https://www.jns.org/the-biggest-threat-to-american-support-for-israel-comes-from-the-left/?utm_source=Old+Daily+Syndicate&utm_
So long as liberals and their corporate media cheerleaders continue to treat conservatives as illegitimate “deplorables,” the polarization of American politics and public discourse will continue, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. That’s why a dispassionate history and analysis of the conservative movement is important, he argues.
Speaking with Matthew Continetti, author of “The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism,” the two discussed how the rise of former President Donald Trump and his populist approach to politics can be traced to trends that have always been part of the arguments on the right dating back decades. As Continetti noted, “the leadership of a movement matters just as much, if not more, than what that movement stands for.”
They also discussed the role that conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism play in American politics.
“One of the strengths of American conservative thought in the 20th century was that the facts were on its side,” argues Continetti. He also notes that being supportive of Israel was a key part of Trump’s ability to win the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. That was, he says, “more of the party bringing Trump along than it was Trump moving the party. … The evangelical Christian community has been the bulwark of support for Israel in this country for about 40 years.”
According to Continetti, “The biggest threat to American support for Israel, to Israel’s legitimacy and I think to the success of the American Jewish community does come from the left today and not from the right.”