Living in a democracy means that sometimes your vote is with the majority and you get what you want, and sometimes you don't. It also means that whatever policy you want may or may not be enacted. It does not mean that you get your way all the time. If you don't get the policy you want then you fight again and again. Because, as Charlotte said, there may not be a next time if Trump is re-elected and, it isn't just Trump. Look at who is supporting him, and I don't mean MAGA, I mean the Republican office holders at the state and Federal levels. I mean Heritage Foundation - read Project 2025. Then vote Blue up and down the ballot so you'll have to a chance in the future to get your views heard and implemented.
The first presidential election in which I could vote (1972, Nixon vs. McGovern) taught me the art—nay, the imperative!—of choosing the lesser of 2 evils. How pissed I was at McGovern's failure to stand by Eagleton paled in comparison with the threat of a 2nd Nixon term, which threat materialized in even worse forms than I'd feared. And Tricky Dick's antics seem almost quaint when weighed against Trump's democracy-destroying proclivities. Put any shortcomings of the Harris-Walz ticket in perspective please. Are your concerns *really* worth the probable consequences of enabling a 2nd Trump term?
I totally agree.I don't care about ideology.or anything else,like foreign affairs. The only thing is keeping Trump out of the White House, . and in that vein if Trump wins because of the electoral college, I blame those groups who have shown their rear ends, and threatened not to vote for the Democrats, petulant children. I'm not talking of MAGAts, I'm talking of Muslims and young black males. Both groups have threatened not to vote Democratic., Electoral black mail, if they follow through, they will elect Trump.
They don't have to vote for Trump, all that is needed is that they don't vote for Harris.
Trump is a racist, as are his base, and he is a brother from another mother for Bibi Netanyahu.
So Muslims and young black males (Gen X,Y,Z) are, as my mother would say, cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Trump, MAGAts, Heritage Foundation (Kevin Roberts), Leonard Leo (Federalist Society), Opus Dei (SCOTUS), Dominionists, New Apostolic Reformation has plans for anyone who is not white, male, Christian and the plans are not secret either, Agenda 47 and Project 2025.
Project 2025 will not disappear either if Trump doesn't get elected. It is not new, it is just codified MAGA.
What worries me is the voter suppression laws, activities and actions by the Republicans since 2020, they are threatening to steal the election, and the only way to beat them is to beat them overwhelmingly at the ballot box, and especially in some red states.
Democrats need to keep women's rights front and center.
THANK YOU, Charlotte, for spelling this out. It makes no sense to me that there are those who intend to sit this one out. It's true that Harris isn't perfectly aligned with every issue that's important to them. But Trump for damn sure isn't aligned with progressives on ANY issue, not to mention the nightmare he would be as president.
Common sense is exactly what these folks need. That, and they need to wake the hell up.
But I want you to understand how, as an American Jew and a liberal Zionist, this paragraph
"Angry about Gaza? Anyone being even the least bit honest with themselves knows that the horror inflicted on Palestinian civilians through Netanyahu’s cruelty and incompetence will be several magnitudes worse under Trump. If you wanna give Bibi a blank check, root for a Trump victory."
is deeply wrong, ultimately alienating and isolating for many Jews.
Here's why:
1. Let me begin with the premise that Israel has the right to exist and the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in a majority Jewish state. (Please assume I've made the usual caveats about the Palestinians having their own state too. Sure, fine, but it's not the topic here.) Keep in mind that Israel is the only majority-Jewish state in the entire world, that it is around 70 or 80% Jewish, with the rest largely Palestinian Israelis--both Christian and Muslims--and Druze, and that, while its democracy--like ours--is under threat, it is actually a democracy.
As witness the ongoing demonstrations to free the hostages across Israel. Those demonstrations could not take place in Gaza because the demonstrators would quickly be dead. That you don't recognize that is to give cover to terrorists. Why?
2. The reason Israel is at war with Gaza is that Hamas---a terrorist organization that uses its own civilians as shields, that has built tunnels to rival the NY subway system but does not allow its people to use them preferring to sacrifice them, and that has not ceased firing missiles into Israel since the war began--invaded Israel, burned villages, murdered, raped, and mutilated 1200 people not all of whom were Israeli and are still holding over 100 hostage. This is the same group that recently executed six of these hostages. As I write this, I find myself angrier and angrier that your sympathy does not extend to these people. Why?
3. Israel is currently under attack from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. All are funded by Iran. In effect, Israel is fighting the West's proxy war against Iran because if it doesn't it will vanish--this is, in fact, an existential threat. And all the while, the progressives--the people whose values I share because I am a Jew--are engaging in every latent antisemitic trope there is. They are making heroes out of terrorists, turning Jews--with only 15 million people worldwide (not yet as many as existed prior to the Holocaust) into the most powerful people on earth.
