Monday’s CNN This Morning featured several segments where the anchors, Phil Mattingly and Abby Phillip, had in-depth discussions on Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA and the blowback to her recent condemnation of Israel as a “racist state.” Along with several guests, both anchors expressed their annoyance that Jayapal had perpetuated a long-standing “internal battle that Democrats have had” regarding a stance towards Israel and its government.
The first segment featured the panel with CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich and Axios national political reporter Alex Thompson, and Phillip introduced the subject by playing the clip of Jayapal’s statement, describing it as “part of a broader set of problems for Democrats dealing with some members who have been pilloried as anti-Israel.”
Kucinich responded to this by commenting on the “real fissure in the Democratic Party,” bemoaning how the party had not been “able to fix this” situation:
And you see this pop up every so often, it is a real fissure in the Democratic Party. And they haven't really figured out a way, every time this happens, this sort of dance, you know, that they go out, has to—have to clean out what they—what—whatever member says at that time, and they haven’t been able to fix this. And I think we’re gonna kind of see it—them try to fade into the background, however, this is something that, long term, they're going to have to deal with at some point.
Mattingly then complained about hesitancy from many Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen to attend an upcoming visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to make a speech to Congress. He asked Thompson about how this divide in the party might affect the oncoming campaign season and election.
In response, Thompson said that the issue would “absolutely” impact the election; however, he characterized the division in the Democratic Party as being between those who support Israel and those who, “if not being anti-Israel, at least having a much more nuanced position.”
Specifically, Thompson cited President Biden for this, “a longtime supporter of Israel throughout his career,” who apparently displayed “some of that nuance” in inviting the Israeli President to the U.S. rather than its Prime Minister, favoring this ceremonial position over the actual ruling one. Biden’s recognition of “some disagreements within his own Party” regarding this matter was apparently his attempt at “trying to do this stance too.”
During another segment of the show, Phillip and Mattingly spoke with CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju about this “deep wound in the Democratic caucus that won’t go away.” Raju lamented about the “outspoken members in the left in the Congressional Progressive caucus who have sharp concerns with Israel” and the “political backlash” that they received because of their position.
Raju also decried Republicans who had tried to “drive a wedge” between the Democratic Party and its support for Israel:
What the Democratic leaders don't want is to see the Republicans to again to try to drive a wedge between them and their support for Israel, given the prominence of Israel, and the American political movement, and the fact that Republicans are eager to drive that wedge, as they've done with Ilhan Omar, trying to—stripping from her assignments on the House foreign affairs committee, and trying to associate Omar's remarks with a lot of Democrats who do support Israel.
Ah yes, the old “conservatives pounce” narrative, evident here once again.
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Transcript of the segments below (click Expand):
CNN This Morning
7/17/23
6:22:31 AM ET
ABBY PHILLIP: Now, she's at Netroots Nation there, I know, Jackie, you know that—that Progressive gathering. She was cheered in that setting, but her colleagues in the House are denouncing her and she has actually walked it back. But this is a part of a—a broader set of problems for Democrats dealing with some members who have been pilloried as anti-Israel.
JACKIE KUCINICH (CNN Political Analyst): And you see this pop up every so often, it is a real fissure in the Democratic Party. And they haven't really figured out a way, every time this happens, this sort of dance, you know, that they go out, has to—have to clean out what they—what—whatever member says at that time, and they haven’t been able to fix this. And I think we’re gonna kind of see it—them try to fade into the background, however, this is something that, long term, they're going to have to deal with at some point.
PHIL MATTINGLY: Well, and fade in the background, but the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, is expected to speak to a giant section of Congress…
KUCINICH: Yes. Suboptimal timing.
MATTINGLY: …we’re—already some members said they're not going to attend, which is a position, obviously they're more than welcome to take, but he’s kind of a ceremonial position inside of Israel, and I think he’s not necessarily re—at all representative of—politically, of where the Netanyahu government is.
I guess my question, Alex, is, to Jackie's point, this continues to pop up every couple of months, an—it’s an internal battle that Democrats have had. Does this become a more prevalent issue going forward into a major campaign season?
ALEX THOMPSON (Axios National Political Reporter): Absolutely, I mean, you—Israel used to be a bipartisan issue with, you know, large support basically on both sides. What you've seen this growing part of the Democratic Party, if not being anti-Israel, at least having a much more nuanced position.
I mean, Joe—you know, Joe Biden, who’s been a longtime supporter of Israel throughout his career, you’re seeing some of that nuance. There's a reason he's never invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to the United States, and it’s the President instead. He’s trying to do this stance too, because he realizes that there’s some disagreements within his own Party, and, you know, in the—in the country at large.
MATTINGLY: Alright, guys, Kristin, Alex, Jackie, thanks. Appreciate it.
…
8:17:33 AM
PHILLIP: A group of Democratic lawmakers slamming their progressive colleague, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, after she called Israel a racist state. At least seven Democrats drafted a letter calling the Congresswoman’s comments unacceptable, writing, in part: “Israel is the legitimate homeland of the Jewish people and efforts to delegitimize and demonize it are not only dangerous and anti-Semitic, but they also undermine America's national security…”
Now, the Congresswoman was speaking to a group of pro-Palestinian protesters when she made those comments, and she has since walked them back.
CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is here with us. So Manu, the lawmakers who wrote this letter did accept her apology and her retraction. However, this is a deep wound in the Democratic caucus that won't go away.
MANU RAJU: Yeah, and look, it has gotten more pronounced over the last several years. There are outspoken members on the left in the Congressional Progressive caucus who have sharp concerns with Israel. Who have voiced those concerns. Those concerns, you should not be raised because of the political backlash that could ensue, by talking negatively about Israel.
But you’ve seen a small block of these members becoming mo—very outspoken, people like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She’s a Muslim—a Somali refugee, someone who’s been—supported the Boycott Israel movement. So, same with Rashida Tlaib, supporting the Boycott Israel movement.
Now, that's not what Pramila Jayapal, the Congressional Progressive caucus leader, supports, but she has been sharply critical of the Israeli government in and of itself, and these comments were significant for a lot of those members, given how prominent she is within the party, which is very rare to see the leadership of the Democratic Party come out yesterday and issue a statement rebuking those comments, Hakeem Jeffries and his two deputies coming out and saying that Israel’s not a racist state, and saying that the United States supports Israel.
What the Democratic leaders don't want is to see the Republicans to again to try to drive a wedge between them and their support for Israel, given the prominence of Israel, and the American political movement, and the fact that Republicans are eager to drive that wedge, as they've done with Ilhan Omar, trying to—stripping from her assignments on the House foreign affairs committee, and trying to associate Omar's remarks with a lot of Democrats who do support Israel.
They did not want to see that happen again with Jayapal. Jayapal was quick to issue that statement, saying that she does not believe that Israel is racist, the idea of Israel as a racist state, and saying that her words have some impact here. But of course, this all comes ahead of Wednesday's high-profile state visit from the Israeli president, Isaac hor—Herzog, who’s gonna be addressing a joint session of Congress.
It’ll be interesting to see how many members of that left flank decide not to go. Already we know a handful of them have decided to boycott, and where will Pramila Jayapal be? She told me last week she had not yet decided, but was unlikely to attend. So, we'll see if she changes after this controversy here.
MATTINGLY: Were you surprised—we—we have some other topics to get to, but, just how fast this all kind of evolved?
RAJU: Yeah, it did. Saturday, and then all of a sudden Sunday she was walking it back. Typically lawmakers are disengaged for the most part over the weekend. But the Democratic leadership recognized that they've got to clear this up before Monday.
…
