Mark Mehlman - Democratic Majority for Israel honcho

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Aipac Astroturf Groups Plow Millions into Defeating Progressive Democrats
https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2022/07/05/aipac-astroturf-groups-plow-millions-into-defeating-progressive-democrats/

America's most powerful lobby, Aipac, had a problem. While it prided itself on being a bipartisan group, whose ardent support for Israel transcended Party, it really wasn't that at all.  Its major donors and most of its members were Republican.  In fact, those donors overwhelmingly supported Republican Senate and House candidates.  Forty of the GOP lawmakers endorsed by Aipac voted against certifying Joe Biden as president. As a result, a reasonable argument can be made that Aipac, at least tacitly, supported the Insurrection.  It certainly ignored the troubling fact that these candidates voted to destroy the Republic.

   Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim Somali-American Woman of Color, was attacked mercilessly by the Lobby

Another factor that drove Aipac into the arms of the Republican Party, was Israel's rightward trend toward apartheid and its abandonment of democracy.  Israeli policy increasingly alienated Democratic voters and attracted Republicans.

It became difficult to persuade Democrats either to donate funds or support Aipac's political initiatives.  That is one of the reasons that the Squad became such a wake-up call for the Israel Lobby.  These were (then) eight progressive Democrats, almost all African-American women, who owed nothing to Aipac; and who charted an independent course regarding Israel-Palestine.  That set off alarms in every Aipac office throughout the country.  Not only were Squad members like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez a threat to Aipac's political hegemony, they threatened to get even more like themselves elected to Congress.  Aipac saw this as a slippery slope it needed to avert at all costs.

Thus, it commenced a guerilla war, tarring them with the anti-Semitism brush and highlighting their alleged hatred of Israel.  It also mounted primary challenges against Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez which it heavily funded.

Aipac's increasing hostility to progressive Democrats posed a major problem

Aipac realized it had a major problem.  It no longer had much credibility among Democrats.  So it could not fight the Squad and progressive Democrats as Aipac.  The solution? Create multiple astroturf PACs which could present themselves as Democrats, and fund pliant pro-Israel candidates who would primary those who posed a threat to the Lobby's dominance in Congress.

The first iteration of this strategy was the Democratic Majority for Israel, which poured $1.4-million to dent Bernie Sanders' popularity during the 2020 presidential primaries.  It spent similar sums during that election cycle to save the seats of old-line pro-Israel Democrats like Elliot Engel, who was hopelessly out of touch with his district and proved an embarrassing campaigner.  Despite spending $665,000 in attack ads against his African-American opponent, Jamaal Bowman; and $900,000 on Engel's behalf, the former won. $1.5-million spent to no avail.  Bowman was promptly hailed by Ocasio-Cortez as a new member of the Squad.

DMFI spent $200,000 to defeat progressive Massachusetts Congressional candidate, Alex Morse, who ran against powerful, longtime Democrat stalwart, Richard Neal.  The latter offers Israel a blank check for whatever it needs, whether it be a weapons system or a vote against BDS.  Neal retained his seat thanks in part to DMFI and other Lobby dirty tricks, which falsely painted Morse, who is Jewish, as a sexual predator and radical threat to Israel.  Pro-Israel forces are not above using homophobia to advance their interests.

Overall, the group raised and spent $6.4-million from 2019-2020. Already this year, DFMI has raised $7.5-million.  Among its donors is Stacey Schusterman, heiress of a $7.2-billion Oklahoma oil fortune and stalwart pro-Israel donor. She has given DMFI $2.7-million so far this year. New England Patriots owner and long-time Trump supporter, Bob Kraft, has given $300,000.

DMFI's top executive is Mark Mehlman, a longtime Democratic campaign consultant with close ties to Aipac.  A key figure on its board is Ann Lewis, another Aipac stalwart.  They are hired guns working for clients who pay best.  And Aipac and its candidates pay exceedingly well. Money buys loyalty in this game, regardless of principle.

The CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Matt Brooks, hailed DFMI as a group witch "mirrors the RJC."  With friends like this, Democrats need no enemies.  DFMI's purpose and allegiance are clear.  Israel first, Democratic Party second, if that.

A second astroturf group established as a "creature" of Aipac, is the United Democracy Project. Their ties are close and deep.  Its spokesperson, Patrick Dorton, served in the same role with Aipac.  Its CEO, Rob Bassin, is the former political director at Aipac.  UDP raised $15-million so far in this election cycle.  It too claims it maintains bipartisan support for Israel's interests in US politics.  But if you follow the money, the facts say something different.  UDP may spend money to elect Democrats, but it raises money almost solely from Republican billionaire donors.  And the candidates it supports are both pro-Israel and primarying progressives who Aipac has deemed enemies to its agenda. As Haaretz wrote:

$6.4 million...has been used for funding attack ads against progressive Democratic candidates whom AIPAC regards as anti-Israel.   

The Democrats on its hit list include African-American, Donna Edwards, who is such a "danger" to Israel that UDP is spending $2.5-million (so far) to defeat her.  She tweeted last week that it spent $800,000 in a single week (!) on attack ads.  Her primary opponent got over $600,000 from the PAC.

It spent over $2-million in a Democratic primary (!) to defeat yet another progressive African-American candidate, Summer Lee. But she appears to have defeated UDP's chosen candidate, Steve Irwin, who is white. It spent $650,000 on his behalf.  It also spent $1.4-million against progressive Hispanic American, Jessica Cisneros, who challenged Texas Democrat, Henry Cuellar. He has the distinction of being the only anti-abortion Democrat in Congress.  Cuellar hung on by the skin of his teeth and retained his seat with the help of $425,000 from UDP.

In yet another bizarre development, the group deemed Jewish Rep. Andy Levin a traitor-to-the-tribe because he refused to vote the straight party ticket for Israel.  It plowed $1-million into the campaign of his opponent, who is not Jewish.  Thus, a Jewish group decides that a Jewish candidate who, while being pro-Israel, isn't pro enough.

The group's donors also tell an interesting tale regarding its real goal.  Aipac itself gave $8.5-million. GOP billionaires, Paul Singer (worth $4-billion) and Bernie Marcus each donated $1-million, just prior to last month's Democratic primaries.  Each was a major supporter of Donald Trump and has long bankrolled Republican races.  Marcus defended Steve Bannon as "a passionate Zionist and supporter of Israel."  While a candidate he supported called Democrats "Nazis."

In many of the races, DMFI and UDP oppose minority (African-American and Hispanic) progressives and support white candidates.  In addition, while many of those it opposes are women, many of their opponents who take Israel Lobby cash are men.  Clearly, the Israel Lobby has a problem with both racism and misogyny in choosing candidates.  It is no accident then, that Israel itself faces the same ugly phenomena within its own society.

Why are Republican megadonors all of a sudden giving to Democrats?  It certainly has nothing to do with supporting the Party itself.  Rather, it's a devious attempt not only to shape a Party that is "centrist" and pro-Israel; but to sabotage it by sowing dissension between its progressive and moderate wings.  A political movement that is riven by conflict and ideological dysfunction cannot contest GOP dominance of the American political landscape.

Aipac and its loyal donors not only want an ascendant Republican Party controlling all the levers of power, they want a weakened Democratic Party that cannot contest elections, unless it offers candidates whose pro-Israel loyalty is guaranteed.  It is a nefarious plot that could succeed unless voters, and progressive Jews and Democrats wake up and mount an aggressive campaign to expose the hypocrisy lurking behind such efforts.