The Jim Crow West Bank

 The West Bank is crowing like the early 20th century American South.  The settlers are the Klu Klux Klan with yarmulkes.  Palestinian homes are raided and burned, businesses are destroyed.  The Israeli government at best ignores the violence, or at worst, supports the settlers.

The Religious Zionist Party and its allies, resemble the Dixiecrats.  Essential to the continuation of the Netanyahu coalition, they protect and expand the settlements.

Nor is bigotry the sole motivation.  Housing is expensive in Israel.  Driving out the Palestinians creates free land and residences.  Much of the land is commuting distance to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.  Imagine if those desperate to live on the westside of Los Angeles decided to terrorize and expel the tenants and home owners in Mar Vista.

Israel was created as a safe haven from religious persecution.  As an American Jew, I expect better.

Why Biden is Pulling Ahead

 For the first time this election cycle, polls show Biden pedaling ahead of Trump.  The reasons are two fold.  First is the State of the Union address.  The speech reassured Democrats and raised money, but did not immediately inflate Biden's poll numbers.  

The collateral impact of the address was to change the conversation.  Republicans stepped on their own message.  The GOP, with remarkable success, has pounded on Biden's age.  But in response to the speech,  Republicans cited Biden as being angry, talking too fast, shouting, and even Trump claiming Biden ingested cocaine.   Hardly, the description of a doddering old man.  The media has followed suit.  References to Biden's age have declined, and late night comedians have moved on.

The second reason is advertising.  Political advertising is often mere background noise.  Two chords transform it into a beat the public will dance to.  First, if it is unopposed.  Biden is buying digital and other media in key markets, while the less funded Trump campaign is not.  More importantly, the Biden campaign's ads funnel and amplify free media.

Abortion is in the news.  The Alabama decision on IVF and the more recent barbaric abortion decision in Arizona have the public focused.  The Biden campaign has nimbly responded with impactful abortion ads. 

The election is a long way off, but finally the Biden campaign has pushed the on button.