President Joe Biden’s support for the Israeli military offensive in Gaza mixed with student anger over police crackdowns on anti-war campus protests are complicating the work of Democratic youth groups trying to engage classmates and other Generation Z voters ahead of this year’s election.
Here’s a take… it would be infinitely worse under the GOP. At least Biden and Blinken have attempted to cool tensions and persuade Bibi to stop. They have, at a minimum, delayed some violence.
The argument isn't "don't vote for biden" it's "stop deflecting the harm your candidate is actively doing by pointing at someone else". Why is that so hard to understand? The fact the democrats want to die on the hill of commiting genocide and squashing student protests against it is their own fault, no one elses.
No, you're allowed an opinion, but you're starting to realize your opinion means Jack shit in your system unless you have lobbyists with deep pockets. Don't get mad at me bro, I didn't create the system
We’re going in circles. Anyone who abstains from voting in protest of Israel support will be allowing someone to win that supports Israel more. It’s that simple.
No, it's because of the truth that continued support of genocide will cause Biden to lose Michigan and other states as well. Which means Trump wins.
To prevent that, Biden needs to change policy immediately
If people are mad at a government then they will not vote to re-elect that government. Which is how democracy is supposed to work. Not that it matters, because our democracy is not long for this world anyway
You're just steeped in buzzwords aren't you. No wonder wrong think is unacceptable among young liberals, you all operate on the same bullshit, and call anyone who disagrees even a little bit a right winger, even if they're so far left of you that they left you in the dust
Did I say you were a right winger? I said you were trying to deflect from defending Biden because you don't have anything to defend him with. That rather presumes you're a Democrat at least.
Is it the fact that many people consider it the strongest motivation for not voting for biden?
Is it the fact that people are putting in a lot of time and effort to change the position of one of the candidates before the election?
Is it the fact that people protesting against this around election time makes you unhappy the reason you think it isn’t an election issue.
Shut the fuck up. Stop talking and stop spreading this braindead take that is begging to remain at the pro-genocide status quo. You don’t get to decide whether or not it is an election issue for everyone.
I’ve seen and been at protests against my congressmen, mayors, state houses, and governors. People have been doing these types of protests since October. Just because the current wave of protests is campus occupations.
Also, if you think this is solely a congressional issue, you fundamentally do not understand what the president can do in a situation like this.
You’re getting all the representation you can get from Senate and House Democrats. Schumer spoke against this in January. Bernie repeated last month, and so on. Congress is now divided on this as a partisan issue, but ignorance puts it all on the president, whose office has been in support of Israel in this conflict since it began under Reagan. A Republican in office would only escalate this into a war with Iran after Palestine is eradicated.
I didn’t see that. Thank you for the link. That was in December, before Netanyahu began indiscriminately killing Palestinians in Gaza, during the early stages of defense after the Iron Dome breach in October.
I’m not painting a narrative. I’m simply aware that Republicans have historically emboldened Israel with the goal of an active war with Iran. They leverage Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis as justification to go hot with Iran. I’m still in stark disagreement that things would be better with Bush, or any other Republican in the presidency.
I believe they’re talking about Democrat electors, like Schumer and Bernie. No one here is against speaking out or protesting. The topic is voting. If people abstain, Trump will win. His unwavering base will make sure of that.
Also, you said you’re not a democrat. Which is it? Or do you just manipulate your stance to fit the narrative you’re selling?
I thought you had written that you left the party years ago. My mistake. Also, accusing people of loving genocide is despicable and further discrediting to you. Of course I’m passionately against killing of any kind, especially when targeting a specific group.
I’m not defending Biden’s support of Israel. This post is about voting, and yes, I’m absolutely reluctantly voting for him to keep Trump from a second term. You are either completely ignorant to the implications of your comments or you are actively trying to get Trump into office.
I’m not angry. In fact, I’m quite well adjusted. You should consider paying more attention to your well being and less attention to opportunities to attack and misrepresent others online.
Yeah, they're speaking out against the protests. Biden even got in on it with his short speech recently finger wagging the student protests, in case you were wondering how much democrats care about acting against genocide.
