Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative”
YnetNews, June 15, 2011
President Obama pressures Israel to adopt his initiative, which is based on the 1949 cease fire lines, including the repartitioning of Jerusalem and land swaps. He implies that Israeli rejection of his initiative would undermine US-Israel relations, while advancing Palestinian maneuvers at the UN.
However, Obama lacks the domestic backing to effectively pressure Israel, which has recently gained in bi-partisan support on Capitol Hill and among constituents, while Obama lost the “Bin Laden Bounce” and is struggling with a less-than-50% approval rating.
Obama’s power constraints are derivatives of the Federalist system, which is based on limited government with a complete separation of powers and checks and balances between Congress and the White House, Congressional “Power of the Purse” and the centrality of the constituent in a political system of bi-annual elections. Therefore, legislators are more loyal to – and fearful of – their constituents than to their party or to the president. Moreover, the loyalty to constituents constitutes a prerequisite for re-election.
Obama’s constraints in pressuring the Jewish State emanate from the unique attitude of Americans – as early as the 1620 landing of the Mayflower, as well as the Founding Fathers – to the idea of reconstructing the Jewish Commonwealth in the Land of Israel. The solid and sustained support enjoyed by Israel in the USA derives its vitality from the American people and from their representatives on Capitol Hill and in the legislatures of the 50 states more than from the president. While the president plays a major role in shaping US-Israel relations, constituents and legislators laid the foundations for this relationship and they continuously codetermine its direction, tone and substance. They can also initiate, suspend, terminate and amend policies, direct presidents and overhaul presidential policies.
The results of the November 2010 Congressional elections revealed that Obama’s policies had lost the support of most constituents.
According to a May 26, 2011 poll by CNN – which is usually critical of Israel – most Americans do not share Obama’s attitude towards Israel. 82% consider Israel an ally and a friend, compared with 72% in 2001. 67% support Israel, while only 16% support the Palestinians, compared with 60%:17% in 2009. In fact, the Palestinians (16%) are as unpopular as are Iran (15%) and North Korea (17%).
These CNN findings exceed the February, 2011 Gallup poll (68% considered Israel an ally), the April 2011 Rasmussen Report (most Americans opposed foreign aid to Arab countries but supported foreign aid to Israel) and the April 2010 Quinnipiac Polling Institute (66% expected Obama to improve treatment of Israel).
But, the “Poll of Polls” is conducted daily in Congress – a coequal branch of government – where hard-core support of the Jewish State has been bi-partisan, robust and steady. Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid and Minority Whip Congressman Steny Hoyer publicly criticized (fellow-Democrat) President Obama’s focus on the 1967 ceasefire lines. Other key Democrats – whose cooperation is critical to Obama’s reelection campaign – have clarified that they expect him to veto any anti-Israel UN resolution. Just like their constituents – most Democrats value Israel as a unique ally, whose alliance with the US is based on shared values, mutual threats and joint interests.
Will Prime Minister Netanyahu leverage this unique American support, defying pressure and solidifying Israel’s posture of deterrence in the face of an unpredictably violent Middle East, where concessions breed radicalism, terrorism and war? Or, will he succumb to the psychological warfare launched by the White House?
Mazal Tov.
Making money — as much as they can get — is what corporations are supposed to do.
It’s not a crime.
It’s not a sin.
It’s not rude.
It’s not even crass.
In a real and substantive sense, it’s a measure of a corporation’s usefulness to society.
The money they receive represents the degree to which they efficiently provide goods & services of a quality and nature which the public wants, and finds satisfactory — and at a price which the public is willing to pay.
Corporations NEVER ‘pay’ taxes.
Ultimately whatever taxes they are assessed are invariably passed on to the end-product consumers of their goods & services in the form of higher prices.
So it’s absurd to speak of ‘taxing’ them in the first place (as if that would solve ANYBODY’s economic problem).
Look, Yamit, if you want to lobby for cutting corporate subsidisation by the govt, fine. (Ethanol subsidies, etc.) Go for it.
But moaning & groaning over ‘insufficiency’ of corporate taxation is simply barking up the wrong tree.
The US has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world [35 percent, if I recall], and all it does is guarantee that multinationals increasingly take themselves — and their jobs — overseas to more business-friendly jurisdictions. (What in the hell would you expect them to do, given the purpose for which they exist?)
