El-Sayed Again

I’ll say it again: not everyone is a Jew-hater.

I just got a note from the AIPAC mother ship. It wanted me to know that I should be fearful of Abdul El-Sayed and do everything I can to elect Mike Rogers in Michigan. It had the high-pitched tone of an organization in distress. AIPAC candidates have been defeated in many primaries, including its epic campaign for Haley Stevens. That is likely to happen more often going forward, since AIPAC has abandoned its posture of non-partisanship and decided to fund its favorite candidates directly. Even on the most consequential issues, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I would most certainly have voted for Haley Stevens. Her moderation appeals to me and so does her familiar accent. I respect her working woman, down-home credentials and believe that she has a real future in Michigan/national politics. El-Sayed activates my aversion to true believers and he is entrained in the tribe of Democratic Socialists. I don’t think that their platform is a winning strategy in an election that will depend on the will of Independents.

But AIPAC wants me to keep fighting against El-Sayed. It is absolutely right that he has little sympathy for Israel. A thimble-full, tops, with not a drop to spare. He has used alarming rhetoric to describe the Jewish State and it is unclear whether he could support a two-state solution. Unfortunately, that puts him in a populous camp. Most Israelis would say that they don’t support one, either.

But the truth about El-Sayed is that is not the whole man, and he seems to be capable of atonement and reconsideration. The first thing he said after the primary closed is that Jewish security in Michigan was a significant issue. He apologized for contextualizing the attack on the Jewish preschool in Oakland County, recanting his statement that “hurt people hurt people.” That means that whatever happens in Lebanon, you aren’t allowed to drive a truck through the front doors of a synagogue. And he has ended his relationship with Hasan Piker, a truly loathsome anti-Zionist and anti-Semite.

In order words, he did exactly what we asked. In the final hours before the advent of the High Holidays, I’m ready to say that this is a set piece of atonement. That means there are elements of sincere regret, theatrical posturing, and political calculation. As they say in the real world, “Impurity? So what?” That’s the closest that any of us get to perfection. I refuse to be a dope and expect the impossible.

And on top of that, his opponent in November will be the detestable Mike Rogers, hardline Trumper,and MAGA extremist. He is the very definition of an authoritarian beast who believes—to this day—that Trump won the election. The other term for that is “election denialist.” That is the cardinal sin of the current political moment, the anti-democratic ideology of our enemies.

Regardless of what AIPAC has to say about El-Sayed, that’s no-fly zone for me. The problem with elections is that if you don’t vote for X, you’ll likely vote for Y. In this case, Y is completely off limits, and no amount of persuasion could convince me otherwise. When it comes to the Netanyahu government, I’ve read harsher critiques in Ha’aretz, Israel’s newspaper of record, than Abdul El-Sayed has ever uttered. AIPAC has this one absolutely wrong, and a win for Rogers will mean a loss for the country.

None of this means that AIPAC is never right. I have always appreciated its singular focus, and its ability to mobilize energy and contributions. It offers lessons in how to organize an opposition and its appetite for risk is greater than mine. But this time around, it’s asking us to cross a bridge too far. I believe that this will help ensure it declining influence and do little to strengthen American Jews.