News

jordanlund , in Who were the ‘outsiders’ at Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall?
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

That tracks with the Portland protest:

https://www.koin.com/news/protests/portland-police-id-protest-occupy-psu-library-arrest-student-ceasefire-palestine-israel/

"By the end of the day, police reported they had arrested 30 people, of which only seven were self-declared students.

Authorities are still searching for at least 18 other protesters who fled the library during its initial occupation Thursday morning as well as its second occupation that night."

JeeBaiChow ,

This should be higher. The vast majority of us are assigning blame and accountsbility based on sensationalized headlines and keyword triggers. The fact is we don't know the truth and let's be frank, it's easy to generate mass hysteria if you're cruel and feckless enough.

FlyingSquid , in Trump vows to fight 'anti-white feeling' in US. His allies have a plan
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

The only 'anti-white' people I've ever met are the white people who say I'm not white because I'm a Jew. Elon Musk would be that sort of person.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8077a509-8fb1-440c-822c-8a8fe226fef5.png

That sounds pretty anti-white to me.

But I don't know that they would see it that way.

NABDad , in Trump vows to fight 'anti-white feeling' in US. His allies have a plan

Fucking racists think if you're anti-racist, you're anti-white.

watson387 , in Trump vows to fight 'anti-white feeling' in US. His allies have a plan
@watson387@sopuli.xyz avatar

Donald Trump and his supporters are absolute racists.

homesweethomeMrL ,

Yes but have you considered that BiDeN iz GeNoSiDes?!1

Both sides! Don’t vote! Hail Putin!

Oops not that last one. Heh heh.

Alto , in Chicago police won't discipline 9 officers tied to Oath Keepers extremist group
@Alto@kbin.social avatar

Some of those that work forces and all that

RustyShackleford , in Chicago police won't discipline 9 officers tied to Oath Keepers extremist group
@RustyShackleford@programming.dev avatar
rockSlayer , in Chicago police won't discipline 9 officers tied to Oath Keepers extremist group

Of course the department won't, they don't want to set the dangerous precedent of holding their fellow pigs accountable

FenrirIII ,
@FenrirIII@lemmy.world avatar

Police unions are a cancer

Diplomjodler3 , in Houthis offer education to students suspended in US protest crackdown

Those guys are in a league with Boko Haram and the Taliban. That's going to be one quality education.

alquicksilver , in Houthis offer education to students suspended in US protest crackdown
@alquicksilver@lemmy.world avatar

The US schools suspending/expelling peaceful protestors/occupiers are not creating the safe spaces they think they are, when it opens up opportunities like this (and makes them sound appealing).

I seriously hope no one tries to take them up on it because, if they weren't antisemitic (specifically anti-Jewish), then the Houthis will definitely return them with a hate for Jews, since it's one of their tenets.

Stovetop ,

After purging all of the LGBT students on arrival, too.

The Houthis are just another oppressor.

disguy_ovahea , in Russian state media is posting more on TikTok ahead of the U.S. presidential election, study says

Putin would kill for another Trump presidency, but all he needs to do is convince people not to vote for Biden. Trump’s unwavering base will do the rest.

ptz , in Russian state media is posting more on TikTok ahead of the U.S. presidential election, study says
@ptz@dubvee.org avatar
FlyingSquid , in Ron DeSantis bans 'global elite' lab-grown meat
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Ah, the 'global elite,' who they also call 'globalists.' And who are they talking about?

The term is now frequently used as a pejorative by far-right movements and conspiracy theorists, as in the New World Order conspiracy theory;[3] it is associated with antisemitism, as antisemites frequently appropriate the term globalist to refer to Jews.[3][4][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalism

snownyte , in Exclusive: Bernie Sanders worries young people are underestimating the threat from Trump
@snownyte@kbin.social avatar

I'm not worried. I'm just utterly disappointed in the younger generation. Not in the whole typical way you'd expect older generations to be towards the younger ones.

It's more along the sense of "put down your fucking memes and jokes for abit and realize the reality that's around you" deal. Because we're now seeing the Onion practiced in our daily lives, we can't make the shit up that is actively happening in real time. And it doesn't affect just me, it affects you too.

