How influential are AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups in the US?

Summary

In this interview, Max Blumenthal discusses the influence of the American Pro-Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC), one of the most powerful lobbies in the U.S., comparable to the NRA. He highlights AIPAC's strategy of targeting progressive candidates, particularly black legislators, through stealth campaigns, using Super PACs to funnel money under the guise of domestic issues. Blumenthal also touches on the broader implications of AIPAC's actions, the lack of regulation in U.S. elections, and the impact of recent events in Gaza on American public opinion, noting a growing sense of hopelessness among progressive voters.

Takeaways

• 🗨️ The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States, comparable to the National Rifle Association.
• 💰 AIPAC is known for using relatively small donations to ensure Israeli military actions, such as those in Palestine, are not hindered by U.S. policies.
• 🔍 AIPAC has been accused of using more insidious and desperate tactics recently, particularly targeting progressive politicians like Corey Bush and Jamal Bowman, who are black and have shown support for Palestinians.
• 🖋️ AIPAC is criticized for laundering their support behind a 'stealth pack' known as the United Democracy Project, using Super PACs with names unrelated to Israel to influence elections.
• 🕊️ The progressive base of the Democratic Party is reportedly turning away from the special relationship with Israel, which AIPAC is trying to counteract.
• 🤝 AIPAC has significant support from Christian Zionist groups in addition to Jewish support, leveraging this to present a united front.
• 🏛️ The U.S. is described as an oligarchy where money controls politics, with the Citizens United decision allowing unlimited Super PAC donations, impacting the regulation of elections.
• 📜 AIPAC avoids foreign lobby regulations by not being subjected to the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which would require them to disclose activities to the Department of Justice.
• 🚫 AIPAC's tactics are seen as increasing anti-Semitism by framing their actions as wealthy Jewish Zionists trying to control urban black populations.
• 🌍 The situation in Gaza has been in the spotlight, with over 300 days of conflict and suffering, which has led to a reaction from the U.S. public and political class.
• 📉 There is a sense of hopelessness among some Democratic Party supporters who feel their voices are not being heard, especially with the removal of politicians who advocate for Palestinian rights.

Q & A

What is the significance of APAC (American Political Action Committee) according to the transcript?

APAC is described as one of the two most powerful lobbies in the United States, paralleling the influence of the National Rifle Association. It is particularly noted for its financial power and influence in supporting Israel's actions.

How does the transcript describe the current situation for APAC after October 7th?

The transcript suggests that after October 7th, Israel is exposed on the world stage, facing international pressure, and that APAC is operating more insidiously and desperately due to the progressive base of the Democratic Party turning away from the special relationship with Israel.

Why is APAC targeting progressive politicians like Corey Bush and Jamal Bowman according to the transcript?

APAC is targeting progressive politicians, especially those who are black, because they represent a base that traditionally supports Palestinians. APAC is concerned about this organic support and aims to remove such legislators, often using stealth tactics.

What is the 'United Democracy Project' mentioned in the transcript, and how is it related to APAC?

The 'United Democracy Project' is a front behind which APAC operates, allowing them to funnel money through super PACs with names unrelated to Israel, thereby masking their support for pro-Israel candidates and attacks on candidates opposing Israel's actions.

How does the transcript discuss the role of misinformation in APAC's strategy?

The transcript highlights that APAC uses misinformation to attack candidates, focusing on kitchen table issues or spreading disinformation about their political stances, making the races seem decided on domestic issues rather than Israel.

What is the current state of regulation for powerful lobby groups like APAC in the United States according to the transcript?

The transcript implies that there is a lack of regulation for powerful lobby groups, especially with the Citizens United decision allowing unlimited Super PAC donations, effectively making elections unregulated and controlled by money.

Why does the transcript suggest that APAC is not subjected to the Foreign Registration Act?

APAC claims to be just another Jewish organization in America, using this as a basis to avoid being regulated like other foreign lobbies under the Foreign Registration Act, which would require them to disclose their activities to the Justice Department.

How does the transcript describe the relationship between APAC and Christian groups?

