G-d, Jerusalem Booed by Democrats

G-d, Jerusalem Booed by Democrats
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 6, 2012

Same sex marriage and abortion on demand are in, while G-d, Jerusalem and generations of support of Israel, the United States’ only democratic ally in the Middle East, are out.

Is this your Democratic Party? It most certainly is not the party of President Harry Truman, who mere seconds after Israel’s independence was declared, officially recognized the new Jewish state.

And while the Democratic party at their convention in Charlotte walked it back a day later, the cat was out of the bag – officially declaring its antithesis toward people of faith and not having the courage to recognize what the GOP and millions of Americans of both major political parties have known for years – that Jerusalem is indeed the capital of Israel.

While most people consider reading a party platform boring or a waste of time, those who report the news should consider it an obligation to not just read, but report about for those who do not read it. Here, The Indianapolis Star failed miserably.

Not only did The Star not report the language removed from the platform on Tuesday in Wednesday’s newspaper, but they failed again to report on that same language being reinstated in the platform the very next day. A huge article on the inclusion of language sanctioning same sex marriage was front and center in Wednesday’s Star paper, but nothing about the exclusion of G-d and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel from the platform could be found in that day’s paper.

Likewise, the reinsertion of G-d and the language noting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was included in the Thursday’s Star paper amidst the glowing, obsequious fawning over the speech given by former President Bill Clinton.

More importantly, the manner in which the Democratic convention chairman shoved the reinstated language down the throats of their rank and file was ignored by The Star and media outlets nationwide save for Fox News.

The language removed from the Democratic platform is as follows, from its own 2008 platform:

The United States and its Quartet partners should continue to isolate Hamas until it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel's right to exist, and abides by past agreements. Sustained American leadership for peace and security will require patient efforts and the personal commitment of the President of the United States. The creation of a Palestinian state through final status  negotiations, together with an international compensation mechanism, should resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel. All understand that it is unrealistic to expect the outcome of final status negotiations to be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949. Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths. (www.breitbart.com)

In order for the Democratic Party platform to be amended, a two-thirds vote of approval from the delegates was required. Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland introduced the amendment with the language from the 2008 platform to be reinserted in the 2012 platform. However, the amendment did not reinsert the language demanding Hamas to renounce terrorism or even recognize Israel.

Convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for the yeas and nays via voice vote. The first time the nays were the clear majority, so a confused-looking Villaraigosa called for the vote a second time with the same results. A woman on stage with the L.A. mayor was overheard saying into the still live microphone: “You gotta let them do what they’re gonna do.”

Clearly Villaraigosa wanted no part of that and emphatically called for the vote yet a third time with the overwhelming majority still in opposition to the reinsertion of G-d, Jerusalem and the Israel language to the platform.

A stunned and flummoxed Villaraigosa looked around the convention hall, then read from the teleprompter this already loaded statement: “In the opinion of the chair two-thirds having voted in the affirmative, the motion is adopted and the platform has been amended as shown on the screen.”

The already charged up convention floor became even more obstreperous, vociferously booing the insertion of G-d, Jerusalem and the language supporting Israel. Delegates holding their Arab-American Democrat signs and atheists were up in arms. This was a major error by the Democratic Party, not just the removal of the language, but not knowing the beliefs of a clear majority of its rank and file as the showed their true colors.

This entire menagerie of errors making the Democratic Party look foolish was aptly summed up by Democratic pundit Paul Begala calling the incident “beyond awkward, embarrassing, and stupid.”

This is not the Democratic Party of Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Scoop Jackson or Joe Lieberman. The media has a responsibility to inform the public of the news – whether it agrees with the story or not. The media has a responsibility to report the news fairly, accurately, and objectively. Clearly that has not been the case on a national level or here at home in Indiana.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.