Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot.

As a 1960s person who has nursed high expectations for social change, it is hard not to be extremely depressed at the state of our politics. Hopes of an evolution toward a less militaristic, ecologically sensitive, multi-racial democracy keep getting knocked back. One bright spot, however, has been the emergence and growth of the Squad in Congress.

Led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and including Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman and Summer Lee, the Squad represents a vision of progressive change for an America that desperately needs transformation from older paradigms.

That vision includes a sincere effort to address the climate change emergency, a revitalized labor movement, an attack on the economic inequality that has benefited the 1% at the expense of the 99%, a federal jobs guarantee with increased minimum wage, Medicare for all, forgiveness of significant student loan debt, a greatly reduced Pentagon budget, public funding of elections, a reduction in gun violence, reproductive rights for women, an end to police brutality and the dismantling of institutional racism.

We need an America where racism, sexism, homophobia, antisemitism and Islamophobia are considered absolutely unacceptable. Somehow, throughout our history, we have failed to reckon with our two greatest historical sins: the genocide against Native Americans and slavery with its residual effects still holding back African Americans. Reckoning should mean both public acknowledgment of the crimes and further steps toward rectification.

As the inheritors of Occupy Wall Street and the two Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns, the Squad, among lawmakers, best represents the vision for transformative change. I know many Democrats may not buy into such a vision. The reasons why people vote for a candidate are varied and idiosyncratic.

One strong tendency among Democrats is the notion they should simply run against what a train wreck the Republican Party has become. And it is undeniable that the Republican Party has descended to new depths. Their putative leader promises to be a dictator on day one.

Many moderate Democrats want a return to normalcy. They think it is enough to run for democracy and against Trump. I would suggest that the desire to run as the party of normalcy is a big mistake. That perspective is a status quo vision.

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Many working people, whether in urban or rural America, have good reason to be furious. The system has stacked the deck against them and Trump appeals to that disillusionment even though he is an utter fraud. Democrats need to offer positive reasons for casting the ballot. Democrats need to follow the FDR tradition, reaching out to working people with a vision and a program. Democrats should be much more welcoming and less negatively judgmental.

The Republican effort to present themselves as a working class party is a bad joke. Preppy twits like Tucker Carlson and Yale Law grad Josh Hawley are not exactly the salt of the earth. The Republicans talk about elites but if you follow the money they are largely funded by the 1% and they reflect ruling class values and priorities like tax cuts for the super-rich. All their talk about wokeness is distracting nonsense.

The Squad deserves attention now because the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC, is planning on spending $100 million in the 2024 election cycle to take down Squad members. This is a threat to the existence of any progressive presence in Congress. AIPAC is recruiting primary challengers against multiple Squad members.

They take this initiative to ensure Congress stands in lockstep with Israel no matter how extreme the actions of Israel’s far-right government. AIPAC is targeting politicians they perceive as at all critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Both as a Jewish person and a progressive, I find AIPAC’s efforts to primary and unseat the Squad reprehensible and morally bankrupt. They ignore the fascist threat represented by the present incarnation of the Republican Party. AIPAC has actually endorsed more than 100 Republican lawmakers who voted to subvert the 2020 presidential election in service of Trump’s Big Lie.

Rep. Cori Bush described what is going on most accurately. She said, “AIPAC is attempting to buy blue seats with GOP donor money.”

We have already seen AIPAC inject Republican megadonor bucks into Democratic races. In 2022, an AIPAC-affiliated group, United Democracy Project, spent over $4 million to defeat progressive Democrat and synagogue president Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich) because he supported Palestinian rights.

Levin said, “…AIPAC can’t stand the idea that I am the clearest, strongest Jewish voice in Congress standing for a simple proposition: that there is no way to have a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people unless we achieve the political and human rights of the Palestinian people.”

AIPAC tried unsuccessfully to take down Summer Lee, a western Pennsylvania Congresswoman. They spent $3 million in that effort. Through their PACs, they successfully took down Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md) by spending nearly $7 million in that race. Sources said they offered Hill Harper $20 million to run against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) but Harper declined that offer.

AIPAC has zero commitment to any progressive values. They stand in the dark money tradition of trying to purchase election results by overwhelming opponents with enormous cash outlays. Imagine how Republicans would react if they saw Democratic megadonors trying to buy wins in Republican primaries. Where is the Democratic outrage for this interference?

Contrary to what they think they are doing, AIPAC’s efforts will only result in more antisemitism. Jews and progressives should not be supporting Israel’s extremist government. We should be supporting calls for a ceasefire and a political settlement. With its spending spree against the Squad, AIPAC plays into the hands of Trump and the MAGA fascists.

What AIPAC is doing now is dangerous to the future of the Democratic Party. Their efforts may deprive Democrats of a young generation of leaders who we need to promote change and protect democracy.