CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Chicago’s Labor Democrats Are Stuck in the (AIPAC) Past

Hillary Clinton speaking at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC 2016. Image Wikipedia.

With only a few days left before Illinois’ primary elections on March 17th, the bitter, often nasty campaigns to succeed prominent members of the state’s Congressional delegation, notably four term Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Danny Davis, and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia are must watch T.V . Most of the old faces are retiring from political office, while Rep. Robin L. Kelly is running to replace Durbin, setting off another rancorous campaign with ten candidates vying to replace her. There are fifteen candidates competing to replace Schakowsky in the Democratic primary.

All of these Congressional seats were considered safe for the Democratic establishment in the last election cycle, and while there is little prospect of any Republican winning them, widespread discontent with the party leadership and burgeoning grassroots opposition to Trump’s policies in Gaza, the ICE terror, and the affordability crisis are producing the most competitive contests in a long time. Almost all of the Democratic candidates are trying to outdo one another, attacking their opponents for receiving money from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—which would have been impossible to think of just a few years ago—ICE contractors, and Corporate PACs.

It’s the campaign contributions from a variety of pro-Israel groups, in many cases masked versions of AIPAC, that is particularly significant. Last year, Mondoweiss, one of the vital resources for pro-Palestine news and analysis, reported:

“Something has definitely changed recently, and it’s clearly because of Gaza,” Eli Clifton [a senior advisor and investigative journalist at Responsible Statecraft] told Mondoweiss. “Mainstream media has not covered it to the degree they should be, but people see it on their phones, they see it on social media. This has been one atrocity after another,” he added. “It’s a genocide and the Israelis and the United States have been unable to conceal it.”

“Something has definitely changed recently, and it’s clearly because of Gaza,” Eli Clifton [a senior advisor and investigative journalist at Responsible Statecraft] told Mondoweiss. “Mainstream media has not covered it to the degree they should be, but people see it on their phones, they see it on social media. This has been one atrocity after another,” he added. “It’s a genocide and the Israelis and the United States have been unable to conceal it.”

The AIPAC connection in Illinois has become so politically toxic that even Jan Schakowsky, once a stalwart supporter of Israel, who over the last decade has become a consistent critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza, recently withdrew her support of Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller to succeed her in the 9th Congressional district. “Illinois deserves leaders who put voters first, not AIPAC or out-of-state Trump donors,” Schakowsky said. Then she just as quickly endorsed Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss, one of the most bland products of the Democratic Party. “That is one of the many reasons I am supporting Daniel Biss in IL-09. Daniel will always put Illinois families ahead of outside influence.”

But, not all is what it appears to be with Biss. While he’s sworn off taking AIPAC money and, along with three other Congressional candidates, called for it to stay out of the Congressional races, Biss, according to the Track AIPAC website, has received $288, 272 in campaign donations from pro-Israel lobby groups and mega-donors. Track AIPAC says its mission as “to reveal and counter the influence of AIPAC and the Israel lobby by systematically documenting their financial contributions to our federal officials.”  It’s cataloging of pro-Israel money in national politics is a wonder to behold.

It is one of the reasons that AIPAC has been forced to hide behind such neutral-sounding groups, like Affordable Chicago Now, Elect Chicago Women, and the United Democracy Project, that say little about the Middle East but emphasize fighting Trump and the cost of living. A joint investigation between the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ, revealed:

The AIPAC-linked candidates — all Democrats — include Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the 2nd District, Chicago City........

© CounterPunch