And the extent to which those corporations STAY, under such circumstances, is merely the degree to which they use their not-inconsiderable resources to otherwise finagle their way around giving up money to taxes. (Whatever you may think about their motives or methods, they are quite rational; they’re certainly not stupid.)
The notion of increasing corporate taxes is thus myopic — and in the end, self-defeating.
But it’s no surprise that you’d find such cockeyed thinking at left-wing websites like the one you cited [Citizens for Tax Justice].
LOLROF
It’s called wishful thinking. That bit of wind you just heard was the progressive movement whistling thru the graveyard.
This is why the Republicans might lose the next elections and why the conservatives don’t have a clue as to what is a major cause of the economic meltdown:
The following figures come directly out of a report by Citizens for Tax Justice. These are combined figures for the tax years 2008, 2009 and 2010.
During those three years, all of the corporations below made a lot of money. Yet all of them paid net taxes that were below zero for those three years combined.
How is that possible? Well, it turns out that instead of paying in taxes to the federal government, they were actually getting money back.
So for these corporations, their rate of taxation was actually below zero.
If you have not seen these before, you are going to have a hard time believing some of these statistics…..
*Honeywell*
Profits: $4.9 billion
Taxes: -$34 million
*Fed Ex*
Profits: $3 billion
Taxes: -$23 million
*Wells Fargo *
Profits: $49.37 billion
Taxes: -$681 million
*Boeing*
Profits: $9.7 billion
Taxes: -$178 million
*Verizon*
Profits: $32.5 billion
Taxes: -$951 million
*Dupont*
Profits: $2.1 billion
Taxes -$72 million
*American Electric Power *
Profits: $5.89 billion
Taxes -$545 million
*General Electric *
Profits: $7.7 billion
Taxes: -$4.7 billion
Are you starting to get the picture?
I wish I could make $7.7 billion, pay no taxes and have the government give me $4.7 billion on top of it.
Our system has become corrupted beyond all recognition.
Obama should be polling by any objective criteria today where Bush finished. No poll by any pollster places Obama anywhere near Bush’s Lows.
BB was polling here around 38% favorable. After his speeches in Washington he got a big spike to around +/- 50% 12% jump in a month based on a speech or two is not sustainable unless BB continues to behave like a strong leader who doesn’t bend or cave even or especially to American diktat and pressure.
I think where Israel and America mostly differ is most Israelis want a strong national leader who will guide us successfully through the international minefield successfully and are most concerned with the national security issues than even the economy,. In America it’s mostly the economy and maintainability of the many entitlements. I would love to see any of you conservatives seriously mess with entitlements and still win an election but you know and I know it ain’t going to happen.
Remember THIS?
<a href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/48-percent-of-americans-believe-another-great-depression-is-likely-in-the-next-12-months-
Will Our Economy Trigger Violence In U.S.? People Are Frustrated & Angry & Disgusted With Our Govt!
Nice little perspective, Oat; a contrarian revival, of sorts, may indeed be in the offing for America (the Tea Party has real legs).
Though I wouldn’t assume it.
I remember McGee from the radio. He was a penetrating observer of human nature, with a sharp wit & an often interesting turn of phrase — as well as a Tennessee/Texas twang that never failed to bring a smile to my lips.
Claudius and/or Nero I could handle.
Hadrian might give me grief…
The operative phraseology here: “may have had an affair with.”
There was that little matter of his young niece, Geli [Angelika Maria Raubal, his half-sister’s daughter], who reportedly “committed suicide.” How many female suicides use a firearm to do it? (She died of a bullet fired from Hitler’s Walther.) The stories about him and her have never been set to rest.
That’s sad, maybe a visit would cure that.
I would not consider you the black sheep of the family.
I said before all Jewish youngsters should visit and spend time in the Holy Land and I am sure they would come away with a better attitude towards Israel and the land G-d provided for them.
Bottom line, Israel is not a secular nation, and her people need to recognize that.
Yamit a black sheep?!?!? 🙂
Yamit, the pollsters do things like only poll 24% Repubs while polling 76% Dems. I don’t pay attention to the polls.