We can't be putting off this shit forever and sit there going "aww, I just hope it gets better" naturally.

Because let's put it this way, say you don't vote this general election and Biden wins. Okay, cool, we've dodged Trump. But know that in the next 4 years, Biden is not eligible to be re-elected so good on you to no longer see him on the ballot, but you'll never know who could be next after him and there isn't a lot of strong favorability for his VP either. Trump for all we know, is likely going to run until he dies, so he's going to be trying again and again so long as he's living and so long as his voter base is there to back him.

But even when he dies, god knows what the Republicans will try propping up. We've got a bit of a glimpse of that when known fascists like DeSantis tried running for presidency. The only reason him and other candidates has lost is because they can't touch Trump. But when Trump does die, you know they'll be back again.

My point is we need to keep Republican interests the fuck away. They're nothing but destruction. How much evidence do you need before you see that? It's all fun and games to you with your jokes and memes until you're on the internet bitching and griping for why you think shit hits the fan or why you're struggling to make a living.

go_go_gadget ,

But know that in the next 4 years, Biden is not eligible to be re-elected so good on you to no longer see him on the ballot

I have full faith in the ability for moderates and liberals to shove an equally terrible candidate through the 2028 primaries. It will likely be HRC. Again.

FlyingSquid , in Exclusive: Bernie Sanders worries young people are underestimating the threat from Trump
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

They don't understand that Trump is just as pro-Israel as Biden, if not even more so considering he moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Semi_Hemi_Demigod ,
@Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world avatar

That's the great part about our democracy: You don't get to vote for someone who isn't pro-Israel. Because freedom.

ILikeBoobies ,

Can you imagine how dumb it would be to vote for someone who isn’t though?

The only reason I think Trump isn’t pro-Palestine (Russian ally through Iran) is because the war is a good distraction from Ukraine

You have to be pro-Israel as the US but that doesn’t mean you can’t be pro-Palestinian

pearsaltchocolatebar ,

Being pro-Israel and being pro-Palestine are mutually exclusive positions since Israel is genociding Palestine.

That's like saying you can be pro Nazi and pro jew.

prowess2956 ,

Socially Jew, economically Nazi?

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Palestine (Russian ally through Iran)

Russia isn't in military allience with Iran. Both Russia and Iran are neighbors sanctioned by the US, forcing them into a business partnership by exclusion.

And Iran isn't allied with Gaza Palestinians. You're confusing them with the Yemeni Houthis and West Bank Hezbollah. What you have is Israelis engaging in terrorist acts against both states, then conflating retaliation with cooperation.

Fedizen ,

*electoral system

Because of FPTP and the Winner Take All Electoral College, there is a lot of political pressure to only have 2 parties. In a better system (proportional, ranked choice, etc) it wouldn't break with more than two parties. In fact just reforming the electoral college to be proportional would likely allow 3 parties to exist.

If you look at history the last time there was a viable 3rd party it possibly initiated the civil war by allowing an anti slavery viewpoint to exist (which is good, but if we'd had a better voting system it would have happened earlier and reduced a lot of suffering)

Semi_Hemi_Demigod ,
@Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world avatar

And if a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his ass when he hopped.

We have FPTP, and we'll have it until I'm cold and dead in the ground.

Fedizen ,

even republican-ass alaska passed RCV.

AbidanYre ,

And it failed in blue as fuck Massachusetts

Beetschnapps ,

Electoral system…

Just as I have to watch half the electorate embrace the most asinine BS possible to justify selfishness and hate… it’s not that far out to see people screaming “genocide joe!” at everyone they see, as they turn off everyone and defeat themselves at every chance.

The cool part is focusing all your effort into a camp-out such that your main message is synonymous with homelessness and you self defeat your own goals… all while you call the liberal element genocidal and basically show the world your biggest effort is to sit still while cutting off the liberal nose to spite your face.

go_go_gadget ,

Purely hypothetical question for you: If you had a choice between supporting Israel or Biden winning the 2024 election which would you choose?

Beetschnapps ,

Well shit, if you had a purely hypothetical choice, what would you choose?

go_go_gadget ,

I'm voting 3rd party so according to liberal and moderate logic that probably means I'm supporting Israel.

