Staff Reports
Someone decided the best way to win votes in a tight Michigan Senate race was to run a recycled, viral video that blames Israel — and, by extension, Jewish people — for rising grocery bills. The spot, pushed online by Cenk Uygur and Rebellion PAC, is reckless and wrong. It forced Democratic candidate Abdul El‑Sayed to publicly disavow the ad and exposed a dangerous tendency on the left: when the message gets messy, blame someone else.
The ad and the backlash
The one‑minute spot shows a couple in a grocery store putting items back and saying they must “set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians.” It was produced by Rebellion PAC and repackaged by Cenk Uygur, the online commentator who first used a version during his 2024 run. The clip went viral online, racking up millions of views even though the PAC’s paid buy in Michigan was reportedly small. Major Jewish groups called it out fast. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called it “a case study in antisemitism.” That’s not a nuance — it’s a moral red flag.
Where the argument falls apart
The ad tries to make a simple math out of complex spending. It links U.S. aid for Israel to what you pay at the checkout. That’s political theater, not budget analysis. Aid to Israel is a drop in the federal ocean compared with total spending and what drives inflation. Experts say the ad compresses complicated fiscal and market forces into a single scapegoat. If you want to blame someone for high prices, blaming the foreign‑aid line item is lazy politics, not truth.
Why this matters in Michigan
This is a tight race between Abdul El‑Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, and the ad injected a new controversy at a delicate moment. El‑Sayed’s campaign quickly disavowed the spot, saying it was not affiliated with his campaign. That was the right move. But the damage was already done: Jewish community leaders and swing voters saw the message, and social media amplified it far beyond the PAC’s small buys. Independent PACs can drop content into a race late and walk away, leaving candidates to clean up the mess.
Wrap-up: stop the scapegoating, start taking responsibility
The left keeps telling voters it stands for fairness and inclusion while some of its loudest online voices traffic in old scapegoats. Blaming Israel for banana prices is not populism — it’s a stunt that risks alienating voters and stoking real‑world hate. Voters should ask candidates plainly: did you approve this? Will you condemn scapegoating when it appears in your name? If politicians want to fight for working families, do it with facts and proposals, not viral attacks. Michigan deserves better than recycled ads and finger‑pointing.