Obama earned 53% of the popular vote. Not such a mandate, really. He’s certainly initiated policies that have alienated 10% from that number, easily.
He’s goin’ down…
ron all the tracking polls are pretty close, one to another. I think you as most pundits on this blog are living in a conservative bubble. We read ea. others comments and articles that reinforce our own ideological and political POV. Some if not most ignore what is said by the other side and we feel that most Americans must agree with our views. it ain’t so!!! America is split between two opposing political camps and only 10-15% of the voters determine the outcome of any Presidential election. Sometimes these swing voters swing to the left and sometimes to the right.
The only consideration worth anything as far as the republicans go is who can beat Obama. Every other position is meaningless and the conservatives if they get their way will almost assuredly lose the election to Obama. The American people are not all that conservative and ea. American voter is an individual self interested entity. When you have over 50% of every American receiving some government handout it means that any proposal that touches the self interest of those Americans will not get their votes. It’s a catch 22 conundrum.
The America I grew up in does not exist any longer and what was will never be again. Two of my relations ( from my ex wife’s family) are planning to return to Israel after living in America for over 20 years. They are not related to ea. other and don’t know ea. other. Both are highly successful one is a partner in a wall st. PR firm and the other is a CPA with big name clients and offices all over the US.
A sign of the Times? 12 More Signs That Society Is Collapsing
More signs… 18 Signs The Collapse Of Society Is Accelerating
Read my comments #7-11 Here
Whenever you’re up to it I’ll be happy to show you the sites, no need to walk I’ll take you by camel to all the most interesting sites and places of interest. LOL
My family is not interested in Israel. I’m the Black sheep of our family. None have ever been to Israel except one sister who came only because she believed I was about to croak. I wasn’t and so far I haven’t but I said nothing to her to make her believe otherwise. My way of a little payback for all of the times I went to the States to see her and my other sister.
Yamit [Uncle Nahum] they didn’t poll me.
Not everyone called provides a comment one way or the other.
Anyway, its all about who is doing the polling.
Like we say about accountants “Figures don’t lie, liars figure”.
BTW Uncle has your nephew or any relatives from the state been to Israel to visit you? You haven’t said much lately.
I would guess this time of the year would be a good time to visit.
I would like to visit Israel some day G-d willing.
After I get my knee fixed I would be in a better position to dodge the rock throwing Arabs [damn fools].
Large majority voted for him and after almost 3 yrs. he is still polling favorably around 50%/
What does that say about Americans and America?
A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within” – W. Durant
Bruce, well put. I am in total agreement.
Fortunately we were not the kool-aid drinkers who fell for the garbage put out by George Soros & Company and the liberal left media.
I often refer to Obama as “An acorn community organizing pamphlet distributing anti-Semite [pretending to be a Christian for political reasons] who embraces Islam an incompetent president”.
The kool-aid drinkers put a boy in the WH who is playing president and doing a lousy job and acts like a comedian while doing so and at our expense.
He is by no means a friend of Israel. He is an outright liar, forget what he says, watch what he does.
Bruce, thank you from Israel for that letter of support.
However, believe you me, we Israelis are the ones who owe apologies to our supporters everywhere for our politicians and voters who flinch at every “boo” shouted at them. Israel has lost much of its backbone over the last decades and its long-term bout of political Osteoporosis has allowed the situation to get to where it’s at today.
HCq is too harsh. No nation meets his standard. Every nation has its liberals and conservatives, religious folk and atheists. Its a constant duel.
I wrote this letter on the evening of Obama’s “67 Borders” speech. I sent a copy to the Israeli Embassy in D.C., and posted it at various sites, both Christian and Jewish, Right wing and Left wing…..
An American Citizens Personal “Apology Tour”,
I am a private, unknown, middle class, American citizen. I would like to apologize to the State of Israel and the Jewish people for the President of the United States…Barack Hussein Obama.
I am ashamed of the speech that he gave on this the 19th day of May, 2011, where he proposed on the world stage that Israel return to pre-1967 national boundary’s.
I didn’t vote for him, as in my research during the ’08 Primary, I determined that he was, at the least, sympathetic to the muslims, and NOT sympathetic to Israel. This was easy to ascertain based on his associations.
