Bass, Raman, Israel
For those of you who do not live in Los Angeles, an almost-debate last week between the two candidates vying to be our city’s next mayor might not have attracted much of your attention. But a program in which incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman took questions separately in front of a largely Jewish community audience told us volumes about the rapidly evolving role that Israel plays in American politics. The lessons of that night’s argument between the Ghost of Israel Past and the Ghost of Israel Future carry immense ramifications far beyond L.A.’s city limits.
Israel is one of many topics on which Bass represents a previous era of Democratic Party politics. Bass has held public office for more than two decades and worked as a community organizer for 15 years before that. Like many leaders of her generation, she has been a longtime but not especially fervent supporter of Israel, faithfully attending Jewish community events and reliably voting on behalf of the Jewish state’s interests. But like Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and many other Democrats who came of political age in the late 20th century, her advocacy was never put to much of a test. At least not until Oct. 7, 2023.
City Councilmember Nithya Raman is also a product of her own more recent political emergence. The first of four members of the Democratic Socialists of America who now populate the 15-member council, Raman has reflected DSA orthodoxy, suspicion and hostility toward Israel since her first campaign in 2020. She ran six years ago at a time when a progressive resurgence was reformulating the Democratic Party, as candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and DSA member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) had pulled the party dramatically leftward on any number of domestic and foreign policy matters. Israel has emerged as a key rallying point for most Democratic progressives, and Raman’s antipathy reflects that broader trend.
Both candidates developed their ideological profiles on Israel and the Middle East largely in conformity with the existing political zeitgeist during their ascensions into their respective careers as elected officeholders. Bass was first elected during the Second Intifada. Even before the Gaza War, Raman’s career has taken place at a time when Israelis rather than Palestinians were seen by many as the aggressors. Neither appears to have made Israel an especially high priority for their work, but both have seemed willing to be carried by the broader ideological currents of their respective eras.
This all came to a head at the Skirball Center late last month, when the two were questioned about their beliefs, their allegiances and their histories on Israel-related issues. Neither said anything particularly surprising. Raman repeated her previously-stated opinion that the Israeli military’s efforts to protect its country’s people from terrorist attack constituted genocide. Bass said that it did not. Raman referred to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which attempts to impose economic penalties on Israel for protecting its countries people from terrorist attack, as a “legitimate form of peaceful protest.” Raman then asserted that BDS was not part of her platform, while Bass opposed the concept altogether. Raman defended her appearance on antisemitic livestreamer Hasan Piker’s program and Bass’ campaign sent a press release criticizing her for it.
The program revealed nothing new about either candidate. Reading a transcript of their interviews without their names attached could have led one to believe that the speakers were Biden and Ocasio-Cortez. Most Los Angeles Jews will vote for Bass, albeit without much enthusiasm. Some of the younger and more progressive members of the community will vote for Raman.
But make no mistake: Bass represents the past and Raman reflects an emerging future. A recent LA Times poll showed Bass winning voters 65 and older by a formidable 2-1 margin. Among voters aged 18-29, Raman’s advantage was an astronomical 66-4. While these numbers were not broken down by ethnicity or religion, they reflect a generational pivot taking place across Los Angeles and across the state and national Democratic parties. American Jews will need to adopt a new approach to this rapidly changing reality – and fast.
Dan Schnur is the U.S. Politics Editor for the Jewish Journal. He teaches courses in politics, communications, and leadership at UC Berkeley, USC and Pepperdine. He hosts the monthly webinar “The Dan Schnur Political Report” for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Follow Dan’s work at www.danschnurpolitics.com
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