In 1973, Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan wrote a line for Stealers Wheel that seems strangely appropriate for American politics today.

For Jewish liberals, pro-Israel Democrats, Zionists and our friends, it can sometimes feel as though we are caught between two political movements moving farther away from us, or perhaps against us, whichever way we turn.

No. That is simply how they want us to feel.

I say: Don’t give in! Don’t give up! We are not stuck in the middle!

We are creating our own lane.

After watching the recent Democratic primaries and thinking hard about where we belong, I have reached a conclusion.

We can stay, aggressively, in the Democratic Party.

We are not surrendering our principles.

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. I have serious disagreements with El-Sayed, particularly regarding Israel and his call to end American military aid to the Jewish state.

Last week, I wrote a Times of Israel article challenging Abdul El-Sayed to decide what kind of political future he wants: “Will Abdul El-Sayed Change Course to Unite the Democrat Party?”

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/will-abdul-el-sayed-change-course-to-unite-the-democrat-party/

He may very well become a United States senator. He could have a remarkable career ahead of him and become a genuine example of what an American Muslim statesman can be: loyal to the Constitution, committed to democratic government, willing to represent all the people, willing to engage seriously with the American Jewish community and pro-Israel Democrats, and willing to listen to people with whom he profoundly disagrees.

Abdul El-Sayed stands at a fork in the road.

He can demonstrate that a Muslim American can embrace the American Dream and constitutional democracy while remaining proudly Muslim, just as generations of Jewish Americans and Americans from countless other backgrounds have balanced their identities with their American identity.

Or does Abdul want to be known as a jihadist?

That choice is precisely why our engagement matters.

We cannot change the outcome of a primary!

But we can challenge the positions of candidates and, later, elected officials.

We can tell them what concerns us. We can demand that they confront antisemitism. We can challenge anti-Israel rhetoric and historical distortion.

If, over the months and years ahead, a candidate changes course, listens, moderates damaging positions and becomes someone whose reelection we can genuinely embrace, we should acknowledge that change.

If not, we primary them!

Winning a primary does not end the conversation.

We........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)