Sanders is missing this important opportunity. A video will not cut it.--When

[riversedge]

is he sending his video? to this Israel conference.



I know he sent the letter saying he could not attend because he was campaigning.

[NWCorona]

1. Apaic doesn't do nothing for me so I'm glad

He opted out.

[Betty Karlson]

19. Same here. My (Jewish) boyfriend loaths it. eom

[Fawke Em]

32. So does my Jewish husband. eom

[Hortensis]

26. APAIC connection would be a liability to Sanders.

And a distraction from his issue that he doesn't need. Of course he stayed away. Running as a Jew and drawing the vote of the Jewish 3% could potentially cost him far more than that, and he'll get a fair share of those anyway.

Besides, Sanders won't get the nomination, but if he did the GOP would have him spying for the Mossad, plotting to institute a one-world government while supposedly at a kibbutz, serving AIPAC-associated corporate interests instead of America, you name it.

It's not a useful association this time around, and his one-issue focus is economic, not religious or ethnic.

[Jitter65]

44. He can have it both ways by not showing up. nt

[Hortensis]

49. I'm guessing you're right. He should be powerful

enough, win or lose, that they won't be erasing his contact info.

[Empowerer]

27. Apparently, Sanders should only talk to people who "do something" for his existing supporters

Great campaign strategy - not to mention a brilliant foundation for being President of the United States . . .

[NWCorona]

31. Nice try

[Empowerer]

40. Thank you!

[NWCorona]

41. You're welcome

[Human101948]

2. AIPAC? Isn't that the group that tried to undermine President Obama?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned address before Congress may have divided the country and angered the White House, but it's being cheered loudly at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.
Coming just two weeks before the elections in Israel and one month from a March 31 deadline for nuclear negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu's speech is causing a political rift, with 48 percent of registered U.S. voters surveyed in a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll saying congressional Republicans should not have invited the Israeli prime minister without giving President Obama advance notice.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-02/netanyahu-gest-aipac-support-for-congressional-speech

[CalvinballPro]

3. Sanders sent AIPAC a letter expressing his regret for not being able to attend, and sent his speech.

The speech he would have given had his campaign schedule not prevented him from attending.

What bothers me is that the pro-Sanders media is trying to spin Sanders expressing regret for not being able to attend and sending a copy of the speech he would have given to AIPAC's members as some kind of "noble stand" against AIPAC.

Sanders literally wrote that he wanted to be there, and had a speech prepared if they had allowed him to address AIPAC remotely, but we're supposed to believe he's taking a stand against AIPAC?

I was born, but not yesterday.

[PotatoChip]

15. Who cares? AIPAC already has far more influence on Gov officials than it should, imo. (nt)

[Armstead]

4. He offered, but they wouldn't accept that

They preferred him to give up two or three days of much-needed campaigning out west, just so he could kiss their ring.

[riversedge]

6. I do not think they asked him to give up 2-3 days. You made that up. The Republicans

were out WEST just yesterday

[Armstead]

8. Use your head

two cross country air flights, cancelling appearances in states, getting to and from event within city -- even if flying at night it busts a big hole in campaign schedule.

[sufrommich]

13. I doubt that his invitation to speak came suddenly.

His campaign could have scheduled around it. I think Sanders doesn't like his lack of a real foreign policy exposed and that's why he didn't go.

[Armstead]

16. What is the difference between delivering a speech on video and doing it in person?

It is much more productive to spend the last days before primaries and caucuses talking to the people in person in those states.

[riversedge]

22. bust a hole his budget for sure. Butlike I said Sanders missed an important

opportunity to mingle with lots of folks and discuss his Foreign policies--but he does not like to do either.

[Tom Rinaldo]

12. "AIPAC Rejects Sanders Offer to Speak via Video, as Romney and Gingrich Did in 2012"

Here's a link to that story: https://theintercept.com/2016/03/18/aipac-rejects-sanders-offer-to-speak-via-video-as-romney-and-gingrich-did-in-2012/

Why the double standard? Why was it OK for Romney and Gingrich to send video statements but it is unacceptable for Sanders to?

