this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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Eman Abdelhadi’s speech from the “Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws” demonstration on Aug. 18 in Chicago.

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[–] themeatbridge 5 points 3 months ago

I agree with the sentiment, and I support an end to the genocide in Israel.

But that's not how politics works. A majority of Democrats might disapprove of wearing blue hats, the important question is whether it will swing their vote. The key concept is "single-issue voters." For most Democrats, supporting a genocide isn't a deal-breaker. They might oppose it in polls, but they will still vote for Harris even if she doesn't criticize Israel. Meanwhile, there are a significant number of single-issue voters who support Israel, and will absolutely not vote for Harris if she criticizes Israel.

And they know Trump is an anti-semite.

But they will vote for Trump because he has the support of Netanyahu. Taking a stand on Israel will give Trump a target, a talking point he will ride into the ground.

The Democrats are trying to thread the needle, and doing a poor job of it. They have run the numbers, and decided that Biden can keep calling for peace while remaining a staunch ally, and Harris and Walz can be out listening to progressives on the issue, and neither side will be so pissed off that they turn up to vote against Democrats.

It would be a fascinating political experiment, if not for all the children dying because of it.