* Michael Sacks writing in the Tribune: “Why I support AIPAC and a big tent Democratic Party”…
I am a proud Democrat, and I have always proudly supported Israel. And because I support Israel, I support the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, though my journey there has not been a straight line.
I was an AIPAC supporter from the late 1980s through 2017, when I stepped away over the organization’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Whether it was my view of the agreement, the wisdom of challenging a president I supported or the way it strained relationships among Democrats and pro-Israel Americans, I quietly voted with my feet. I did not reengage until after Oct. 7, 2023.
In the immediate wake of Hamas’ terror attack, even before Israel responded, I watched anti-Israel sentiment accelerate within my party, including in Illinois.
We saw elected officials on Oct. 8 implying the Hamas attack was justified resistance. Two of the 15 Democrats who opposed or abstained from a congressional resolution standing with Israel were from Chicago. One was among eight Democrats who previously opposed Iron Dome funding — not long-range missiles or bunker busters, but a defensive system that protects civilians from rocket attacks. Having been in Tel Aviv in July 2014 through days of rockets targeting civilians, I witnessed its lifesaving value.
So I reached out to AIPAC asking how I could help ensure we didn’t send more people to Congress from Chicago who would deny Israel access to even essential defensive weapons.
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today whether a “big tent” Democratic Party includes AIPAC and candidates backed by AIPAC…
A big tent Democratic Party includes people who may have differences of opinion with one another, but who share in common the historical values of the Democratic Party. We’re the party of civil rights and human rights. We’re the party of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. We’re the party that stands up for the middle class, working class and the most vulnerable. And when it comes to the question of foreign policy, we’re also a party that stands up for peace and for security. And so I believe that what a lot of us share in common, and doesn’t mean everybody in the Democratic Party, a lot of us share in common, is a desire not only to have a peaceful and secure state of Israel, but also a Palestinian state that gets created. That’s been the position of the United States for many years now, from George HW Bush to Bill Clinton to George W Bush to Barack Obama. We need to focus on this concept of making sure that we have a peaceful homeland for Palestinians, as we do for Jews, becoming a witness test though.
Look, I mean, I think I’ve expressed myself about AIPAC. I really think the organization about more than 10 years ago became a kind of a right-leaning, Trumper-leaning organization. It was one that I just couldn’t continue to support. That doesn’t mean that others can’t do that. I just have felt like, as a Democrat, giving money - by the way, it was not a PAC that I want to make sure everybody understands. AIPAC, even though it’s got the words, the letters P, A, C in it means Public Affairs Council. They then went, I don’t know what year, but about 15, 16, 17, they became a political action committee, a super PAC, collecting money and then giving that money away. The concern about that, from my perspective, is when you give money to AIPAC, you’re then as a Democrat anyway, you’re giving money potentially, to Republicans. That’s not something that I would want to do, and certainly not under Donald Trump. And so that’s one of my differences with them.
Do I think that people who have supported AIPAC can be good Democrats? I can tell you Michael Sachs is a very good, decent, honorable human being who cares deeply about the Democratic values that I expressed to you just a moment ago. And I think it’s very unfair for people to have targeted him when what he believes is the same thing that I just expressed about the security of the State of Israel and the security of the Palestinian people at the very same time.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
* Back to Sacks…
I am staying in the Democratic Party and will continue supporting Personal PAC, Equality Illinois, Everytown for Gun Safety, Chicago Public Media, the Democratic National Convention Committee and, yes, AIPAC, when they seek local Democratic donors to support solid local Democrats.
Many pro-Israel, pro-two-state-solution Jewish Democrats don’t like the current Israeli government’s direction. Many of those same Democrats don’t like what’s happening in Washington. You might even share those views.
But ask yourself: Do you believe other countries should boycott, divest or sanction (BDS) American businesses, scientists, athletes or artists because of our government’s policies? Of course not. So why are some Democrats embracing BDS against Israel? If we don’t want others to hold all Americans responsible for the actions of our government, why are we holding all Israelis, and their supporters, responsible for the actions of theirs?
A bill to lift the state’s anti-BDS law has picked up several House co-sponsors, but is assigned to a subcommittee.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:14 pm:
I stand with Michael Sacks.
- Michael McLean - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:17 pm:
===Do you believe other countries should boycott, divest or sanction (BDS) American businesses, scientists, athletes or artists because of our government’s policies===
If that’s what it takes for the institutions and corporations to stop collaborating with our corrupt regime, yes!
