I would not have expected that George Alan O’Dowd, aka Boy George, would have the karma to be the entertainer who would take a strong stand in support of Israel. He is a superstar for his courage and support. He wrote a song, “We Will Dance Again.”
The lyrics include: “You say genocide, I say war. When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for… You never mention October 7. Young girls raped against trees. Murdered brutally. For the crime of dancing. You condemn the Jews, with selective memory. Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep. Propaganda fueled by the Internet feels so weak… I stand with the Jews. I don’t feel brave; I just need to behave like a human.”
The song had to be released on the internet since no one in the industry wanted to have anything to do with it. It ended up being AI-generated. Few in the entertainment world or in Britain have come to his defense. The controversy resulted in him withdrawing from a play in England where he was supposed to play King Herod. He showed that many in the British culture club were a bunch of chameleons in their past support for Israel.
Now to my main topic. It did not come as a surprise that Abdul El Sayed won the Democratic primary in Michigan to be the nominee for a Senate seat. It was closer than many expected. For months, the mantra for Democrats was to emphasize affordability. If you talk about affordability and present plans to address it, you will win. It did not happen in Michigan, like it did not happen in some other locations where a progressive won. El Sayed’s main focus was attacking AIPAC and Israel. He refused to accept the notion of Israel being a Jewish state. There are various possibilities to explain this phenomenon. One is that his voters are anti-Zionist, and many would say are antisemitic, and for them these are the only issues that matter. Another possibility is that since his base is mainly college-educated white voters, they tend to be on a higher economic level, so for them affordability is not an issue. Thus, they can spend their time and energy dealing with Israel.
As a practical matter, it does not make a difference. El Sayed must not win the general election, even if it results in the Republican Party keeping control of the Senate. Since we do not reside in Michigan, there is only so much we can do. One way we can help is by giving money to the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, which I did once the race was called for El Sayed. This is the first time I can remember making a political donation in an out-of-state race to a Republican. The first time I did it for a Democrat was when I gave money to the Stevens campaign.
The fight between the progressives and the moderate wing of the Democratic Party is nothing new. I remember in 1968 the progressives, who latched on to being against the war in Vietnam, sabotaged the Democratic National Convention by having large protests. This led to clashes with the police outside the convention. It damaged the moderate candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, because it showed a country out of control. Many believe that what happened outside the convention, caused by the progressive antiwar activists, led to Nixon winning the close election in 1968.
At that time, the progressive candidate for president, South Dakota Senator George McGovern, who was against the war, was considered a fringe candidate. The antiwar movement was led by college students and others who had connections to avoid the draft. Those who did fight were mocked as suckers by the antiwar crowd. Then it became mainstream to be antiwar, and the progressives reaped the benefit. The Democratic Party ended up selecting Senator George McGovern as the party’s candidate to run against President Richard Nixon in 1972. That did not turn out well for the Democratic Party. McGovern was trounced by Nixon in the popular vote, 60.67% to 37.52%, and in the Electoral College, 520 to 17. McGovern only won one state, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.
What McGovern’s defeat showed was that being a progressive may work in liberal, upper-class, white, college-educated communities, but it is a loser nationwide for the Democratic Party. It is a message that the Democratic Party must remember. Trump is very unpopular. The House of Representatives is available for the taking. Even the Senate should be in play for the Democratic Party to win. If it does not happen, the reason is clear. The Democratic progressives have done it again by fielding extreme candidates that resulted in losing winnable seats.
As bad as it is having progressive representation in Congress, it is worse having a progressive candidate for president. If the Democratic Party makes that mistake, we could end up with President Vance, which would be a disaster for Israel.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
