The response to the Gaza question needed to be: hey, foreign policy is really hard because sovereign nations are sovereign on the one hand and also bound by previous treaties. Fucck. But the one thing I can tell you is that the guy telling you it's easy is LYING TO YOU. Vote accordingly.
This is exactly what Kamala Harris said. She condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza while supporting Israel’s right to legitimately defend itself. But ppl who were looking for any excuse excuse to not vote for Kamala were going to find one, just as they did w/ Hillary. www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/p...
Legitimately would be the key word there. And, unfortunately, she was too closely associated with Biden's truly atrocious Israel policy. I voted for her, but I don't blame anyone who couldn't bring themselves to do so because of Gaza. Biden could have stopped arming Israel.
....without congressional approval?
Congress bears fault as well. Biden didn't even try. He was so fervently pro-Israel. Even more so than most US presidents.
"She condemned their actions while supporting their actions"
💯
She ignored a genocide that our country is paying for. It would be like condemning one of my kids for being a serial killer while continuing to provide them with more guns.
It's not about foreign policy it's about our tax dollars funding the weapons and genocide almost exclusively. Israel couldn't wage this war without our money.
Those tax dollars follow foreign policy. And foreign policy takes years. Unless you’re Donald Trump and just break treaties Willy-nilly. This is a hard situation. Harris literally could not change foreign policy as a candidate.
When asked directly Harris said she wouldn't do anything different than Biden. She also blocked a Palestinian woman from speaking at the convention. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
You and I probably don't disagree much on Israel policy itself, just about how much a candidate can advocate for foreign policy changes in the context of a campaign, especially when they're part of the party in power. Harris' hands were tied. By speaking out, all she could do was lose by more.
Congressional laws are what funds Israel's war. Congress has the power of the purse. They voted for more money and more weapons this spring. The money is through the department of defense, not state. It's not a foreign policy. It's a military budget line Dems are voting for the weapons now.
She could have said she would back humanitarian aid, started start US oversight is required in wars we are funding/countries we are arming before more military support. She voiced unqualified support for Israel & indifference to Gaza We'll lose the midterms if dems continues ignoring the genocide.
With Trump in power Dems can’t make much impact on fp even if we do win the midterms. Reality is, if we divide ourselves talking about what we WOULD do IF in power, we permanently deprive ourselves of the opportunity to talk about what we WILL do WHEN in power.
Hmm the DNC isn’t doing very well debating this issue today.
We have to talk about it. It's a moral litmus test most Dems are ignoring and failing.
"How much U.S. aid does Israel receive?" www.cfr.org/article/us-a...
I have a master's in international diplomacy and worked at the department of Treasury. Congress has approved money directly for Israel to purchase weapons. "Congress approved more than $14 billion in aid for Israel. This included $10.6 billion through the DoD" www.ajc.org/news/what-ev....
I’m not going to talk about my qualifications to speak on this subject.
Fair