I am apologizing that despite the best efforts of those who saw him for what he was, and is, we were not able to convince those who did vote for him, not to.
I am apologizing for the extreme Far Left media in America that makes it appear that my whole country is against Israel. This is far from the truth. The Far Left media represents a minority opinion in America. They just have the loudest voice.
I would also like to apologize to Britain, Honduras, the Green Movement in Iran, and any other nation or truly Democratic movement that has been injured or insulted by the misguided, Far Left, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Semitic, or racist policies of the President of the United States…Barack Hussein Obama.
I am truly sorry that he represents my country, and I promise to do everything in my power, within the confines of the Constitution of the United States, to remove him from the Presidency at the end of his first term.
I stand with Israel.
Thank You,
Bruce O’H.
USA
The underlying moral defect of Hitler’s Germany had its pan-German militaristic prelude of some sixty plus years: Protestants picking up the sword, instead of their weapon of choice, “the sword of The Spirit”:
while Catholics, by longstanding doctrinal practice confirmed as dogma in 1870, clung to the former in the guise of concordats.
“While Hitler believes in the principles of Caesar,President Benes and Prime Minister Churchill both believe in the principles of Jesus.” D.J. Tosevic.
Hitler versus Huss.
Hi, HCQ
I suppose the moral condition of America will have some bearing on the 2012 elections, which will have a bearing on Israel; so this thread is still about as on target as anything here on Israpundit.
I understand your frustration at the “new morality”, which one preacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, once described as “nothing but the old immorality”. I won’t apologize for today’s American women. I suppose I could compare them with the women in the 1920s, who were portrayed as speakeasy-frequenting “flappers” who dressed more skimpily than women do today; while our big cities were run by gangsters protected by bribed officials and policemen. That wouldn’t be a valid comparison, though, because American Christians, and professing Bible-believing Christians everywhere, are not judged by their grandparents in the Roaring 20s, nor by European Christians, nor by Jews, nor by Moslems: They’re judged according to the example of Jesus of Nazareth; and this is fitting, since they call themselves by his name.
They all fall short of the mark. They always have; and even if some exemplary martyrs (not “shahids” — “martyr” means “witness”) did exploits in resisting temptation, there was never anything resembling a true “Christian society” wherein the citizens behaved according to the teachings of Jesus and Paul. But consider this: You said America resembled Rome during the time of Caligula. Well, then, there’s hope! In Caligula’s day, Rome wasn’t Christian at all, but Pagan. Caligula and Nero were complete lunatics; and Claudius, the sanest of the three, persecuted Christians and Jews alike. Yet the church, as we know it, was birthed under their administration.
Hitler was a vegetarian who despised “decadent” art forms (though he liked nudes), promoted the most thorough “scouting” program in history for German girls and boys, promised and strove to return Germany to an imaginary utopia of less decadent days, and got the streetcars running on time. He married the only woman he may have had an affair with, while U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was having an extramarital affair. FDR was smoking his cigarettes and Churchill his cigars; but Hitler didn’t smoke, nor was he much of a drinker. Oh, how fortunate those moral German women must’ve felt, to have such a shining light to guide and lead them! But Hitler had faults, as I suppose you realize; and his morality-cum-holocaust exposed the utter lifelessness of German Christianity.
Corrupt leaders, a depraved society and persecution are the fertile soil that true Christianity has always thrived in. I think it’s curious that China is on target to eclipse the United States as the world’t foremost economic power by the 2020’s. Around that same time, China is also on target to become a Christian country, the largest in the world. Perhaps coincidentally, their conversion is happening at about the same rate as the West’s apostasy; and it is happening under the leadership of determined atheists who persecute the church.
So, maybe America IS like Caligula’s Rome; and the rest of the world is like those “noble savages” of the surrounding countries, who drank out of human skulls. We’ll muddle through somehow; and for Israel’s sake, maybe we’ll get rid of Obama. He might be replaced by Claudius, and then Nero.
All the best.
Dear Bruce O’H,
Americans need to start realizingtheir young women have been and continue to be groomed for sexual exploitation and objectification. That a putrid slime like Hugh Hefner can be admired by and have his virtues extolled by millions of women, and the fact that a man old enough to be a grandfather has seen more young ass than a women’s university bathroom is the best example of Stockholm Syndrome one could ever witness. And to top it all off, his prostitutes actually think they’re the feminists.
