Reader Weekend Comments.

October 15, 2023

          The purpose of this short newsletter is to open the Comments section for the weekend. Now more than ever, it is essential that everyone be respectful in discussing difficult issues. Two issues dominate the news:

Leadership vacuum in GOP House caucus.

          After Steve Scalise’s nomination for Speaker of the House collapsed in eight hours, Rep. Jim Jordan emerged on Friday as the leading candidate—for about twenty minutes. In a two-person election between Jim Jordan and last-minute candidate Rep. Austin Scott, Jordan “won” the GOP caucus vote by 124 to 81—a weak showing. Things then went from bad to worse for Jordan, as described by Talking Points Memo:

Jordan then asked for another vote with just him where the question was not whether members supported him but whether they would vote for him on the floor of the House since he was the GOP nominee. He got 152 votes – 55 votes short. The House eventually decided they’d put in a hard day’s work and recessed until Monday.

          The obvious solution is a bipartisan governing coalition between Republicans and Democrats. Some members of the GOP are finally discussing that possibility. See Axios, Bipartisan talk grows as GOP fails to find a speaker.

Per Axios,

Lawmakers in both parties are expressing growing openness, both in public and in private, to a bipartisan deal to elect a House speaker as Republicans are continually thwarted in their efforts to do it alone.

“There’s a sentiment building around [a bipartisan deal] among Democrats and Republicans,” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a member of Democratic leadership who represents a swing district, told Axios.

“We’re open to anything that’s reasonable,” said Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), a member of the moderate Republican Governance Group. “Bipartisanship is not a sin.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a perennial bipartisan dealmaker, said “At this point, there are enough Republican and Democrats saying we’ve got to get this fixed.”

          See also, The Hill, Democratic centrists offer to back McHenry as temporary House leader.

The Israel-Hamas War.

          The Israeli Defense Force urged more than 1 million Palestinians to evacuate the region north of Wadi Gaza in advance of an imminent ground offensive by Israel. Per the AP, “In urging the evacuation, Israel’s military said it planned to target underground Hamas hideouts around Gaza City.”

          Hamas urged those same Palestinians to remain in their homes.

          Israel’s announcement sought to avoid civilian casualties, while Hamas’s announcement sought to continue its use of Palestinians as human shields.

          Israel received widespread international criticism for its announcement, especially from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who warned of “devastating humanitarian consequences” from a mass evacuation. See The Times of Israel, UN chief urges Israel 'reconsider' Gaza evacuation order; Biden says crisis a priority.

          Secretary-General Guterres did not comment on Hamas’s statement urging citizens to remain in their homes despite Israel’s warning.

          Per the NYTimes, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations “forcefully pushed back on criticism of Israel”, saying that the UN has ignored “Hamas’s terror buildup in Gaza” for decades.

          Fifty-five Democratic members of the House of Representatives in the US sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the administration to focus on five goals:

1.    Work to limit harm to innocent civilians;

2.    Restore the delivery of food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza;

3.    Establish a humanitarian corridor;

4.    Discourage hate crimes and backlash against any American; and

5.    Ensure that funding requests to Congress include humanitarian assistance for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Organizations providing relief.

          I received more than two hundred recommendations for organizations and fundraisers for Israel. I urge everyone to carefully read the descriptions of organizations soliciting donations. Most organizations are undoubtedly legitimate, but a small handful seemed suspect. A few more have issued press releases that make strong negative statements about Israel. Check out press statements to see if your values align with those expressed by the relief organizations to which you are donating.

          Many readers recommended “GoFundMe” campaigns for specific people, settlements, families, etc. If you donate to such “cash” fundraisers, please take steps to ensure that they are legitimate. Also, some of the recommended organizations provide support to active military personnel, either directly or indirectly. If you would prefer to support civilian relief efforts only, read the organization’s mission statement and use of funds description carefully.

          In light of the above, and based on the frequency of reader recommendations, my wife and I will be donating to well-known, long-established organizations like the following:

·      Magen David Adom – Emergency care and blood supplies in Israel.

·      International Committee of the Red Cross – providing relief on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border and working with the US and UN.

·      Doctors Without Borders – long-established presence in Gaza.

Opportunity for Reader Engagement.

          On Sunday, October 15 at 7:00 PM Eastern / 4:00 PM Pacific, I will be joining the Center for Common Ground in its Rally for Virginia and Beyond. Other speakers will include Jessica Craven and actress Kyra Sedgwick.

          The Center for Common Ground is a non-partisan voting rights organization that educates and empowers voters of color in voter suppression states. The Center for Common Ground has already made 200,000 voter contacts to Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters in Virginia. Help the Center for Common Ground reach another 200,000 (or more!) before the November election in Virginia!

Concluding Thoughts.

          The past week has been heart-breaking and difficult for millions of Israelis, Palestinians, and their family and friends around the world. We must condemn the acts of evil committed by Hamas terrorists, mourn the deaths of innocent civilians on both sides of the Israel-Hamas border, and find room for sympathy and empathy in our hearts and minds. The coming weeks will test us in many dimensions—our compassion, humanity, civility, morality, courage, and judgment.

          The terrorists who slaughtered innocents last weekend want us to abandon those qualities and act with unrestrained rage. We should not choose our course merely to counter the reactions terrorists seek to provoke. Instead, we should choose to do what is right, just, and true. In a hopelessly complicated situation with no single answer or easy solution, we must follow our moral compass and remain true to the ideals that carried our nation to this point, including the courage to make difficult choices and act with conviction.

          Talk to you on Monday.