[riversedge]

23. Thanks. But Sanders used poor judgment is not speaking and those are the

consequences.


Probably good they rejected him from his camps point of view, as he has a big gap in articulating his foreign policy

[JonLeibowitz]

30. Any reasonable foreign policy would not be acceptable at AIPAC

Remember this is the group backing a country opposed to the Iran nuclear deal, a signature piece of diplomacy.

This is also the country which itself likely has nuclear weapons but will neither confirm nor deny their existence.
I would think less of Sanders if he did show.

[tblue]

5. There's nothing for him at AIPAC

It's okay.

[riversedge]

7. Yes, we know Sanders in not in foreign policy

[Armstead]

10. Again, he offered to deliver a speech on video

[Lizzie Poppet]

17. That beats hell out of being bad at it.

Well...unless you like war, outsourcing, harmful trade agreements, etc...

[giftedgirl77]

35. I'm sorry but APAIC is not foreign policy.

While Sanders is weak as hell on foreign policy I think HRC has a scary ass foreign policy stance. Hopefully she picks a level headed VP.

[MoonRiver]

9. Nothing but millions of votes!

[Armstead]

11. The hardass "Israel can do no wrong" crowd will not vote for an even handed approach regardless

[Autumn]

14. Sanders is missing nothing. AIPAC is not a priority, nor should it be.

But I'm puzzled by the canard that Hillary IS Obama's third term and the guardian of his legacy considering the AIPAC and the GOP pigs tried to undermine one of Obamas outstanding achievements.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-02/netanyahu-gest-aipac-support-for-congressional-speech

[Armstead]

18. The contrast between her "Israel can do no wrong" and Obama's even handed approach

was striking....and a little bit frightening.

[Autumn]

20. It's ridiculous.

[giftedgirl77]

36. Without a doubt.

[WhiteTara]

21. they said they wouldn't air his video. nt

[riversedge]

24. That is the risk Sanders took when his camp used poor judgment to not show up.

[Fawke Em]

33. It's not poor judgment to not go where no one will listen to you anyway.

Sanders isn't hawkish enough for that crowd.

[riversedge]

46. Sanders had the opportunity to express his views -but choose not to do that.

[panader0]

48. Is he not Jewish enough for you?

How many other candidates are Jewish? What a crock this AIPAC thing is.

[Autumn]

25. Res for Hillary making it there and having Obamas back .

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-02/netanyahu-gest-aipac-support-for-congressional-speech

[SwampG8r]

28. Trump pumping is not allowed here

[jillan]

29. Bernie wants a two state solution. Aipac doesn't.

[giftedgirl77]

34. I wish everyone would ignore APAIC.

I can't stand the way HRC kisses their ass.

[KitSileya]

37. I don't think missing AIPAC is a big deal.

I would imagine most of his supporters don't support Israel's stance on Palestine. The worse miss is tonight's thing with all the other candidates, IMO.

[Orsino]

39. He's not the front-runner. He needs to campaign.

And a dog-and-pony show for a bunch of hawks would not be consistent with his foreign policy.

[SamKnause]

42. The war hawk you support is there, so what is the problem ????

[GreatGazoo]

43. Sanders doesn't take different messages to different groups,

doesn't cut the electorate into broadbrushed stereotypes. That is the other campaign.

The Sanders campaign is about goals and issues, not gender and skin color.

[NorthCarolina]

45. AIPAC is an important US Tax Payer Money Laundering group.

It's true that we do give Billions of US Tax Payer dollars to Israel, but to be fair, a goodly portion of those tax payer funds DO come back aided by AIPAC, the largest money laundering...errr lobbyist...group in DC. They have lots of rich friends who just also happen to be lawmakers.

[riderinthestorm]

47. The problem is thinking that speaking to AIPAC is "an important opportunity"

It's not.