4. Netanyahu sucks. Sure. Although he is venial type who will do anything to save his skin--including throwing his people under the proverbial bus. Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and their ilk are the true extremists. You know what feeds extremists? Fear. Do you really think that othering Israel in the way this paragraph does helps build security?
What I see in this--and similar kinds of posts--is "vote for Harris-Walz because they will protect the poor Gazans from the evil Israelis (aka Jews)." It doesn't make me less like to vote for them, but it does make me feel that there is no place for the Jews. Again.
I am an American Jew and I support Israel. My son was studying in Israel on 10/7 and was evacuated home. I did not see this paragraph as othering. The truth is that Gaza is experiencing inhuman horrors, and regardless of who is to blame, we need a diplomatic solution. That is possible under Harris and not possible under Trump. I have followed Charlotte for many years and she is an ally to Jewish people. Period.
Except that she called out Netanyahu specifically. Except that she didn't use the language you did to describe Gaza--language that speaks to resolving suffering.
I have seen Charlotte as an ally to the Jewish people. Which is part of the reason that this felt like such a gut punch.
I don't think that's what Charlotte was saying, although she hardly needs me to explain herself. Her point is that Jews, who were just blamed by Trump in two separate speeches, should he lose the election, will not be better off, and given the support the Biden/Harris administration has given Israel, you can hardly think otherwise.
If the post were directed at Jews--which I do not believe it was--then, by not mentioning any of what I pointed out in my response, it is an utter failure. But I don't believe it was directed at Jews. I believe it was directed at people who support the lies of "genocide, apartheid, etc."
I made clear both at the beginning and end of my response that Harris/Walz is the only path forward (and, by the way, Harris' framing of the conflict in her speech was pitch-perfect). For Jews. For Muslims. For thinking human being. But I will stand by how much it hurts to have my people's pain and reality ignored and twisted. Charlotte's post does that; your response is hardly better.
Patricia, I have been consistently, abundantly, 100% clear that Israel has every right to exist as a Jewish state, that Hamas is an antisemitic terrorist group, that Hamas inflicted horrific suffering on innocent Jewish civilians on Oct. 7th, that anti-Israel protestors are awful and antisemitic, etc.
I have said all of that, consistently, for the past year. I have written about it. I have taken on a lot of hate for saying exactly that.
I think you're projecting a lot of pain on me for pointing the very obvious: that Netanyahu is absolutely cruel and incompetent.
It is deeply, deeply unfair to automatically assume poor intentions of me because I point out that Netanyahu is a horrible, callous, and deeply irresponsible leader.
And I am not going to back down from that.
If you want to have a conversation in good faith, without assuming the worst of me, then let's do that.
But your response seems far, far more driven by your frustration with other people, not with me. And I really don't appreciate that.
What I intend in what follows is an apology and then a conversation. I hope I am clear in which part is which because I do not believe in "I'm sorry, but..." apologies. So I'm hoping this is part one and part two.
Part one: I think you are right and my response to the one paragraph was more of an essay of hurt. That was wrong and I'm sorry to dump on you unfairly. If you want me to remove the post, I will, although I tend to think that whole conversations are more accurate.
And I agree that Netanyahu is horrible. Although I think that focusing on him and not Ben Gvir and Smotrich is like focusing on Trump and ignoring the supporters of Project 2025. (In other words, you could have gone further in your condemnation.)
Part two: when I reread what you wrote, it still felt like a gut punch. As much as Netanyahu is horrible--and was horrible long before October 7--there are at least two issues within Israel: how to get rid of Netanyahu and how to successfully end the war in a way that allows Israel security. The two issues may or may not be related. When I read the paragraph, it says to me (and I am not saying this is necessarily what you meant): "If Netanyahu and his government go down, then the chances for peace improve."
I don't buy that. I certainly want his government gone--it will be better for everyone. But removing him does not stop Iran's proxies from waging war on Israel and Israel responding--as it is in Lebanon.
And I just realized, that scares me a lot. If Netanyahu is gone and the war does not end (and I do believe it's a proxy war, so I don't see it ending until Iran pulls back its terrorists), what does that say about Israel and the Jewish people? Does it reinforce antisemitic stereotypes? "See, it wasn't just Netanyahu, that bad Jew, it's all of them."
I agree with you. But I know there are people who want to punish Harris because of Gaza and they do not care about the consequences. I have no idea how to approach this. I am not just whining. I am door-knocking for Harris/Walz and for a local candidate. I write postcards. But the real enemy is the electoral college and I have no idea how to deal with the reality that Harris could lose a few key states, win the popular vote by even 5-7 percent, and lose.