Beetschnapps ,

The important part is that the equation means more than you.

Vote how you mean, and ignore how your vote’s mean.

Good for you.

go_go_gadget ,

So what's your choice? Supporting Israel or Biden winning the 2024 election?

Beetschnapps ,

What’s your choice? A moronic exposition about global politics or fisher-price-my-first-grown-up-politik?

go_go_gadget ,

I literally just told you. By refusing to answer the result is Israel is supported and Joe Biden loses the 2024 election.

LibertyLizard ,
@LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net avatar

He absolutely is more so. Also, young people have more power to influence Biden because they are part of his coalition. Of course, using this power is tricky because you need to pressure and criticize Biden without actually making him lose. So far I support the pressure campaign but I hope as the election gets closer people will start to realize what an epic disaster Trump term two would be.

Krono ,

Are young people really a part of Bidens coalition? Bidens policies and rhetoric have consistantly pushed young people away. The ridiculous speech he gave just a few minutes ago maligning student protestors is emblematic of this.

And it seems like young people have got the message. The last poll I saw had 18-24yr olds voting for Trump at +8%

makyo ,

Young people are part of the coalition but they've never proven to be a reliable part. When the 18-25s vote like the older generations then campaigns will start to take their needs more seriously.

crusa187 ,

Young voters delivered GA in 2020, and what did Dems do with that majority?

Biden immediately dropped all pretense of doing immigration reform because an unelected senate parliamentarian said no, offered no meaningful student debt relief, didn’t legalize cannabis, and is drilling for oil at record rates - more so than Trump did. Dems had yet another chance to codify Roe, and blew it. Biden even left in Louis DeJoy as postmaster general. Now he’s mischaracterizing peaceful student protesters as violent radicals, while actual thugs in riot gear and stars of david are free to descend upon them and beat them into submission.

Don’t blame young people for having eyes and ears and paying attention - Biden had his chance, and blew it in favor of his donors’ interests. It’s a tale as old as time, and if you have any interest in actually galvanizing youthful voters, you’ve got to offer something better than the outmoded views of geriatric, genocidin’ Biden.

makyo ,

Downvote me if you want but it's still a fact that older voters vote more reliably and therefore get better representation. I don't know that GA was that large of a deviation but even if it was, in general the younger vote still can't be counted on.

Either way, your comment is case in point (if not also a bit misinformed) - if the youth vote is going to abandon the Dems after one election you can kind of see why they might consider spending more time and money going after a more reliable bloc.

crusa187 ,

I love your framing here, “youth vote is going to abandon the Dems.” lol!

The youth vote delivered a majority for the Dems, which was squandered yet again, because democrats don’t actually want to lead. Dems clearly are a fundraising organization, not a political organization.

Shouldn’t the DNC have to do something to earn people’s votes? Instead they spit in our faces as they continue to serve the corporate donors.

So fine, let them continue to court boomers. Because that will obviously work forever.

makyo ,

Correction - you were the one that implied the young people were going to abandon the dems: "Biden had his chance, and blew it"

go_go_gadget ,

You're missing their point. Biden didn't abandon younger voters because he never supported them in the first place. He talked a good game so he had their support which is why he won in 2020. Now that it's clear they never had his support yes, they will abandon him.

Ferrous ,

"because you need to pressure and criticize Biden without actually making him lose"

"We need to be toothless about our criticism of Biden"
FTFY

The threat of making your candidate lose is the only power you have to shift them.

Next time you're negotiating for a car, see how much the seller budges after you preceed negotiations with "Now, I am fully committed and happy paying sticker price, but how much can you lower the price?"

Edit: at least have the intellectual honesty to say out loud that Biden could do anything, and you'd still vote for him

daltotron ,

The threat of making your candidate lose is the only power you have to shift them.

I mean this is also not really a threat, though. I think realistically biden and trump are both closer to each other than either of them are to this like, eclectic amalgamation of positions that is the "youth vote". Him not winning isn't like, still a victory, in that circumstance, but it's not like, a loss to them in the same way that it would be if they actually had to do all the stuff the "youth vote" wanted. Basically I'm just saying that they, the DNC broadly I suppose, would rather give as little as they absolutely can, while still maintaining a delicate balance of power where they're the only ones that can maintain the status quo rather than a backslide into total fascism. Going with all the "youth vote" positions, to them, would be as big if not a bigger loss than a slide into total fascism.

