The Case for Independents

Growing up in the home of a staunch Republican and an equally staunch Democrat, I became an Independent; it seemed like the sensible choice. The more I began to understand our political system — how partisan it can become, how parties change through the years — the more I remained steadfast in my choice.

When I worked at The New Republic in the early ‘90s, most of my friends were Democrats because the party still represented classical liberalism: Liberty, justice, equality, pluralism, civil society. With Republicans at the time, you never knew if a sexist or racist comment was on its way. Nevertheless, I chose candidates based on who they were, not which party they represented.

When I moved to New York City and 9/11 happened, the first thing I said to my father was: “I’m glad there’s a Republican in the White House.” It was beginning to become obvious that Democrats were on a dramatic decline into what we now call leftism: Illiberalism on every front. As any self-reflective Democrat would have to admit, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. would not call themselves Democrats today. 

I had also become less convinced about the Democrats’ ability to run things (my father’s favorite expression: Democrats can’t run a lemonade stand); fighting terrorism was not something I could see them doing effectively.

Terrorism is again at the forefront, as well as antisemitism and Israel. Leaving aside President Biden’s flip-flops on Israel, just in the last week in NYC: District Attorney Alvin Bragg incomprehensibly dropped all charges against the mini-jihadists who stormed and occupied Columbia University, and a Jewish mom, her husband, and 16-year-old son were beaten at a Brooklyn elementary school graduation by a Muslim family, who first taunted them with shouts of “Death to Israel!” 

At the mostly unpeaceful protests throughout the city, pro-jihadists waved “flags” from Hamas and Hezbollah and celebrated Oct. 7. A Jewish woman passing by one at Hunter College was told to hang herself. 

While Mayor Eric Adams has voiced numerous condemnations, the New York City Council, run by self-proclaimed socialists, has cheered all of this on. In the past decade, the council has granted nearly $3 million to five nonprofits that helped organize or support these radical anti-Israel student protests.

We can no longer ignore the obvious: Most of the Democratic Party today actively or passively opposes the existence of Israel and has helped to enable a global pogrom against Jews.

American Jews who don’t want to make Aliyah yet have two options: Become a Republican or an Independent. Third parties have never worked in the U.S., and I don’t see that changing.

For many, former President Donald Trump is a barrier to even thinking about becoming a Republican. That’s understandable, but one also has to admit that Trump wouldn’t have happened if the Democrats hadn’t gone off the deep end. Also understandable is a worry about the growing neo-isolationist wing of the GOP, a wing that is peppered with vocal antisemites. Though I think most of us would love to be able to use our space lasers to control the weather right now.

Becoming an Independent provides a safe alternative for Jews in 2024, which continues to fully blossom into 1938. But despite the antisemitic ideology of leftism — and the blatant antisemitism of many elected Democrats — most Jews are still registered Democrats.

Becoming an Independent doesn’t mean you still can’t vote for Rep. Ritchie Torres or Rep. John Fetterman — the two strongest voices of reason in the Democratic Party today — or for any of the suspiciously silent Jewish Democrats. 

The one thing you can’t do is vote in the primaries. Right now, I do believe the trade-off is well worth it. 

Becoming an Independent is also in sync with Judaism’s nonconformist roots. The cult-like partisanship of both parties should have been enough for Jews to leave.

Becoming an Independent is also in sync with Judaism’s nonconformist roots. The cult-like partisanship of both parties should have been enough for Jews to leave.

A historic exit from the Democratic Party today will send a message. Anyone who cares about a future for Jews in the U.S. needs to understand this. The argument for staying and “fighting from within” is no longer viable; it’s clear the party will never return to classical liberalism. It needs to die, receive a proper burial in Iran, and then a new classical liberal party can emerge.

Jews need to stop identifying with people who blatantly hate us. And at the moment, most of them definitely couldn’t run a lemonade stand.

Karen Lehrman Bloch is editor in chief of White Rose Magazine.