What is the answer? People are commenting like they can just abstain and everything will work out. I’m commenting as an anti-Trump voter. Provide a suggestion that isn’t whining about bad choices and I’ll listen.
The answer is for people who voted for Biden in the 2020 primaries to apologize for putting us in this position. Otherwise they're just gonna do it again in 2028.
It would demonstrate some self awareness from the people who created this situation. If they plan on behaving differently in the next primaries then it's worth it to hold my nose and vote for Biden again in the hopes of having someone substantially better in 2028.
The fact that there is no apology means whoever is elected in the 2028 primaries won't be any better. It's probably going to be HRC.
Are you talking about the DNC providing limited options in the primary, or those who voted in the primary? You can vote in any primary just by changing your registration. I’ve done it several times. I have no party loyalty. I’m loyal to my ideals and will vote in any primary that looks to benefit my ideals best.
The answer is to continue to pressure democrats, known as "the good party", to actually do good things they claim they want to do but refuse to actually do.
I completely agree. I’m only commenting against the inaccuracy of protesting at the polls. The topic of this thread and post is supporting Biden in the election, not in his support of Israel.
He talked about these elements as if they were the entirety of the movement. It doesn't matter how much you police the movement, any jackass can make the movement look bad with the help of biden and the media pretending like they represent the movement.
We all know of his support. What you don’t seem to recognize is that Trump will be worse. Protest Biden’s support of Israel. Just don’t pretend that things will be get better by supporting Trump. We all know that’s a lie.
Also, the Republicans tried to pass Israel aid independent of Ukraine and Taiwan aid. Don’t pretend for a second that the Democrats in Congress are morally inferior to the Republicans.
Sure I get that, but I would also point out that you aren't personally getting food into Gaza. Trump is going to tear down the humanitarian aid for Palestinians that Biden and the Democrats are working through the diplomatic process.
When Trump is elected and this genocide becomes a success, make no mistake, you will have had a hand in that, and I think you would lose that ability to criticize Biden.
the humanitarian aid for Palestinians that Biden and the Democrats are working through the diplomatic process.
This is not happening. It's a fairy tale
this genocide becomes a success
Already is.
I think you would lose that ability to criticize Biden.
I think everyone who voted for Biden in 2020, which includes me, is culpable for this genocide.
Unfortunately, the United States is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship of the oligarchs. Which means there is no way to influence policy on which the oligarchs agree. This Zionist genocide is one such example. Another is single payer healthcare. And workplace democracy.
This country is a hellhole whose living conditions will continue to deteriorate for the rest of our lives, much like they have since 1968. Voting for Biden or for trump will not change that.
Moving to somewhere like Denmark is the best possible option. No American should have any hope for this country. It is naive to think that Biden and The Democrats will do anything to meaningfully improve the country or the world. They are owned by the oligarchs - they just don't actively hate guys or women.
You are privileged enough to go to Denmark, that's great.
They aren't accepting over 300 million migrants. Just because you won't be paying the repurcussions for your helping the Trump campaign doesn't make you the moral beacon you pretend to be.
This is Biden pressuring Netanyahu to stop killing American employees of a celebrity chef, after Israel had already killed all 7 of them. I'm glad Biden has a line, I guess?
lol that happened 3 hours ago. I hadn't heard about it yet.
Good. If Biden holds it until the election I'll vote for him. I'd prefer he hold it after the election too but I suspect he'll resume immediately following the results.
EDIT: Kinda ridiculous to say "Biden never did anything" and reference an article 3 hours old. Yeah, up until 3 hours ago he hadn't done anything.
Maga assholes are having a grand time twisting the knife in this wound trying to drive a wedge in the voting block. It's clearly working.
The people who are drawing the line at genocide in Gaza are being disingenuous at best. Foreign policy is, believe it or not, far more complicated than people make it out to seem. Making every effort to de-escalate the conflict at the negotiating table comes before burning bridges with arguably our last and only stalwart ally in the middle east.
That's just pure bullshit. Under the Leahy amendment they're not even allowed to send weapons to countries credibly accused of human rights abuses, and the state department's just sitting on those reports instead of following the law.