The transcript mentions that APAC works heavily with Christian Zionists and has connections with organizations like Christians United for Israel, indicating that its support base is not limited to Jewish groups.

What impact does the ongoing war in Gaza have on the perception of APAC's actions in the United States, as discussed in the transcript?

The transcript suggests that the war in Gaza has led to a growing awareness and potential backlash against APAC's actions, particularly among the educated and activist base of the Democratic Party who are becoming disillusioned with the U.S. political response.

What is the potential consequence for the Democratic Party's base as described in the transcript?

The transcript indicates a sense of hopelessness within a section of the Democratic Party's base due to the lack of action against Israel's actions in Gaza and the removal of progressive voices through disinformation campaigns, possibly leading to lower participation in electoral politics.

How does the transcript discuss the upcoming Democratic National Convention and its significance?

The transcript raises the question of whether the disillusioned base of the Democratic Party will show up at the Democratic National Convention, set to take place in Chicago, and whether they will make their voice heard or stay home due to their hopelessness.

Outlines

00:00

💼 Influence of the APAC Lobby in U.S. Politics

In this paragraph, Max Blumenthal discusses the significant influence of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (APAC), one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States, comparable to the National Rifle Association. APAC's financial power is highlighted as it ensures Israel's ability to conduct military operations in Palestine. The conversation delves into APAC's tactics, which have become more insidious and desperate due to international pressure on Israel and a shift in the Democratic Party's progressive base. APAC targets progressive candidates, particularly black legislators, using stealth tactics to disguise their support for pro-Israel candidates behind seemingly unrelated super PACs. This strategy involves attacking candidates on domestic issues or through disinformation campaigns, effectively manipulating elections without the average voter realizing the underlying influence of Israel's interests.

05:01

🔍 APAC's Tactics and the Impact on U.S. Elections

This paragraph examines the lack of regulation over powerful lobby groups like APAC in the United States, which operates in an era where wealthy individuals and corporations have significant control over the political process, especially post the Citizens United decision. This Supreme Court ruling allows for unlimited Super PAC donations, leading to unchecked political influence by money. APAC's unique position is also highlighted as it avoids the regulations applied to foreign lobbies, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, by presenting itself as a Jewish organization. This strategy not only escapes scrutiny but also fuels anti-Semitic sentiments by framing the narrative as wealthy Jewish individuals controlling politics. The paragraph also touches on APAC's support from Christian Zionists and its impact on the perception of the organization, as well as the broader implications of its activities on the U.S. political landscape and the upcoming elections.

Keywords

💡APAC Lobby

The American Political Action Committee (APAC) is a powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States. It is mentioned as one of the two most influential lobbies, comparable to the National Rifle Association. In the video, it is discussed how APAC uses its financial resources to push its agenda, particularly in supporting Israel's actions in Palestine.

💡Mass shootings

The term 'mass shootings' is used metaphorically in the script to describe the actions of the Israeli military in Palestine. It is also linked to the National Rifle Association, highlighting the comparison between the power of lobbies in influencing policy and public perception.

💡Progressive base

The 'progressive base' refers to the more liberal and socially conscious segment of the Democratic Party. The script discusses how APAC is targeting progressive politicians, particularly those who are black and vocal about Palestinian rights, as they perceive this base as a threat to their agenda.

💡Black America

The script mentions 'Black America' as having organic support for Palestinians, indicating a historical solidarity between African Americans and the Palestinian cause. APAC's strategy includes targeting politicians from majority black districts, which is a reflection of this support.

💡United Democracy Project

The 'United Democracy Project' is mentioned as a front behind which APAC operates, using it to funnel money through super PACs with names unrelated to Israel. This allows them to attack political candidates under the guise of domestic issues, rather than their stance on Israel.

💡Misinformation

The script discusses the use of 'misinformation' by APAC in their campaigns against certain candidates. This involves creating narratives that are not based on the candidates' actual positions, such as falsely claiming opposition to Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.

💡Oligarchy

The term 'oligarchy' is used to describe the current state of the United States, where a small group of wealthy individuals, or billionaires, have significant control over the political process. This is linked to the Citizens United decision, which allows for unlimited Super PAC donations.

