NPR’s Tamara Keith: “AIPAC Money” Has Become A Phrase That Represents Outside Influence In Politics
PBS NEWSHOUR: NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including the Michigan Senate primary and the message Democrats are taking into the midterms.
AMNA NAWAZ, PBS NEWSHOUR: And there’s an issue Lisa pointed out in her reporting as well that is coming up in this election that hasn’t as strongly in previous. That’s the funding from AIPAC in particular. We see it as a factor in this primary. We also seeing it in Missouri, where there also — there’s a primary there for the First Congressional District. And that race is a rematch between the progressive Cori Bush and the moderate Wesley Bell. Two years ago, Bush lost to Bell, blamed her loss on AIPAC’s spending there. But Lisa’s reporting shows this is something voters are paying attention to you. Why is this happening now? AMY WALTER, COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Yes. I think what they’re paying attention to, it’s less the issue of Israel, though the issue of Israel looks very different today to Democratic voters than it did a few years ago because of the war in Gaza. So I think already you have seen the shift in opinions of Israel among Democrats going down significantly, and then the issue of corruption now being front and center and of money in politics being part of that corruption message. When you hear the term AIPAC now in the way — especially in Michigan, the way that El-Sayed talks about it is the corrupting power of money, right? These are donors who are spending millions and millions of dollars to bring someone to Washington. I’m not going to take that money, much more so than this is a debate between the two of them over Israel. TAMARA KEITH, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Yes, and this is something that we have seen in other primaries all over the country. We saw it in Illinois. We saw it in New Jersey. And AIPAC money has become sort of a — just like a phrase that represents money in politics, outside influence. And we have to say that this comes at a time when the war in Iran is unpopular, and many of these candidates are on the Democratic side linking it to an economic message. They are saying the money should be spent in America on health care and food and housing and not on a foreign war that we don’t agree with or supporting Israel, which we don’t agree with. It is very much linked to that economic message in a way that may make it more resonant than just talking about foreign policy, which typically does not move elections in America.
