“The defense of democracy is the number one issue driving Jewish voters in this election, just as it was in the past election,” Halie Soifer, CEO of Jewish Democratic Council of America and former national security advisor of then Sen. Kamala Harris on JDCA call.
Ilan Goldenberg, Harris campaign Jewish outreach lead, and former Middle East advisor to VP Harris, on Trump: “At the end of the day, he is an isolationist who plays footsie with Putin.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md): I returned from a 27 state tour. I was in Pennsylvania for my sixth and I think final time. And I'm seeing just this extraordinary outpouring of activism and creativity by people standing up for democracy and freedom against the autocrats in Moscow, and the kleptocrats and plutocrats in Mar a Lago, and the theocrats with MAGA and Mike Johnson, and the Democrats are going to beat all of them. And we've got a magnificent leader in Kamala Harris who really spelled out the terms of this race yesterday.
Have pretty minimal phonebanking/get out the vote door knocking experience, but those have had the past few weeks have been so interesting. Guess most predominately, that most people have already made up their minds. Went to 1 address in PA today where told the male was an independent, female was D. but few questions in, the male said he did not know why he was recorded as an independent, it was clear he was a strong Democrat. as was the female in the household. Was not a matter of persuasion of any sort.
But the choice to even come talk to someone knocking at the door is an assessment of whether the person wants to talk with you, right? so, there is a self selection thing going on, within even the information the campaigns have acquired of who might be persuadable. an x factor
Of 50+ doors we knocked today, not sure changed a single mind. May have helped campaign improve info on its likely voters, etc., & given a couple people precise information if voting was not top of mind (new parent, inclined to vote D, said lady up street was telling them what to do.)
🧵Haaretz military reporter Amos Harel speaking to Israel Policy podcast’s Neri Zilber on ex israeli generals’ ‘surrender or starve plan’ for north Gaza having kind of been absorbed into IDF thinking, even as top brass denies it: 1/
Harel: “My fear is…the ‘generals’ plan’ … there's talk of starving the population, of pushing the population by force to the south, all kinds of crazy ideas…. this has somehow infiltrated the IDF line of thinking. 2/
“& although I've heard even today..serving generals denying any kind of plan going on, the soldiers who are actually in the field that are talking to us, some of them are very worried about this outcome.
🧵VP Kamala Harris, on call with Jewish voters: “I am clear eyed: Iran is a destabilizing and dangerous force. When Donald Trump was president, he let Iran off the hook. 1/
Harris: “After Iran and its proxies attacked US bases and American troops, Trump did nothing; and he pulled out of the nuclear deal, without any plan, leading to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program.
“On the other hand, our administration struck Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria when they attacked American troops, and we are the first administration to ever directly defend Israel. On April 13, I joined President Biden and our national security team for more than five hours as we and a coalition of nations that we brought together responded to Iran's unprecedented attack.
🧵New from me: US wary as Israel plans retaliation against Iran
US Israel relations at ‘rock bottom’ as Israel PM Netanyahu blocks Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from traveling to Washington for consultations on Iran.
When US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, NSC Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and a half dozen other top Biden advisors arrived at the Israeli embassy Monday for a memorial event to mark the one year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, the optics were of close American Israeli solidarity. But there were signs too of the tremendous strain that the relationship between the highest levels of the two governments are under at the current moment, strain that seemed at times personal.
Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog referred to “disagreements” between the US & Israeli governments, saying he told Sullivan when they arose that Israel considered itself to be facing an “existential” threat. open.substack.com/pub/diplomatic…
🧵US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan became emotional speaking at an Israel embassy memorial event on the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks. He said he was humbled by the resilience and determination of the families of the American hostages held by Hamas. And he spoke of, for the government of Israel, “the challenge going forward” of “turning tactical wins” into enduring strategic gains.
Also attending from US gov: deputy national security advisor Jon Finer, Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, Asst. Sec. State NEA Barbara Leaf, DoD’s Dan Shapiro, the chairs of the Senate and House foreign relations committees, Steny Hoyer….
Blinken advisor Ned Price.
Israel ambassador Michael Herzog said lsrael before and after Oct. 7 were “two different countries.” The govt of Israel believes they face “an existential challenge.” He said when he and Jake Sullivan have had disagreements, and they have had disagreements, he tells him “it is because, for us, this is an existential war.”