💡Foreign registration act

The 'Foreign Agents Registration Act' (FARA) is mentioned in the context of how APAC avoids being subject to the same regulations as other foreign lobbies. If subject to FARA, APAC would be required to disclose their activities and affiliations, which they currently do not.

💡Anti-Semitism

The script discusses how APAC's actions can inadvertently increase 'anti-Semitism' by presenting themselves as a Jewish organization and investing heavily in political campaigns. This portrayal can lead to negative perceptions and stereotypes about Jewish people.

💡Christian Zionists

The term 'Christian Zionists' refers to a group of conservative Christians who are supportive of Israel for religious reasons. The script mentions that APAC works closely with these groups, indicating a broader coalition beyond the Jewish community.

💡Democratic National Convention (DNC)

The 'Democratic National Convention' is an event where the Democratic Party comes together to nominate its candidates for the upcoming elections. The script speculates on whether the progressive base, disillusioned by the party's stance on Israel and other issues, will participate or stay home.

Highlights

Max Blumenthal discusses the power and influence of the APAC Lobby in the United States.

APAC is compared to the National Rifle Association in terms of influence and power.

APAC's financial support enables Israel to conduct operations in Palestine.

The lobby's tactics have become more insidious and desperate due to international pressure on Israel.

APAC targets progressive politicians, particularly black legislators, to counteract their support for Palestinians.

APAC uses stealth tactics to hide their support for pro-Israel candidates behind seemingly unrelated issues.

The United Democracy Project is used by APAC to funnel money through Super PACs unrelated to Israel.

APAC's actions are not regulated by the foreign registration act, unlike other foreign lobbies.

APAC presents itself as a Jewish organization to avoid scrutiny and regulation.

The lobby's actions may increase anti-Semitism by portraying wealthy Jewish Zionists controlling black communities.

APAC has support from Christian Zionists and works with organizations like Christians United for Israel.

Blumenthal reports on the situation in Gaza and the international response to Israel's actions.

There is a growing awareness and concern among the American public about the situation in Gaza.

Some members of the Democratic Party's base feel hopeless about the U.S. government's response to Gaza.

The Democratic National Convention may reveal the level of engagement from the party's base regarding these issues.

Blumenthal emphasizes the disconnect between the U.S. government's actions and the public's expectations regarding Israel.