Which is to say, I think they're willing to lose as long as it means they don't have to really do anything major.

go_go_gadget ,

Which is to say, I think they’re willing to lose as long as it means they don’t have to really do anything major.

100% agree. This is something liberal and moderate voters are completely blind to.

makyo ,

Yeah even to expand on that - they don't understand that everything they don't like about Biden, they'll like about Trump less. I mean I have real serious gripes about Biden but it is insultingly stupid to pretend that Trump would be any kind of a solution to those problems.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

It seems that many of them know that Trump is worse, but think that sticking to ideals and voting for a non-viable candidate (or not voting at all) is somehow the best course of action. Republicans count on people like that to win. Fascists don't give a fuck how they get into power, as long as they do.

Cethin ,

They don't just count on it. They actively invade spaces and spread that idea. I'm almost certain the first people saying that about Biden/Israel were right wing trolls, and people on the left actually took the bait and started spreading it themselves.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

I get the sentiment, because I hate our two choices, too, but until first past the post system is changed, the lesser of two evils will always be the most practical choice.

Wrench ,

They also seem to fervently believe:

  1. Stop participating in 2 party system
  2. ???
  3. Get ranked choice system

Any time you ask for details on step 2, you get an unhinged rant with zero plausibility.

Saurok ,

I tend to find that the people who believe in participating in the 2 party system also do these same steps. Why would either party do away with FPTP? Neither one has any incentive to do it. At least third parties often have it listed as part of their platform and have incentive to do it because they can't easily get elected within the current system.

Objection ,
@Objection@lemmy.ml avatar

What exactly is your plan for changing first past the post?

You could make the case that if the democrats actually supported that, it's worth holding your nose and voting for them in order to open up other options in the future. But they don't support it, because they benefit from it. So basically you're asking the left to keep voting for the democrats unconditionally forever while they don't address any of our concerns and refuse to make any sort of reforms that might allow us to have a voice in the future. How is that a viable path to accomplishing anything?

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

The plan is to keep voting in every primary for the most progressive candidates and then voting for the least bad people in elections while pushing for reform. However hard it is to enact change while Democrats are in power, it will be impossible while Republicans are.

I'll pose the same question to you: how is not voting for the least bad viable candidates, thus guaranteeing the worst candidates get into power, a viable path to accomplishing anything?

go_go_gadget ,

The plan is to keep voting in every primary for the most progressive candidates

But what I'm being told over and over is if Biden cuts off support for Israel he'll lose the election. Which means moderates and liberals won't vote for a progressive candidate who makes it through the primaries leading to whatever nutjob is running on the other side.

So our reward for being pragmatic and holding our nose will be the same as voting 3rd party today.

Socsa ,

Lemmy is absolutely infested with right wing trolls pretending to be leftists. And the worst part is that .ml protects them because they are completely blinded to this subversion by their pathological instinct to relitigate the cold war.

It's incredibly obvious to everyone who understands why assuming the moniker of a Haitian slave turned actual freedom fighter is actually incredibly offensive to those dealing with real oppression, both modern and historical.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Republicans count on people like that to win.

Republicans have lost more than one Senate seat because they ran zealous nutbag losers in safe elections and pissed off moderates.

I'm not sure why Democrats get to run pro-war Zionists and Blue Lives fascists, free from the fear that they'll suffer the same fate.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

Because even though they would prefer the fascists don't get into power, the wealthy Democrat politicians know they won't be too adversely affected by it.

go_go_gadget ,

Well that just begs the same question about the moderates and liberals who keep them in power. Do they think this is a winning strategy?

Socsa ,

You will understand this when you understand why most people who have more than 20s of geopolitical memory associate people who unironically rant about evil Zionists with neo-nazis.

go_go_gadget ,

You realize this critique cuts both ways right? Fox news and CNN are completely aligned in their criticisms of the protestors.

