The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is widely regarded as one of the most influential lobby groups in the United States. Along with like-minded organizations, it spends large sums of money in the run-up to elections to smear and oppose candidates perceived as pro-Palestinian or critical of Israel.
According to the left-liberal news site Politico, AIPAC is expected to spend about $100 million ahead of the upcoming elections on, among other things, negative ads and marketing aimed at getting voters to abandon politicians the Israel lobby believes are against their interests.
According to Connor Farrell, chairman of the left-wing group Left Rising, which raises money for supposedly “progressive” causes, “AIPAC’s strategy is to show that no matter how popular you are with voters or how long you’ve been in office, no one is safe.
– No one is safe from their wrath, and if you speak out, you can be targeted no matter how popular you are, he says.
Virtually unlimited resources
It also notes that a significant portion of AIPAC’s funding comes from wealthy Republicans, often with distinctly neoconservative views. According to the site, the group has so many resources that it is difficult for most candidates to resist or respond to the smears, and according to Jewish Democrat Andy Levin, the lobbying group “can be quite successful in wiping them out.”
A self-described Zionist and synagogue leader, Levin himself became the target of lobbyists’ ire and campaigning after he came to the defense of Palestinians – which also led to his primary defeat.
– AIPAC cannot stand the idea that I am the clearest and strongest Jewish voice in Congress for a simple proposition: that there is no way to have a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people unless we achieve political and human rights for the Palestinian people, he said, in part.
Another great night for pro-Israel Democrats!
All six AIPAC-endorsed Democrats won tonight in Pennsylvania.
46/46 AIPAC-endorsed Democrats have won their primary elections this cycle!
Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics! pic.twitter.com/xpFkwU7bm9
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) April 24, 2024
It is also noteworthy that donations to the Israel lobby have risen sharply following the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. According to analysts, “they will have so much money that they will seize the opportunity wherever there is an opportunity”.
“Attack ads”
Some of the left-wing Democrats targeted for removal are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib – the latter is also the only US congresswoman of Palestinian descent.
California Democrat Dave Min has also come under fire from lobbyists for criticizing Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Netanyahu’s lack of leadership on Hamas attacks.
The lobby group has spent heavily on so-called “attack ads” against Mr. Min, using television, newspapers and the Internet to trumpet the fact that he was arrested for drunk driving last year – in an effort to scare voters away from him.
Andy Levin argues that AIPAC is setting a dangerous precedent with its smear campaigns, pointing out that while this is true of Israel today, the same strategies could be used by the tobacco industry, the pharmaceutical giants, or any influential and well-funded group.
AIPAC STATEMENT:
America Stands with Israel
Congress Approves Historic Aid PackageOverwhelming bipartisan congressional majorities have now concretely demonstrated that America unambiguously stands with Israel as it confronts aggression from Iran and its terrorist proxies.
We… pic.twitter.com/lgNQ8AAV1t
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) April 24, 2024
Over the years, many other activists, politicians, and observers from across the political spectrum have strongly criticized the fact that a lobbying group working on behalf of another country has so much influence over American politics. Although younger Americans in particular oppose the war in Gaza, there is little evidence that AIPAC’s dominance of US politics is being broken.
