The right-left distinction has always been phoney and a political convenience. The real political spectrum is from no government (Anarchist) to absolute government control (Totalitarian), with both Communist and Socialist governments being authoritarian establishments varying degrees of closeness to Totalitarianism.

The key word was "National."

In sharp contrast, the chief world leftist socialist organization called itself Communist *International.*

And the original song ("Arise ye wretched of the earth!") of the Communist movement was the "Internationale."

Only with Stalin did the Russians sing of a Russian movement, or include any nationalism at all in their pronouncements. The State Hymn of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (a name Lenin chose to imply the foundation of a one-world government) gives the clues to Stalin's thinking, and self-glorification:

"Unbreakable union of free-born Republics, Great Russia has welded forever to stand!"

And:

"Be true to the people, so Stalin has reared us, inspired us to labor and exploits of might!"

And the last verse, during the war:

"Our forces we've train'd up and tested in battle,
"Mean-spir'ted aggressors to sweep from the road!
"We'll seal our posterity's fortunes in battle
"And bring to our Motherland glory and laud!"

Right along with the German anthem, which translates as "Germany rules over ev'ryone,/Over ev'ry one in the world!"

Nationalism. That's what the Jews associated with "rightism."

And let's not forget: Theodor Herzl's original model called for share-and-share-alike communities. The kibbutzim had much in common with the kholkoz, or collective farm, in Soviet Russia. Except the kibbutz, being smaller, was far easier to manage.

But when the Soviet Union broke away from Israel and sided with the Arabs, so did the left. But Jews in America still didn't realize it. And in Israel, I have to say: how a paper like Haaretz can keep on with a leftist editorial policy, in light of the utter failures of leftist policy and diplomacy, I cannot fathom.

I think actually the questioning by historians compliments Herzl, who long has been characterized as a rather wealthy, naive Jewish journalist who came to Paris and exclaimed: OMG! It is a typical picture book historical incident and historians are saying, I think, that Herzl's inspiration had more depth than that...

Haaretz has this story, identifying a member of Obama's reelection team (still paid out of remaining campaign funds) as part of the group working to unseat Netanyahu. Because the group isn't associated with any political party, Israeli laws against foreign funded political action don't apply.

Yes. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party, which meant National Socialist. How some people can think that was a right-wing organization is beyond me.

An excellent article. The Jewish lobby and American neocons have formed an unholy alliance that promotes never ending US involvement in the Middle East that, to date, has cost trillions of dollars and thousands of US soldiers dead and wounded, and put us in bed not just with Israel, but with the repressive, Islamic extremist, terrorism-fomenting regime in Saudi Arabia. We have gained nothing for the costs we've borne, and there has been blowback: terrorism and Moslem "infiltration" (more in Europe than in the US) by refugees from the hell holes we've helped create in the Middle East.

Huh. This was the first President since Carter to advocate for Israel to go back to the 1967 borders - borders which are totally indefensible. He hasn't done anything to decry the rocket attacks on Israel, which are still occurring, but has actually sided with the Palestinians. Add to that his refusal to even label ISIS as a terrorist group and enemy of the free world, and I can only conclude the exact opposite - an opponent of Israel. I mean, Israel doesn't come out in diplomatic channels and call the President an idiot unless he has really ticked them off.

Having lived for 63 years in a predominantly Jewish stronghold in the NY Catskills I have often wondered exactly what is the beef between Muslims and Jews?
Such unending, vial hatred has been going on far longer than I have been here but having lived and worked with many Jewish friends I have never felt threatened in any way by them on a religious basis. Not so for the few Muslims I have had contact with. It appears to me that the Muslims hate us Christians just as much as they hate the Jews and no other religion gets any respect either.
Just like King Obama, the Muslims carry the attitude "It is my way or the highway" and that won't fly here in my America!

Every firearm has a trigger. Every explosion has a detonator. The second does not entirely cause the first. But the first stays potential only, until the second acts.

I don't think there is any question about the Dreyfus Affair, just as you say. But historians seems to ask if that really was "the moment" for Herzl's lifelong conviction about Zionism. Not a terrible important point; the Dreyfus Affair was an outrage and Herzl did have his "idea"--the question raised is if the two were really so connected.

Theodor Herzl was absolutely correct. I studied that Dreyfus affair. It was one of the most disgusting examples of selective application of the law, and blaming someone else for your own shortcomings (or deliberate treasons), I have ever seen or studied.

Now was Theodor Herzl alone in his idea of self-determination of the Jewish people. Eliezer Yitzhak Perelman, better known to history as Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, had another vision. If the Jews are to be one people, with one land, they must have one language. And if they do not speak one language, they must create one! Or resurrect one, one they had not spoken in everyday usage for two thousand years. I refer, of course, to the Hebrew language.

Back to Theodor Herzl: if he witnessed the ugliness in Paris and elsewhere in France today, he would shout from the rooftop, "What are you waiting for? Go up! Go up to the Land of Zion and Jerusalem!"

Actor Kirk Douglas, portraying Lt. Col. David "Mickey" Marcus USAR (a/k/a "Aluf Michael Stone") in "Cast a Giant Shadow," called Israel "the one place on this whole earth where [Jews] can go and live in peace." Until recently I might have been able to dispute him. Maybe I still can. But I have watched my fellow citizens elect someone (who was not even eligible to the office, but that's another debate) who brought back anti-Semitism in this country and actually made it respectable again, in leftist circles. I never thought I would live to see that day.

I don't perceive him as anti-Israel, but, like all recent Presidents he set out to move Israel toward some sort of the two-state solution, to which Israel has pledged, endlessly, and always found excuses to derail. Read some of the columns of John Juddis about how all that happened with Obama...

Like to see the source of this story, if true.

The Jewish vote isn't necessarily part of AIPAC. Many Jews conflate Judaism with political leftism. The reason: the last existential threat they felt came from Adolf Hitler. A man, or so they think, of the political right, not the left.

The party leaders choose the candidates not the people, but they do put on a great media circus to make you imagine you made the selection.

My perception is that Obama is very pro-Muslim and anti-Israel, and yet I have read that he won the Jewish vote here. Did AIPAC support him with their money? And if so, why?

Well, thank goodness that neither country's leaders were elected by their citizens to support those actions...
The LEADERS are the root cause of such a problem?

Answer to the author's question-
the elite of Israel and the elite of the US think they know what's best for the people of Israel and the people of the US. They take great care to manipulate what we think.

And in another fit of temper, Obama sent a team to Israel to try and defeat Bibi. This is against American law, but since when did Dear Leader care about that?