YarHarSuperstar ,
@YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah but the problem is we live in at least a pro-fascist state if not a fascist state already. So convincing people who realize this to vote for the guy who has been voting for fascist policies for decades (as well as some progressive ones, for those who will say I'm ignoring the "good" he's done) and is actively supporting genocide not just in policy but in his statements and apparently beliefs is going to be pretty tough. It's not just about voting "not Trump" anymore, people also want to vote "not Biden".

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

If you're going to call Biden a fascist, the word really does mean "anything I don't like".

YarHarSuperstar ,
@YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world avatar

Where did I call Biden a fascist?

nomous ,

Show a little fucking courage when you call someone a name, own it coward.

YarHarSuperstar ,
@YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world avatar

Okay, he's a fascist. As if that needed to be pointed out.

jkrtn ,

They know Donald will destabilize the country and accelerate a collapse. They think that will make room for China to expand.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

If their goal is to destroy the US then helping Trump makes sense, at least.

Socsa ,

The hypocrisy comes when millions of vulnerable people they pretend to care about actually suffer as a direct result of their nihilism. Acceptable costs, right?

It really is shocking that more people on the "Lemmy left" don't see this. The US is one of the most tolerant places in the world for a bunch of otherwise marginalized groups. Pretending that it is irredeemable and must be destroyed because of your cold war grudge is destroying one of their biggest safe spaces and condemning them to suffer.

go_go_gadget ,

Hypothetically if you had to chose between supporting Israel or Biden winning in 2024 which would you choose?

Socsa ,

Why do you think my comment has anything to do with Israel?

go_go_gadget ,

You didn't answer my question so I dunno why you think I would answer yours.

Socsa ,

Just hypothetically would you rather have a duck sized horse or a horse sized duck?

go_go_gadget ,

By not answering you have chosen to support Israel and Joe Biden loses the election in this completely hypothetical scenario.

Socsa ,

Buddy I can't help you with these delusions. I'm not that kind of doctor.

go_go_gadget ,

Now I'm going to repeat: I'll be voting 3rd party in the upcoming election.

Socsa ,

K

go_go_gadget ,

Checkmate :)

Objection ,
@Objection@lemmy.ml avatar

I'm going to give you a serious answer even though it's obvious you know nothing about us and don't care to learn.

Accellerationism is stupid and reactionary, and from my perspective Biden seems to be doing a fine job of doing that as it is. Trump is a symptom produced from the policies Biden has spent his entire career enacting. There will be plenty more candidates like Trump, because the material conditions that produced him still exist, and Biden is perpetuating and worsening those conditions.

The US is in decline and that's not going to change regardless of who wins this election. What I'd most prefer is to refocus our efforts domestically in order to address some of the many different crises that the country is experiencing. If we did this, it's likely that China would eventually eclipse the US due to it's manufacturing capacity, but the lives of everyday people would be improved and the country would become more stable and healthy. Whether the decline could be reversed, I don't know, but it would at least be a gradual, peaceful decline.

But that's never going to happen, even a little bit. Instead, our leaders are intent on getting involved in conflicts all over the world while ignoring all the problems at home and allowing things to get worse and worse. The geopolitical interests of the US government are completely disconnected from the interests of the American people.

The US doesn't need to collapse for China to grow. China's strategy for many years has been a policy of peaceful coexistence with capitalist states while it focuses on economic development. And that strategy is proving successful. The only concern is what the US is going to do once it becomes eclipsed as global hegemon, and the concerning thing is that while China manufactures more than the next 10 countries combined, the US spends more on the military than the next 10 countries combined. The possibility that the US could start WWIII in an attempt to maintain hegemony by pressing the area where it has an advantage is deeply concerning.

Even if you believe, as you probably do, that Xi Jinping is paying me to run around some niche corner of the internet pretending to be Phoenix Wright - why would China actually want to destabilize the US? They're already winning the peace.

jkrtn ,

Hm, read a dissertation from a Uighur genocide fan who communicates in childish video game cartoons, or focus on people who aren't delusional? Tough choice for me but I'll have to go with the latter.

Objection ,
@Objection@lemmy.ml avatar

Well, no one can say I didn't try. If that's the kind of engagement you want,

ahem

objection

phoenix-objection-1phoenix-objection-2 In a court of law, evidence is the only thing that matters! Your baseless accusations are... completely meaningless!

jkrtn ,

What a goofy little clown. You have no substantial thoughts and have to do this instead.

