The Patriot Post® · Dershowitz Dumps the Antisemitic Dems

Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz just made a major declaration in The Wall Street Journal: He is now voting Republican.

This is an interesting declaration. Usually, when a lifelong Democrat leaves the party, he or she joins the swelling ranks of independents. But like so many before him, the antisemitic radicalization of the Democrats has forced Dershowitz’s hand.

In his own words:

The Democratic Party has become the most anti-Israel party in U.S. history. Last week all but seven Senate Democrats voted for an arms embargo against the Jewish state, and an avowed enemy of Israel, Abdul El-Sayed, is gaining ground in the Democratic campaign for U.S. senator from Michigan.

There is no denying that the hard left, anti-Israel wing of the Democratic Party has moved from the fringe to the mainstream. Until recently, there was an age gap, with younger voters more strongly opposing Israel, but recent polls suggest that the trend now includes Democrats of all ages. Republicans have their own antisemitic fringe, but for now it remains a fringe.

I believe that the Democratic Party’s hostility to Israel represents a deeper and more dangerous shift away from the center and toward a radical approach that is bad for America and the free world. So I intend to work hard to prevent the Democrats from gaining control of the House and Senate, and I urge those who share my concerns about the increasing influence of radicalism in the Democratic Party to vote, campaign, and contribute for continued Republican control of Congress. I will contribute money to Republican candidates, campaign for them, make speeches at Republican events, and urge pro-Israel Americans to change party affiliation or at least vote against Democrats. Until something changes, I will vote Republican for representative, senator and president.

In other words, Dershowitz is going all in to prevent the Democrats from gaining more power because he sees their anti-Israel extremism as troubling in the extreme. Many of us happen to agree with him. Letting the radical fringes rule a party and its platform is not a way to win friends and influence people. In fact, it leaves independents and moderates feeling disenfranchised and party-less.

However, like all former Democrats who are suddenly declaring allegiance to the Republican Party, we should take their defection with a grain of salt. The Democrats might be too radical for them, but many of their positions do not align with the Republican Party platform either.

For starters, Dershowitz hopes that he can “help moderate” the GOP on abortion, the separation of church and state, immigration, healthcare, and taxes — you know, the main policy points that define a platform. As Dershowitz himself laments, “I wish I could designate myself as a ‘foreign-policy Republican,’ but there’s no such option, so I have to go whole hog. By registering as a Republican rather than an independent, maybe I can have some influence on moving some Republican policies toward the center.”

Another observation was made by journalist Christopher Rufo, who wrote in a social media post, “Another entry in ‘the Right is a dumping ground for failed celebrities and MeToo cases.’ Alan Dershowitz, Russell Brand, and many others lose their status on the Left and come to harvest clicks and power from the Right — and the Right doesn’t have the self-confidence to say ‘no.’”

Rufo is not wrong about #MeToo. Dershowitz was infamously accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, a Jeffrey Epstein victim. Dershowitz sued Guiffre for defamation and staunchly maintained that he was innocent throughout the ordeal. Giuffre later backtracked and said she “may have made a mistake.” Both of them dropped their suits and resolved their differences. Yet even though this scandal has passed, Dershowitz’s name is tainted by the association with Epstein, and the Left has distanced itself from him as a result.

The Republican Party has an ever-widening tent, but as Rufo also points out, that is not necessarily a good thing. This bigger coalition has already affected the pro-life cause in detrimental ways because the Republican Party standard-bearers now see it as a liability.

Alan Dershowitz is welcome to the Republican Party, but perhaps he is the one who needs to change his policy positions, not the other way around.