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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumZogby: My Role With the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee
My Role With the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee
James Zogby
Huffington Post
I was having a peaceful meal with my wife when two men sat down in the next booth. In loud voices they began to discuss the state of the presidential contest. At one point, the gentleman directly behind me said, and Sanders picked that Cornel West and that guy whos the head of the Arab League who has it in for Israel....
That did it. I spun around and said, in a polite but firm voice, Im that guy. Im not the head of the Arab League and Im asking you to change the subject now. Shocked, the man responded youre him! and began asking me questions. I cut him off making it clear that I was having lunch and wasnt interested in pursuing the matter. They promptly changed the subject, as I had requested. After we finished eating, I turned to the two men and explained who I was and why I found the crude description of me to be so aggravating.
In some ways I fault The Washington Post and other mainstream news outlets for having unleashed the mini-firestorm that followed my recent appointment to the Democratic Partys platform drafting committee. When I first heard from DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz that I was to be named to the committee, I held my breath, fully expecting an attack from the usual collection of far-right, anti-Arab, and hardline pro-Israel groups. Sure enough, they didnt disappoint. I was called a professional Israel-hater, a defender of terrorism, Bernies Svengali, and it was claimed (falsely) that I had accused Israel of committing a Holocaust.
This, unfortunately, is what I have learned to expect from that crowd. What, however, I found most troubling was the first headline that appeared in The Washington Post announcing Sanders picks pro-Palestinian activist for Democratic platform committee. With this, the die was cast. Other major newspapers and media outlets followed suit framing the entire discussion of the platform and my appointment around Israel/Palestineculminating in a call I received yesterday, right after lunch, from a journalist who asked if he was right in assuming that Bernie had appointed me as his hatchet man on this Israel.
James Zogby
Huffington Post
I was having a peaceful meal with my wife when two men sat down in the next booth. In loud voices they began to discuss the state of the presidential contest. At one point, the gentleman directly behind me said, and Sanders picked that Cornel West and that guy whos the head of the Arab League who has it in for Israel....
That did it. I spun around and said, in a polite but firm voice, Im that guy. Im not the head of the Arab League and Im asking you to change the subject now. Shocked, the man responded youre him! and began asking me questions. I cut him off making it clear that I was having lunch and wasnt interested in pursuing the matter. They promptly changed the subject, as I had requested. After we finished eating, I turned to the two men and explained who I was and why I found the crude description of me to be so aggravating.
In some ways I fault The Washington Post and other mainstream news outlets for having unleashed the mini-firestorm that followed my recent appointment to the Democratic Partys platform drafting committee. When I first heard from DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz that I was to be named to the committee, I held my breath, fully expecting an attack from the usual collection of far-right, anti-Arab, and hardline pro-Israel groups. Sure enough, they didnt disappoint. I was called a professional Israel-hater, a defender of terrorism, Bernies Svengali, and it was claimed (falsely) that I had accused Israel of committing a Holocaust.
This, unfortunately, is what I have learned to expect from that crowd. What, however, I found most troubling was the first headline that appeared in The Washington Post announcing Sanders picks pro-Palestinian activist for Democratic platform committee. With this, the die was cast. Other major newspapers and media outlets followed suit framing the entire discussion of the platform and my appointment around Israel/Palestineculminating in a call I received yesterday, right after lunch, from a journalist who asked if he was right in assuming that Bernie had appointed me as his hatchet man on this Israel.
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Zogby: My Role With the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee (Original Post)
portlander23
Jun 2016
OP
grossproffit
(5,591 posts)1. Uh huh. Cool story.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)2. Any actual thoughts on the content, or is it just snark?
This man is explaining his purpose and role on the platform drafting committee as well as his stance on important issues of foreign policy, and the most he can get is a "Uh huh. Cool story"?
I thought Sanders was the one who didn't care a whit for foreign policy.
Schema Thing
(10,283 posts)3. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF COMMENT IS THAT?
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)4. passive agressive? n/t
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)5. now that's interesting
Thanks for posting that.
2banon
(7,321 posts)6. Recommend and Kick
Thanks for sharing this, portlander!