Thanks for the laughs and nostalgia. Loved that game.

Objection ,
@Objection@lemmy.ml avatar

You have no substantial thoughts

objection

There is a contradiction in this testimony! You literally just called my previous comment a "dissertation" and refused to read it! So it's impossible for you to know if my thoughts are substantive or not!

The defense would like to submit a piece of evidence: this tweet!

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/9500ab84-677f-4792-9ce2-1ad33c8c76b1.jpeg

This doesn't actually prove anything, I just think it's funny!

TokenBoomer ,

Sustained

Grandwolf319 ,

that sticking to ideals and voting for a non-viable candidate (or not voting at all) is somehow the best course of action.

Taking the “moral high” ground even though it would have a bad result. Sounds like what the DEMs do all the time.

“I learned it from you” -young people probably.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

The GOP openly courts antisemites while also supporting Israel. They make sure to have all the awful bases covered.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

They need all the Jews to return to Israel and the temple to be rebuilt so Jesus can come back. Of course, that does mean expelling all Jews from every other country Jews are in, but they leave that part out.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Zionism fits neatly into the view that every country should be ethically homogenous.

Gradually_Adjusting ,
@Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world avatar

It's inherently right wing

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

And yet so is hating Jews. Ordinarily a quandary, but the GOP lives for hypocrisy.

Aceticon ,

Hating Jews "over here".

"Over there" is fine, which is why American Racism dovetails so neatly with Zionism: both desire the same, just from different directions.

PS: I was going to say "Fascism" instead of "American Racism", but frankly if there is one thing this whole situation has made clear is that Liberals are also all about different treatment depending on a person's etnicity - as made so puignantly clear in their reaction to recent university demonstrations as well as by the very different language used in the Liberal Press when it comes to Palestinians and Israelis - so it's really just both variants of Racism in the US.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Congress is bipartisan pro-Israel. This isn't even a presidential issue.

Biden just happens to be the guy doing the pro-Israel stuff at the moment, so he's eating the lions share of the public ire.

"You have to support the Pro-Israel guy because the other guy is pro-Israel and both party leaders are pro-Israel and the cops are trained by Israelis and Israeli businesses have strong ties with the MIC and Big Finance needs Israel to control trade through the Suez and you're outnumbered and outgunned so quit fighting, just vote for Joe Biden" just isn't a winning message among progressive voters this year.

Maybe try it again in 2026.

firadin ,

The thing is: Biden is pro-Israel but also pro-Palestinians. He's providing aid to Gazans and pressuring Israel to minimize civilian casualties. It's not great, or even good, I agree - but it's a whole lot better than Trump who would be pro-Israel and anti-Palestinians. You'd see humanitarian aid end and the US support total war instead of the (slightly) restrained version we're seeing now.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Biden is pro-Israel but also pro-Palestinians.

Biden’s Increasingly Contradictory Israel Policy: A former State Department official explains the Administration’s sharpening public critique of Israel’s war and simultaneous refusal to “impose a single cost or consequence.”

Right now it seems like the Biden Administration is trying to pressure Israel not to launch a military assault on Rafah and to allow in more humanitarian aid. At the same time, it has shown an unwillingness to take strong steps to punish Israel or to restrict the flow of aid or weapons to Israel if the Israelis disregard that pressure. How do you understand the strategy now?

I’d call the Biden Administration’s approach “passive-aggressive.” They are angry at Netanyahu, and were even before this. He’s presiding over the most extreme government in the history of the state of Israel. That government and the preceding dozen years of Netanyahu’s tenure are undermining the two fundamental drivers of the U.S.-Israeli relationship, which are shared values and common interests. So, it’s passive-aggressive in the sense that, six months into the war, the Administration has still been unwilling—unable—to impose a single cost or consequence that you and I, as normal human beings, would describe as real pressure.

Unable or unwilling?