You could literally impeach the President over this, but obviously the majority of Congress is ok with the president breaking that law.
You could literally impeach the President over this
You're telling me that the Republicans who have been grasping at straws for four years to come up with an excuse to impeach Biden are letting this impeachable offense pass them by? Sorry, but I don't believe you.
Republicans are overwhelmingly Zionists who would never criticize a Democrat for supporting Israel. If anything, they would impeach Biden for not sending Israel enough bombs and guns to use to murder innocent Gazans
So you don't want Biden, but you don't want Trump either, but you can't have it both ways. No matter if you turn out to vote or not, you are getting one of those two choices. That's a fact. We're stuck in the Prisoner's Dilemma Election, and it's time to decide if we're going to play the game to win or not.
There's far more at stake this year than just the fate of Gaza, but shortsightedness is going to kill us.
They’re right. The weapons agreement was already in place and paid for by Israel prior to any criminal accusations by the ICC. The subsequent aid was unnecessary, but it was the only leverage to get the Republicans in Congress to pass Ukraine aid.
Here's some nuance then: Why would people listen to all the finger wagging assholes telling us to shut the fuck up for Biden while refusing to apologize for electing him in the 2020 primaries?
They created this problem and now they're expecting us to hold our noses and deal with it without so much as acknowledging that's what they're doing.
That's the "complicated foreign policy" that OP is taking about. There are a ton of reasons to have allies all over the world, which surprisingly includes the Middle East. It could be for military, economic, informational, or other reasons.
That’s voting for Trump. We all know his base is delusional and unwavering. With that knowledge we are charged with the responsibility to stop him. It’s not like sitting out will result in a third option.
That anyone would use Trump’s non-theoretical fascism to goad a vote for Biden is offensive. These are the stakes and Biden still won’t listen. That’s on him.
No, that is one of the stakes. Single-issue voting is extremely narrow-minded, and Trump would undoubtedly make things worse in the single issue you’re emphasizing.
And yet single issue voters exist. Pretending they don't isn't going to work. Scolding them isn't going to work. The Democratic party and Biden in particular need to adapt.
These people would prefer for Biden to lose, and I'm quite convinced that they don't really care why or how. Genocide is the buzzword of the year, but if Israel and Gaza make peace tomorrow, all of these people will all have new reasons why Democratic voters should stay home or burn their ballots.
Oh make no mistake, I'm voting for Joe no matter what. The only alternative is Donald Trump, and Donald Trump wants to destroy the Republic. Joe could send American troops into Rafah to glass it today, and I'd hold my nose and go vote for him in November. That's just facing reality.
Would I prefer things were different? Of course, but however much legitimate criticism might be laid at Biden's feet for not doing more to stop the genocide in Gaza, Trump has already wholly endorsed completely annihilating the Palestinian people, and he wants genocide in the US besides.
Not a binary proposition. Support Israel and lose voters, abandon Israel and lose more and different voters. Diplomacy is hard. Politics is hard.
Part of the reason it's hard in this particular situation is bad actors pretending that geopolitics can be reduced to a soundbyte and that the problem is simple and easy.
Support Israel and lose voters, abandon Israel and lose more and different voters.
So just making sure I've got this right. When potential voters say, "This policy of enabling genocide is a deal-breaker for me, I won't vote for you if you don't change this stance," they're being naïve about the complexity of politics and the current situation in Palestine, if not actually just bad actors, but when other voters say "I won't vote for you if you stop enabling genocide," they're playing 5d chess that us simpletons with morals just can't keep up with, right? Because that's basically what you've just wrote.
It's always the left who are being unreasonable for refusing to compromise, but when center-right genocide sympathizers refuse to compromise on their stance, tough luck, kid, that's just politics. The enlightened centrists here are shrieking about the end of democracy if you don't fall in line with them, as all the while they happily march down the path to the end of democracy.
Exactly. And nothing illustrates this better than the fact that nobody is apologizing for electing Biden in the 2020 primaries. Their political viewpoints are sacrosanct. Ours are petty and childish.
So the kids are left with the following options: vote for Biden and genocide is permitted or let Trump win and even more genocide is permitted.
