What a pleasure it was to host Eric K. Ward — one of America’s leading voices on the intersection of authoritarianism, hate-fueled violence, and the fight to sustain a multiracial, inclusive democracy — on The Debrief! It was a fascinating and nourishing conversation, something many of our souls need right now.
I drew many of my questions from Eric’s seminal article, “Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism.” While he wrote it in June 2017, early in Donald Trump’s first term, it is more relevant than ever today. I highly recommend reading it.
The topics we discussed included:
Eric’s undercover research on white nationalist movements and why his subjects didn’t find it odd to encounter a Black man in their spaces
Why Eric believes that antisemitism forms the “theoretical core” of white nationalism
The centrality of the Great Replacement Theory to white nationalism
Jewish whiteness as provisional and revocable
How Israeli policies, especially since October 7th, have complicated the fight against antisemitism
The use of historical analogies, such as European fascism, to understand America in Trump’s second term
Breaking down the MAGA coalition into its component parts — and where figures like Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens fit in
Building community to fight against white nationalism and for a multiracial, inclusive democracy
I learned so much from this conversation and I hope you did (or will), too! I’d love to hear what you think.
Now This Is Super Exciting!
Coming up this Thursday, March 19, at 12pm Eastern:
At the end of my conversation with Eric K. Ward, he spoke of the importance of building community, which is so important during these times — and it’s something I want to do here on The Debrief. So this Thursday, we’ll have have Office Hours for the first time over Zoom, featuring moderated discussion and an opportunity to “ask me anything.” We’ll have an opportunity to see each other, speak together, and build community in a safe space, at a time when so many of us desperately need it. I’m really looking forward to this and hope you’ll be there!
Paid subscribers will receive a separate email tomorrow morning with the video link to join.
If you’re not already a paid subscriber, I hope you’ll become one now. You can also show your support for The Debrief with a one-time donation, which is greatly appreciated.
Looking Ahead to Next Week…
Tuesday, March 24, at 2:30pm Eastern:
Former Congresswoman Marie Newman, who represented Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District covering parts of Chicago and its suburbs, will join us to debrief the results of Illinois’ primary elections (which are taking place as I write).
AIPAC is playing a major role in several Illinois Democratic primaries, reportedly spending a gobsmacking $22 million in targeting four House races. In IL-09, AIPAC- affiliated groups targeted frontrunner Daniel Biss, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor who has a deep personal connection to Israel but doesn’t believe in blank-check US support for it. AIPAC’s spending against Biss may (inadvertently?) boost his opponent Kat Abughazaleh, a Palestinian-American who advocates cutting all aid to Israel. This raises the prospect of a repeat of the primary result in New Jersey’s 11th district. In that race, AIPAC spent $2 million against former Congressman Tom Malinowski, a pro-Israel moderate. He was narrowly defeated by Analilia Mejia, who is significantly to Malinowski’s left on Israel-Palestine.
Newman has plenty of experience tangling with AIPAC and has recently written that “AIPAC has a toxic brand problem… They look to be the new kiss of death for campaigns.” We’ll have much to discuss!
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing paid subscribers in Office Hours on Thursday!
Warm regards,
Debra