Both, but I’ll get to that in a second. There were three levers the Administration could’ve pulled. They’re still available. No. 1 is to end U.S. military assistance. There’s no indication the Administration’s anywhere close to that. It just approved a shipment of two-thousand-pound bombs, and twenty F-35s. No. 2, change the U.S. voting posture at the U.N., either by introducing its own Security Council resolution, or by voting for someone else’s, that is very critical of Israel. It has not done that. No. 3, abandon the whole notion of negotiating the hostage release and simply join the chorus of those in the international community who basically say, “You need to pressure Israel to cease this military campaign.”

And I think it has not done these things

Biden is pro-Getting Relected. And he recognizes that his party is increasingly pro-Palestinian. However, his current policy appears to be a CYA strategy, intended to create the illusion of neutrality while negotiating a path that allows Israel to continue its extermination of Arab people across the region.

As this exterminationist Israeli agenda becomes more undeniable, the job of appearing neutral grows more difficult. And Biden's decision to (tacitly) back Israel at all costs means risking friendly relations with Turkyie, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. However, he's staying the course, precisely because he's banking on a mass expulsion and genocide of Palestinians today will strengthen Israel's regional position in the future.

go_go_gadget ,

It's especially telling that one of Biden's justification's for his support of Israel is a promise to his dying father.

Is that how politicians in a Democracy are supposed to make decisions?

Objection ,
@Objection@lemmy.ml avatar

If someone gives a sandwich to me and a gun to a person actively trying to murder me, they are not "pro-me"

gears ,

My company buys a specific board from an Israeli company.

We have been working on an in house alternative for a few years now. Now we're scared to actually perform the switch because of the anti-boycott laws

MutilationWave ,

Nut up and do it. I'm proud of you.

Pan_Ziemniak ,

And once again, as the foreign trolls that are busy courting our youth want, not one comment in this entire thread mentions that Europe is on the brink of open modernized war should Ukraine fall to vlad "Ukraine is just a stepping stone" putin.

Gaza is a genocide, but that is not the critical geopolitical stage to be paying the most attention to. Once again it is completely ignored that the heads of hamas who attacked israel on oct 7 knowing exactly what they were about to cause are friends of putin.

The Gaza genocide was provoked precisely to pull western eyes from the Ukrainian front where russia was more than underperforming to ensure their victory in a sustained war of attrition.

You want to avoid a world war? You vote for biden whether u do it proudly or do it holding ur nose the way most of the sane will.

r_se_random ,

The Gaza genocide did not start on Oct 7, much like the Russian incursion on Unkraine did not start in Jan 2022. Both of those are tremendous blights on human rights and should be equally condemned.

Of course, voting for Biden is the only stable option as much as one may lament that it shouldn't be.

DAMunzy ,

Only stable option is supporting genocide? Do you hear how you are evil?

r_se_random ,

The other candidate will also support the Gaza genocide. Again, it's unfortunate that both candidates are evil. And supporting the lesser evil is a bad long term strategy.

But, here we are.

go_go_gadget ,

There is no path to success here. Moderates, liberals and Joe Biden have made sure of that.

DAMunzy ,

Yeah, October 7th had nothing to do with the war that Israel was performing on Gaza before that. It was all about Ukraine.

SwingingTheLamp ,

If what you say is correct, then it would seem that the onus is on Israel to stop the genocide in order to save its European benefactors.

go_go_gadget ,

Or at least Biden to reverse course and admit supporting Israel isn't worth the possibility of losing the election.

Liberals and moderates love to tell us about the choice in front of us between Biden and Trump. But they ignore the choice in front of them which is supporting Israel or losing the election.

penquin , in Exclusive: Bernie Sanders worries young people are underestimating the threat from Trump
@penquin@lemm.ee avatar

I fucking hate, and from the bottom of my heart, how Biden is funding the genocide in Palestine, but I'm still going to vote for him this time, because we just can't have a person like Trump in the white house, period. I still can't figure out how he got in the first time. I'd never let my 10 year old lead a country, yet we let Trump do it for four fucking years.
I, too, am sick of this "the lesser of two evils" bullshit, but this time I'm giving it a pass because of Trump. We already have a crumbling country and can't afford another four years of this dude.

xhieron ,
@xhieron@lemmy.world avatar

I think Joe Biden is maybe the best president of my lifetime, and I'm going to vote for him with my head held high even though I live in a red state where it doesn't matter at all. I wish things were simpler in the Levant, but I appreciate that Joe Biden is between a rock and a hard place with Israel. It's not like he can just take Bibi out. He's not Boeing. That said, even if I laid the entire genocide at Biden's feet (which, while he's not blameless, is absolutely not appropriate), he would still be head and shoulders an improvement over Donald Trump.

