bank accounts

[cali]

2. I don't think this is all about money

it's more about entrenched institutional behavior.

[Idealism]

3. The money leads to the entrenched behavior

The billions we send them a year mean campaign contributions from people, as well as Defense sector jobs that have been created from them buying our products.

[AndyTiedye]

4. They Are Being Blackmailed by AIPAC

[bvar22]

5. The Dem Leadership "out of step" with the voters......????

You saw how quickly they ended the WAR after taking The Majority in 2006?

You saw how quickly they denied the No Strings Attached Bailout of the Wall Street CEOs ?