Theresa May Criticism of Obama is a Warning to Democrats

One could see what the Obama Administration was trying to do the moment John Kerry blasted the Israeli cabinet as “the most right-wing in history.” It was a CEO we coeur long anticipated and sought by the left, and even the beginning of a new fighting strategy for Democrats against the incoming Trump Administration.

By the end of the week, however, one reaction – from Downing Street – revealed the folly of the entire plan.

The outgoing Secretary of State merely stated what has been a long-held view among Democrats and especially among the left: that the Likud Party and its allies are as dangerous to Israel as the Republicans are to America. So when a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in pre-1967 Palestine wcame up for a vote, the Administration – now free of election concerns – allowed it to pass, then followed up with Kerry’s address. That Trump himself was so eager to criticize in response seemed to validate the moves for many Democrats and progressives.

Things looked very different outside of Washington, however, as a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May was quick to note (Telegraph).

“We do not… believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only one issue, in this case the construction of settlements, when clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so deeply complex,” Mrs May’s spokesman said.

“And we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically elected government of an ally. The Government believes that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties, supported by the international community.”

Given that the UK actually voted for the resolution itself, this was quite a smackdown. In effect, May told Washington to back off Likud in no uncertain terms.

For the Administration, it was a painful reminder of “lame duck” status, but there are lessons for all Democrats here.

Chief among them is this: Politics is not personal. The singular focus on Israeli PM and Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu left the Administration blind to geopolitical reality, but as the Clinton campaign’s obsession with what Trump was led them to ignore what he said – to their peril. Politics is about arguing issues, not slandering individuals. If you always play the man but never the ball, you’ll never score.

If Democrats don’t learn this lesson, the next four years will see Trump suffer deserved vilifications, but score numerous political victories on his way to re-election.