Transcripts

well let's unpack all of this now with

Max Blumenthal in Washington DC he's an

author and the editor and chief of the

news website grayzone Max thank you so

much for joining us first off than for

having me just explain exactly how

powerful this APAC Lobby is and how long

they've been around because they seem to

have a lot of money to really be pushing

their

cause well APAC is one of the two most

powerful lobbies in the United States

not just the most powerful pro-israel

Lobby but Pro most powerful Lobby uh may

be on par with the National Rifle

Association which is associated with

mass shootings the plague of mass

shootings in the US APAC guarantees with

actually relatively small donations by

uh their standards that the Israelis

will be able to conduct uh mass

shootings across Palestine so there are

two things to understand about what APAC

is doing now uh something it's always

done but which is much more Insidious

and somewhat desperate than in the past

desperate because after October 7th

Israel stands Exposed on the world Stage

IT faces enormous International pressure

and because the progressive base of the

democratic party is turning away from

the special relationship so they're

targeting uh progressives like Corey

Bush and Jamal Bowman also particularly

because they're black they're very

threatened by by Black

America uh the organic support for

Palestinians that Black America has

always shown so they always want to take

out these kind of legisl leg legislators

in majority black districts but what

they do is they launder their attacks

and their support for the pro-israel

candidate behind a stealth pack as I

said they've always done this but now

this is the de facto strategy APAC

operates behind something called the

United democracy project they funnel

money through super packs that have

names that have nothing to do with

Israel and then they attack these

candidates like Corey Bush or Jamal

Bowman who was previously defeated not

on the basis of their opposition to

Israel's assault on Gaza but on kitchen

table issues or with disinformation

about how they opposed Joe Biden's

infrastructure bill so these races don't

actually seem to the average voter like

they're being decided on the basis of

Israel but they are

Max it seems that there seems to be a

lot of manipulation here and it would

make one Wonder should Lobby groups as

powerful as these should they be

regulated or are they regulated in the

United States as all at all because

misinformation especially in times of uh

the election coming up soon seems to be

rif across the

country well we're in an era where

billionaires own this country the US is

effectively an oligarchy and they have

untrammeled control over the political

process and campaigns thanks to the

citizens united decision by this by a

republican majority Supreme Court which

allows unlimited Super PAC donations uh

this was this means basically that our

elections are unregulated money controls

politics and then you have this the

added layer with APAC of them not being

subjected like other foreign lobbies to

the foreign registration act which would

require them to act as a foreign agent

and prevent them from using these

stealth packs that make it seem as

though these candidates are just uh

attacking one another on the basis of

domestic issues they would have to

disclose all of their activity who they

meet with to the justice department but

what APAC says is we're just another

Jewish organization in America we're

just Jewish and therefore and thereby uh

they increase anti semitism what a lot

of people are seeing and you'll see this

on social media with APAC pumping $8

million into Wesley Bell to defeat Corey

Bush or $15 million into George ladimer

is they are seeking to cont you have

basically the anti-semitic framework of

looking at this as wealthy Jewish

zionists seeking to control poor black

people in urban areas and that's the

danger that APAC presents Max but APAC

you say obviously has a lot of Jewish

support but I understand that it also

has U many Christian groups who are part

of it as well who are very supportive of

Israel yeah I mean a look at who apac's

spokesman is his name is Marshall Witman

and he emerged from the Christian right

organization of Pat Robertson the

leading one of the leading Christian

zionists and Evangel like televangelists

in America then he found his way into

the corporate wing of the democratic

party and now has a job at APAC APAC

Works heavily with Christian zionists

they helped set up the Christians United

for Israel organization of Pastor John

heggy so APAC isn't actually a Jewish

organization many if not most Jews who

are pulled disagree with apac's support

for for example a war on Iran or apac's

heavy support for Maga conservative

but they present themselves as a Jewish

group and thereby Escape any regulation

or scrutiny for what they in fact are

which is a foreign apartheid Lobby which

is willing to invest $8 million into a

one single Congressional race in order

to guarantee $4 billion a year and total

diplomatic support for

Israel Max let's just move on to uh the

the issue of the war in in Gaza this

continued war and you've spent time and

you've reported from both Israel and

Palestine and what's happened since

October 7th is that uh it's really shown

a spotlight in the worst possible way on

what's happening in Gaza what's been

happening there for decades do you think

this is making any difference in the

United States to ordinary Americans who

are now finding out what's been

happening there for such a long time and

them raising their voices

for the government to do more to protect

Palestinians and to hold Israel

accountable I think there's a there's an

element within the what would have been

the base of the democratic party that is

highly educated activist minded social

justice oriented that has seen what was

H what's been happening in Gaza for

almost 10 months now over 300 days of

just unbearable human suffering and has

has seen the way the US political class

has responded by not issuing a single

red line to Israel we saw the state

department spokesman today Matthew

Miller declare that Israel can

investigate itself when videotape has

emerged of Israeli soldiers raping

Palestinian male prisoners at the ston

Concentration Camp they see that day

after day and they're becoming hopeless

and they see no purpose in participating

in electoral politics just as they see

that the voices that they had within

Congress on this issue people like Cory

Bush are just being taken out with Super

Bowl style ad blitzes $8 million of

disinformation campaigns so there's a

sense of hopelessness within a section

of the democratic party's base and uh

we'll see if they show up at the

Democratic National Convention which is

going to take place next week in Chicago

in the shadow of the

riots that occurred in 1968 in that same

city against the Vietnam War will this

element show up and will they make their

voice heard or are they so hopeless that

they're just going to stay home

certainly will be interesting to see

what happens at the DNC Max Blumenthal

really appreciate your time and your

analysis thank you very much