"It Was The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

Reflecting on the debate's rare exchange between two presidential aspirants, I was reminded of a song by the musical group, The Band. I was not the first to be so reminded.

On November 5, 2008, Brent Budowsky felt the same connection to The Band. He wrote in The Hill, The Night Old Dixie Died and a New Generation Was Born.

The nation had just elected its first African American president, Barack Obama, when Budowsky wrote:

"It was a moment for the ages and the night Old Dixie died, when the trumpet sounded and a president like Caroline Kennedy's father came. In terms of race relations and America being a community of diverse people from countless backgrounds working together for the common good, it was the most important night since the Emancipation Proclamation.

"It was the night Old Dixie died, when those who were whipped and beaten can have a president of their own, and we will have a president of our own. It was a night for the realignment of generations, as people age 18 to 30 have a president of their own, and just as profoundly, kids too young to vote in 2008 will have a president of their own."

The leader of The Band, Robbie Robinson, described his feelings when he first wrote, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down:

"I was humming the melody but I didn't know what the song was about. Until that one day when it just appeared in that kind of way."

The song speaks of the end of the American Civil War. It connotes an ending and the start of a major change. Below is a video of the song as it was featured in the film, The Last Waltz.

The Israel Lobby was driven down on the night Bernie Sanders and his cheering supporters declared their independence from the empirical designs of Israel.

"The Night They Drove Old Lobby Down" was the night of the Brooklyn debate. There will need to be other nights like it.

But it was in the year of 2016 that the Israel Lobby was first driven down in the middle of a national political debate. And Bernie Sanders led the way.