Faced with a shit sandwich, they chose an option that no one saw on the board: demand that the genocide end. I think that's pretty rad, but maybe others don't see it the same way. I admire the protesters.
I agree with protesting, just not at the polls. You would be choosing a worse fate for Palestinians, Ukrainians, and Americans in an attempt to make a point that won’t be made.
Don't get me wrong; I'll vote for genocidal-Joe, despite my extreme dislike of his policy toward Israel. I'm not stupid and neither are the kids. But the kids are still trying to force his hand and they should. I hope they vote for him too. But to threaten not to in an attempt to save Palestinian lives is a solid move. I hope they vote against fascism when the time comes. And I hope Brandon feels the pressure and changes his policy in the meantime.
I agree. Protest everywhere but the polls. The posted article, as well as the topic, is voting. That’s the only reason there’s such a disconnect in the comments.
Explain to me how boycotting an election and allowing Trump to win will improve the situation in Gaza. You’re either ignorant to Trump’s support of Netanyahu, or putting ego in front of principle and would rather let more Palestinians die just so you can say you abstained.
So you make claims but can’t back them up? Maybe you should keep your comments to yourself if you can’t substantiate them, and take some time to learn some more about the topic.
Where has Biden verbally supported Israel or their actions? What power do you think that he has that he can just stop everything? Do you think that he can just unilaterally end years of agreement and contracts for weapons? Do you think that any other President could have actually done anything different to change what's happening? The answer is likely no. No single President can control Congress, or make laws, or directly control another country's actions. Bernie could have won, and screamed until he was blue in the face, like he is now, and all of those weapons still would have shipped out this year.
We are not living in a distopia, so we're definitely not living in a total distopia. Maybe if you live in Ukraine or Gaza you could make that argument, but if you're in the US, it sure isn't distopia yet.
That is correct. The options at the polls for Palestinians are bad or worse. Better is just not on the table. All the more reason that protests should happen elsewhere.
Okay, then I guess those votes aren't on the table either. Democrats have a tough choice to make: do they want to support genocide and lose votes or do they want to stop supporting genocide and gain votes? Why are voters being attacked for exercising their democratic right to vote (or not vote) as they please, but politicians whose entire job is to gain votes are excused for not appealing to voters?
You’re not punishing Democrats by abstaining. You’re punishing yourself to make a point that won’t be conveyed. I’m also not attacking. I’m making sure you are fully aware of the consequences you’re accepting by making whatever choice you choose to make. You do you. Just don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going to happen if you abstain.
The point is getting conveyed a hell of a lot more than by guaranteeing votes to democrats for their "greater boogeyman" strategy. If democrats are hellbent on keeping things terrible, then voting for them isn't really a solution. My plan is to vote democrats to give them as much of a majority as possible so they can have as little excuse as possible for when they don't do what they claim they want to do, but I can understand people who don't want to vote for them.
I’m not judging people who don’t want to vote. I’m commenting to ensure they have the knowledge that abstaining will lead to another Trump presidency, and what the last one looked like under the noise shield of his antics. If he’s their second choice, then they should absolutely abstain or vote third-party.
I agree. Protest this abomination. Just don’t dilute yourself into thinking that allowing Trump back into the White House would improve the chances of Palestinian survival.
Then you’re okay with the alternative? That’s fine, you are entitled to your opinion. The reality is we have a first past the post system. Wild to me that people are okay with another Trump term
Damn I’m pretty high and I think I read “not voting for Biden”. My bad. But yeah. Not sure why that’s relevant when we’re discussing the choice between candidates tho
Man don't bother. These people aren't against genocide. They all have no problem with Ukrainian genocide or any genocide the Chinese want to carry out.
Good Lord buddy, learn to read. Nobody said Ukraine was committing a genocide. Ukrainian genocide clearly means of the Ukrainian people. Or you under the impression that The Armenian Genocide was a genocide carried out by the Armenians?
Oh. Ok. Is the US supporting Russia in their genocide of Ukraine? Are we supporting China's genocide?
Because we're supporting Netanyahu's genocide. You love it and want it to continue, and that's the only reason you decided to ignore the rest of my comment.