You’ll have to forgive my cynicism and negativity. How the sleepy citizenry can even stomach the lies and propaganda coming from the MSM is stunning. I can barely turn the TV on anymore.
HCQ, don’t let the bullhorn dominance of the American Leftist media fool you. If all that you say were true, the good people of America would not have gained the wins that they did in the 2010 elections. I can assure you that the vast majority of American girls do not aspire to be strippers, etc.
When polled, fully 86% of Americans profess a belief in God, with 70% of the country polling Christian. These people certainly don’t raise daughters who wish to be porn stars.
We are in a battle with the Left for the future direction of our country. Many Americans were “asleep” while the Left infiltrated and took over many social and political institutions over the past 60 years. We are “awake” now.
Pro-Life polls higher than abortion amongst the citizenry. You’d never know that by reading our media.
Gay marriage initiatives are routinely voted against by the citizens and overturned by Leftist activist judges. The most egregious case being the recent Calif case where a GAY judge overturned the votes of 8,000,000 voters regarding gay marriage there.
And the political battle in Wisconsin against unions targets the Leftist teachers union, amongst others. We are aware of the grip the Left has on our educational system and are working to rectify it by Constitutional means. They didn’t gain that control overnight, and it will take time to wrest it from them.
BUT, that is our fight and has nothing to do with the fact that Israel enjoys large public support amongst the good citizens of America.
Were I in such a position, I would advise Bibi to hold the fort and stand firm against obama until the next American Administration is sworn in, as, despite the whistling past the graveyard of obamas lap dog media, he will be defeated in 2012.
I would further advise Bibi and Israel to appreciate the support that he has from the American public, whether he considers them strippers, baby killers and faggots, or not. And I would counsel him not to insult the majority of his American supporters by likening them and their children to such people.
HAHAHA! A “Christian” nation. A nation where the women aspire to be strippers, hookers and porn stars, abortion is touted as the highest testament to “feminism”, a near 50% divorce rate, queer “marriage”, queer theory crammed down the throats of children in the public indoctrination system. Get real.
Cali said:
LOL. The U.S. is in decline and is so morally degraded she is more akin to Caligula’s Rome. You’re quite delusional about the concentration of power in your own nation.
And Obama went over to Israel while he was still routinely voting “present” in the senate and LIED to Israelis by saying he believed Jerusalem should remain the undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish people. Obama is a lying liarfaced lying head. U.S. presidents need to refrain from campaigning in Israel, in the future, because they just lie to the Israeli Jew’s face while simultaneously undermining Israel’s safety by pressuring Israel to give land away to her enemies all the while knowing Israel is in a unique position where land = security.
Obama is playing a dangerous game here; although he’s an amateur, he still can do lots of damage. America is an overwelmingly christian nation, and for that reason alone, all of us support Israel.
He wont be able to bully Bibi into anything; but we have to make sure that he is not re-elected; because if he is-all bets ar off.
Obama has a two step plan to push Israel to commit suicide by returning to the June 4 1967 situation. The first step is to legitimize the concept of Israel returning to 1967. He called for such a return to 1967 that he wants Israel to commit to before real negotiations begin. If Israel did that it would put itself in a deep hole, losing precious rights and assets as well as it’s negotiating chips, before negotiations even start. It would also further legitimize the back to 1967 concept, totally. Then, for the second step, when the negotiations deadlock, he will demand, together with others, that Israel must return to 1967 or else it is violating it’s own solemn commitment and therefore is in violation of international law. He will say, in the second stage: ” The United States does not recognize the legitimacy of Israel’s refusal to return to the 1967 boundaries.” He will threaten Israel with international isolation. He will say that Israel’s relation with the US is dependent on this. He will pull out all the stops. This will happen in his second term, when he has no need for votes or donations.
Sounds like Lame Duck Clinton in 2000, except that Obama needs to be more careful because he’s up for re-election. Netanyahu needs to keep up on his dance steps, get a nice suit of clothes, brush his teeth, spritz his breath, put on his straw hat and grab his cane. Fred Astaire, move over; Israel will get through this with a song.