For that matter, I'd absolutely let my 12 year old run this country before I'd let Trump have a second term. My kid is brilliant, and more importantly, unlike Trump he listens to advice, can take no for an answer, and gives a shit about having a functional democracy four years from now.

A second Trump term is an existential threat to the nation. Hold your nose, hold your neighbor's nose if you have to, but every able-bodied patriot owes it to their descendants and their patriotic ancestors to prevent a second Trump term.

go_go_gadget ,

Biden went around congress to ship weapons to Israel. Painting him as helpless here is pure misinformation.

RememberTheApollo_ ,

I don’t understand why people point out that Biden is “funding the genocide in Palestine” and completely ignore and fail to mention that trump would do the exact same thing.

He has all but said he would cut Israel loose to do whatever they needed to finish the job.

The use of Israeli aggression is not a point of comparison when viewing the differences between trump and Biden.

Edit: and I apologize for the late edit - FWIW Biden has become critical of Israeli actions and offered some aid to Palestinians (Yeah, I absolutely agree it isn’t enough) while trump would prefer to wash his hands of the whole Palestine thing. That is a notable difference.

penquin ,
@penquin@lemm.ee avatar

No one denies that trump will fund it. That's not the point, but I get what you mean.

AbidanYre ,

I've argued with multiple people on here who said Trump would be better for Palestinians than Biden is.

TrickDacy ,

No one denies that trump will fund it

And? The problem is that these people won't really address the fact that Trump would be worse than Biden

go_go_gadget ,

I don’t understand why people point out that Biden is “funding the genocide in Palestine” and completely ignore and fail to mention that trump would do the exact same thing.

And hence why I won't vote for Trump either. It's not that hard to understand.

Ferrous ,

"I still can't figure out how he got in the first time"

Easy. He was propped up by democrats, namely Hillary Clinton.

If we reach a point 40 years from now when your choice is between a dem supporting 5 genocides and a republican supporting 10 genocides, are you still going to be militantly democrat and lash out at leftists who are sick of the whole thing?

HubertManne ,
@HubertManne@kbin.social avatar

woohoo. 10 genocides but such a moral victory.

jkrtn ,

In this hypothetical we wouldn't have the option to vote 40 years from now because dim bulbs allowed an insurrectionist to be elected. Donald will also accelerate climate fuckery so anyway we'll be too busy squabbling over what meager food comes out of the remaining arable regions.

go_go_gadget ,

Purely hypothetical question for you: Would you rather continue supporting Israel or see Biden win the 2024 election?

jkrtn ,

Enjoy the extra genocide Donald "Muslim ban" Trump brings to the conflict and starts up locally. You guys really want him to "finish the job," huh?

That's pretty repugnant IMO, but people like you are privileged enough to watch from afar as others lose their rights and their lives.

go_go_gadget ,

By not answering the question and participating in the process of this hypothetical choice the outcome is Israel is supported and Joe Biden loses the 2024 election.

Honytawk ,

You think you will still be able to vote in 40 years if Donald "dictator for a day" Trump gets elected this time?

Oh my sweet summer child. Your vote will be as meaningful as the ones in Russia.

Ferrous ,

So if a Trump presidency means the end of democracy in America, why hasn't Trump been outlawed?

Why is Biden focusing on banning TikTok instead of truth social? Why weren't the courts getting stacked 2 years ago? Why are the democrats' obsession with "precedent" and "civility" taking more primacy than outlawing a candidate who, by their own admission, would mean the end of democracy?

By propping up Trump, the democrats have effortlessly oriented you such that you now give blind support to a genocidal regime. You've given the democrats a blank check. The democrats would rather lose to Trump and usher in fascism than shift left in the slightest way (halting genocide).

Also, epic reddit catchphrase my good sir. I tip my hat you, for you are a gentleman and a scholar.

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