- queenies - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:25 pm:
The Democrats put themselves on a horrible path this cycle by demonizing other Dems because of donations or fake alliances. They’re on the road to pushing people out over one issue, like they did with abortion. The BDS movement has potential to tear apart the Democrats at a time when they should be working together.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:32 pm:
I am a firm believer in big tent parties but that doesn’t seem to be today’s reality. The Republican Party is rushing toward “purity” who is the only true believer and it appears the Democrats are right behind them.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:36 pm:
That’s a strong piece by Sacks but unfortunately it feels the AIPAC hate has reached such a level that they’re not really engaging with it in a fact-based way.
- Niles Township - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:36 pm:
I stand with Michael Sacks. We are the Democratic party, not the Democratic Socialist party.
- Macon Deliberations - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:38 pm:
So it’s both rules and a subcommittee where bills are sent to die in ILGA?
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:46 pm:
AIPAC and CTU both supporter Melissa Conyears-Ervin. I will continue to be skeptical of AIPAC if they continue to be an obvious troll in Democratic primary elections. At the same time, CTU clearly wants to make Sacks into a boogeyman and scapegoat for the Mayor’s incompetence. I am not CTU’s useful idiot, so Sacks seems fine to me.
- Joseph M - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:48 pm:
I think everyone could use a reminder about La Shawn Ford’s description of his meetings with AIPAC/UDP, which Rich highlighted last month (https://capitolfax.com/2026/02/18/totally-uncoordinated-im-sure/):
“State Rep. La Shawn Ford, who has been endorsed by Davis to succeed him, said he had held discussions with representatives from UDP, including an in-person meeting last month. But Ford said he was unwilling to commit to supporting unconditional aid to Israel which was, he says, the requirement to get support from UDP.”
“I’ve also had meetings with the very people that’s spending this money,” Ford said. “They want you to say ‘yes’ to everything that they have requests for. There’s no gray lines as it relates to their beliefs. It’s a yes or no. …. Don’t have a conversation; that this is what we want. We want you to vote with us in Washington 100% of the time, and we want to control our member, and that’s what this is about. And I refused that type of relationship. My relationship will, and always has been, to the constituents and representing the needs of the district.”
I am perfectly fine “pushing people out over one issue” (as one commenter suggested) if that issue is unconditional military aid to Netanyahu’s forces. Thankfully, most voters are aligned with my stance!
- Shytown - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:57 pm:
This is really well done. I know lots of Jews in this party who feel the same way and I sympathize with them as they are being portrayed as bad people and Democrats for, god forbid, wanting Israel to exist (and to Sacks’ point wanting a two state solution and not supporting Netanyahu). I think there’s been an abject failure on the part of the media covering these congressional races to adequately reflect voices of the Jewish Democratic community in all of this and have relied far much too heavily on those who push an anti-Zionist narrative but in reality use it as a tool to make Jewish organizations and money seem toxic. It’s a well executed, but dishonest tactic. It’s time all of this got called out.
- Hugh - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 12:59 pm:
Do you believe other countries should boycott, divest or sanction (BDS) American businesses, scientists, athletes or artists because of our government’s policies?
Yes.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 1:04 pm:
- They’re on the road to pushing people out over one issue -
I don’t consider myself a Democrat, though I typically vote for them. I won’t, however, vote for anyone who supports ethnic cleansing. If that’s under the tent, I’m outside it.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 1:19 pm:
Excitable Boy +1. What Hamas did to Israel was a terrible thing and those people should pay dearly. That doesn’t mean I support Israel’s government killing tens of thousands of children.
- Archpundit - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 1:23 pm:
==now lots of Jews in this party who feel the same way and I sympathize with them as they are being portrayed as bad people and Democrats for, god forbid, wanting Israel to exist (and to Sacks’ point wanting a two state solution and not supporting Netanyahu)
That’s kind of the problem with AIPAC. They seem to be fully supporting Netanyahu and seem to be against reigning in settlers in the West Bank and pushing for a two-state solution. AIPAC is also receiving as much support from Christian end times types and I don’t see how that benefits Israel in the long term.
There’s also a strong cleavage between Gen X & Boomer Jewish voters and those who are younger with the younger Jewish voters skeptical of AIPAC. Thus why J Street is doing well with younger Jewish voters. When AIPAC takes maximalist positions on Israel it becomes an electoral problem now. At the same time we are seeing rising antisemitism across the political spectrum making all of this more complicated.
- Skokie Man - Tuesday, Mar 24, 26 @ 1:34 pm:
AIPAC pushes for Israeli military aid, and it partners with groups like Agudath Israel to push for using public money to pay for private schools.
For some, particularly in the Orthodox and Conservative Jewish community, these efforts are very appealing. Jewish day schools and the families who choose to send their children to them will see a windfall from the government if these lobbying efforts succeed. Some folks believe the need to support Israel is worth the private school handout lobby. But this domestic policy component of AIPAC and its partners aligns more closely with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.