Living in a democracy means that sometimes your vote is with the majority and you get what you want, and sometimes you don't. It also means that whatever policy you want may or may not be enacted. It does not mean that you get your way all the time. If you don't get the policy you want then you fight again and again. Because, as Charlotte said, there may not be a next time if Trump is re-elected and, it isn't just Trump. Look at who is supporting him, and I don't mean MAGA, I mean the Republican office holders at the state and Federal levels. I mean Heritage Foundation - read Project 2025. Then vote Blue up and down the ballot so you'll have to a chance in the future to get your views heard and implemented.
Louder please for those in the back!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
The first presidential election in which I could vote (1972, Nixon vs. McGovern) taught me the art—nay, the imperative!—of choosing the lesser of 2 evils. How pissed I was at McGovern's failure to stand by Eagleton paled in comparison with the threat of a 2nd Nixon term, which threat materialized in even worse forms than I'd feared. And Tricky Dick's antics seem almost quaint when weighed against Trump's democracy-destroying proclivities. Put any shortcomings of the Harris-Walz ticket in perspective please. Are your concerns *really* worth the probable consequences of enabling a 2nd Trump term?
I totally agree.I don't care about ideology.or anything else,like foreign affairs. The only thing is keeping Trump out of the White House, . and in that vein if Trump wins because of the electoral college, I blame those groups who have shown their rear ends, and threatened not to vote for the Democrats, petulant children. I'm not talking of MAGAts, I'm talking of Muslims and young black males. Both groups have threatened not to vote Democratic., Electoral black mail, if they follow through, they will elect Trump.
They don't have to vote for Trump, all that is needed is that they don't vote for Harris.
Trump is a racist, as are his base, and he is a brother from another mother for Bibi Netanyahu.
So Muslims and young black males (Gen X,Y,Z) are, as my mother would say, cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Trump, MAGAts, Heritage Foundation (Kevin Roberts), Leonard Leo (Federalist Society), Opus Dei (SCOTUS), Dominionists, New Apostolic Reformation has plans for anyone who is not white, male, Christian and the plans are not secret either, Agenda 47 and Project 2025.
Project 2025 will not disappear either if Trump doesn't get elected. It is not new, it is just codified MAGA.
What worries me is the voter suppression laws, activities and actions by the Republicans since 2020, they are threatening to steal the election, and the only way to beat them is to beat them overwhelmingly at the ballot box, and especially in some red states.
Democrats need to keep women's rights front and center.
THANK YOU, Charlotte, for spelling this out. It makes no sense to me that there are those who intend to sit this one out. It's true that Harris isn't perfectly aligned with every issue that's important to them. But Trump for damn sure isn't aligned with progressives on ANY issue, not to mention the nightmare he would be as president.
Common sense is exactly what these folks need. That, and they need to wake the hell up.
I am all in for Harris-Walz. All in.
But I want you to understand how, as an American Jew and a liberal Zionist, this paragraph
"Angry about Gaza? Anyone being even the least bit honest with themselves knows that the horror inflicted on Palestinian civilians through Netanyahu’s cruelty and incompetence will be several magnitudes worse under Trump. If you wanna give Bibi a blank check, root for a Trump victory."
is deeply wrong, ultimately alienating and isolating for many Jews.
Here's why:
1. Let me begin with the premise that Israel has the right to exist and the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in a majority Jewish state. (Please assume I've made the usual caveats about the Palestinians having their own state too. Sure, fine, but it's not the topic here.) Keep in mind that Israel is the only majority-Jewish state in the entire world, that it is around 70 or 80% Jewish, with the rest largely Palestinian Israelis--both Christian and Muslims--and Druze, and that, while its democracy--like ours--is under threat, it is actually a democracy.
As witness the ongoing demonstrations to free the hostages across Israel. Those demonstrations could not take place in Gaza because the demonstrators would quickly be dead. That you don't recognize that is to give cover to terrorists. Why?
2. The reason Israel is at war with Gaza is that Hamas---a terrorist organization that uses its own civilians as shields, that has built tunnels to rival the NY subway system but does not allow its people to use them preferring to sacrifice them, and that has not ceased firing missiles into Israel since the war began--invaded Israel, burned villages, murdered, raped, and mutilated 1200 people not all of whom were Israeli and are still holding over 100 hostage. This is the same group that recently executed six of these hostages. As I write this, I find myself angrier and angrier that your sympathy does not extend to these people. Why?
3. Israel is currently under attack from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. All are funded by Iran. In effect, Israel is fighting the West's proxy war against Iran because if it doesn't it will vanish--this is, in fact, an existential threat. And all the while, the progressives--the people whose values I share because I am a Jew--are engaging in every latent antisemitic trope there is. They are making heroes out of terrorists, turning Jews--with only 15 million people worldwide (not yet as many as existed prior to the Holocaust) into the most powerful people on earth.
