Seymour Flops
Diamond Member
How much of an effect will it have on the election?
Being a progressive Jewish lawmaker has become an increasingly lonely club on Capitol Hill. As the war in the Middle East continues, many Jews and progressives have increasingly found themselves at odds with each other over Israel’s handling of the war and President Joe Biden’s positions on it, only to expose painful underlying divisions by some over whether Israel even has the right to exist.
Raskin is part of a unique group of House lawmakers including Democratic Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Sara Jacobs of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois who are using their ties to both groups to try and find nuance and middle ground. They have all leaned on each other as they’ve tried to navigate what their Jewish and progressive identities mean to them in this moment. Part of an active group chat with other Jewish colleagues, these four often huddle together to discuss how to navigate issues where they don’t neatly align with other pro-Israel Democrats or their other progressive colleagues.
The four lawmakers, like some of their other colleagues, are facing heat from all sides. There are those in the progressive movement who think they are not sufficiently calling for a ceasefire, even though all of them have at this point, and more centrist Jews who do not believe they are being pro-Israel enough when they join the growing international community in criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tactics that have killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. They have faced protests both on Capitol Hill and in their districts. And aside from each other, they often feel isolated.
They are trying to walk too fine a line. Honestly, I don't see much middle ground to be had in discussions of Israel and Hamas. No one is likely to change their mind and switch to the other side, and no one is likely to sign on to any middle ground those four lonely lawmakers may be trying to come up with.
Obviously, the pro-Trump and Never-Trump split in the GOP is worse than this recent chasm among Dems. At least so far. The Dems rely heavily on college-aged voters, and they are largely pro-Hamas at the moment.
Not only that, but the media has also declared its full support of Hamas over Israel by reporting day after day on the plight of the suffering Palestinians while never mentioning Hamas as a cause of that suffering. NPR, especially, should be on Hamas' payroll given the coverage that official state radio is giving the conflict. That has to pull some Dems away from the polls in November. Or I can see many squad member voters leaving the top spot on the ballot blank.
Being a progressive Jewish lawmaker has become an increasingly lonely club on Capitol Hill. As the war in the Middle East continues, many Jews and progressives have increasingly found themselves at odds with each other over Israel’s handling of the war and President Joe Biden’s positions on it, only to expose painful underlying divisions by some over whether Israel even has the right to exist.
Raskin is part of a unique group of House lawmakers including Democratic Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Sara Jacobs of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois who are using their ties to both groups to try and find nuance and middle ground. They have all leaned on each other as they’ve tried to navigate what their Jewish and progressive identities mean to them in this moment. Part of an active group chat with other Jewish colleagues, these four often huddle together to discuss how to navigate issues where they don’t neatly align with other pro-Israel Democrats or their other progressive colleagues.
The four lawmakers, like some of their other colleagues, are facing heat from all sides. There are those in the progressive movement who think they are not sufficiently calling for a ceasefire, even though all of them have at this point, and more centrist Jews who do not believe they are being pro-Israel enough when they join the growing international community in criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tactics that have killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. They have faced protests both on Capitol Hill and in their districts. And aside from each other, they often feel isolated.
They are trying to walk too fine a line. Honestly, I don't see much middle ground to be had in discussions of Israel and Hamas. No one is likely to change their mind and switch to the other side, and no one is likely to sign on to any middle ground those four lonely lawmakers may be trying to come up with.
Obviously, the pro-Trump and Never-Trump split in the GOP is worse than this recent chasm among Dems. At least so far. The Dems rely heavily on college-aged voters, and they are largely pro-Hamas at the moment.
Not only that, but the media has also declared its full support of Hamas over Israel by reporting day after day on the plight of the suffering Palestinians while never mentioning Hamas as a cause of that suffering. NPR, especially, should be on Hamas' payroll given the coverage that official state radio is giving the conflict. That has to pull some Dems away from the polls in November. Or I can see many squad member voters leaving the top spot on the ballot blank.
