Progressive Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush raised signs calling on President Joe Biden to “stop sending bombs” to the Israeli military as he pledged during his State of the Union address Thursday night to provide more humanitarian aid to Gazans and decried the war’s grisly death toll.
“This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not Hamas,” Biden said. “Thousands and thousands of innocents, women and children. Girls and boys also orphaned. Nearly two million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement.”
“A U.S. port delivering meager amounts of humanitarian aid and empty rhetoric mean nothing when they are delivered alongside U.S. bombs,” said Jewish Voice for Peace Action late Thursday.
Sadly, I don’t think any of them have the charisma to take up Bernie’s mantle. Jon Stewart might be able to do it, but I wouldn’t wish that on him.
Also, I don’t think America will ever be ready for really progressive things. Yes, they say they like them, but when given the choice Americans choose not that.
For progressives to create effective strategies they need to recognize that they’re insurgents, even inside the Democratic Party. Thinking that you have the people behind you if you could just convince them isn’t going to happen: America is not progressive.