4. Netanyahu sucks. Sure. Although he is venial type who will do anything to save his skin--including throwing his people under the proverbial bus. Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and their ilk are the true extremists. You know what feeds extremists? Fear. Do you really think that othering Israel in the way this paragraph does helps build security?
What I see in this--and similar kinds of posts--is "vote for Harris-Walz because they will protect the poor Gazans from the evil Israelis (aka Jews)." It doesn't make me less like to vote for them, but it does make me feel that there is no place for the Jews. Again.
I am an American Jew and I support Israel. My son was studying in Israel on 10/7 and was evacuated home. I did not see this paragraph as othering. The truth is that Gaza is experiencing inhuman horrors, and regardless of who is to blame, we need a diplomatic solution. That is possible under Harris and not possible under Trump. I have followed Charlotte for many years and she is an ally to Jewish people. Period.
Except that she called out Netanyahu specifically. Except that she didn't use the language you did to describe Gaza--language that speaks to resolving suffering.
I have seen Charlotte as an ally to the Jewish people. Which is part of the reason that this felt like such a gut punch.
I don't think that's what Charlotte was saying, although she hardly needs me to explain herself. Her point is that Jews, who were just blamed by Trump in two separate speeches, should he lose the election, will not be better off, and given the support the Biden/Harris administration has given Israel, you can hardly think otherwise.
If the post were directed at Jews--which I do not believe it was--then, by not mentioning any of what I pointed out in my response, it is an utter failure. But I don't believe it was directed at Jews. I believe it was directed at people who support the lies of "genocide, apartheid, etc."
I made clear both at the beginning and end of my response that Harris/Walz is the only path forward (and, by the way, Harris' framing of the conflict in her speech was pitch-perfect). For Jews. For Muslims. For thinking human being. But I will stand by how much it hurts to have my people's pain and reality ignored and twisted. Charlotte's post does that; your response is hardly better.
Patricia, I have been consistently, abundantly, 100% clear that Israel has every right to exist as a Jewish state, that Hamas is an antisemitic terrorist group, that Hamas inflicted horrific suffering on innocent Jewish civilians on Oct. 7th, that anti-Israel protestors are awful and antisemitic, etc.
I have said all of that, consistently, for the past year. I have written about it. I have taken on a lot of hate for saying exactly that.
I think you're projecting a lot of pain on me for pointing the very obvious: that Netanyahu is absolutely cruel and incompetent.
It is deeply, deeply unfair to automatically assume poor intentions of me because I point out that Netanyahu is a horrible, callous, and deeply irresponsible leader.
And I am not going to back down from that.
If you want to have a conversation in good faith, without assuming the worst of me, then let's do that.
But your response seems far, far more driven by your frustration with other people, not with me. And I really don't appreciate that.
What I intend in what follows is an apology and then a conversation. I hope I am clear in which part is which because I do not believe in "I'm sorry, but..." apologies. So I'm hoping this is part one and part two.
Part one: I think you are right and my response to the one paragraph was more of an essay of hurt. That was wrong and I'm sorry to dump on you unfairly. If you want me to remove the post, I will, although I tend to think that whole conversations are more accurate.
And I agree that Netanyahu is horrible. Although I think that focusing on him and not Ben Gvir and Smotrich is like focusing on Trump and ignoring the supporters of Project 2025. (In other words, you could have gone further in your condemnation.)
Part two: when I reread what you wrote, it still felt like a gut punch. As much as Netanyahu is horrible--and was horrible long before October 7--there are at least two issues within Israel: how to get rid of Netanyahu and how to successfully end the war in a way that allows Israel security. The two issues may or may not be related. When I read the paragraph, it says to me (and I am not saying this is necessarily what you meant): "If Netanyahu and his government go down, then the chances for peace improve."
I don't buy that. I certainly want his government gone--it will be better for everyone. But removing him does not stop Iran's proxies from waging war on Israel and Israel responding--as it is in Lebanon.
And I just realized, that scares me a lot. If Netanyahu is gone and the war does not end (and I do believe it's a proxy war, so I don't see it ending until Iran pulls back its terrorists), what does that say about Israel and the Jewish people? Does it reinforce antisemitic stereotypes? "See, it wasn't just Netanyahu, that bad Jew, it's all of them."
Does that make sense?
I agree with you. But I know there are people who want to punish Harris because of Gaza and they do not care about the consequences. I have no idea how to approach this. I am not just whining. I am door-knocking for Harris/Walz and for a local candidate. I write postcards. But the real enemy is the electoral college and I have no idea how to deal with the reality that Harris could lose a few key states, win the popular vote by even 5-7 percent, and lose.
Home run
Well said. Thank you & worth sharing to others.
Way to go! Excellent.
Preach it, Sister!