5 Comments
Aug 15Liked by Micah L. Sifry

Thanks for some clear-eyed analysis on the far left in this matter, as I tentatively rejoin the mainstream Democrat movement to prevent Clown 2.

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As much as I appreciate your analyses, I can’t imagine history would look kindly upon chastising anti-war protestors. Those on the far left engaged at all with Democratic party politics will ultimately vote blue at the polls, and that doesn’t negate the expression of dissent and persuasion. Wouldn’t you welcome a bigger tent at this point in the cycle?

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I have much less confident than you that all of these or even the majority of these protesters will eventually vote Democratic. That is not a given, and it is a mistake to assume it. There will be plenty of college, who were too young to voye in 2020 or others who have very little experience voting, and are just going to skip this time because they would not be able to sleep voting for a candidate who supports genocide, as they say. It’s a radical misunderstanding of politics and the moment that we live in.

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I am someone who has organized with young pro-Palestine protestors and can say with certainty that it is a messaging tactic to push Harris left on genocide. Claiming to withhold votes based on a specific policy position is, as any reader of this publication would know, a key point of leverage. As voters, they don’t have much else to leverage. It is the candidate’s job to win votes at the end of the day and we should all be a little more careful about vilifying anti-genocide protestors.

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The Palestinian protest stuff is depressing. U are correct in pointing out both the ambiguity and the consequences of the shifting demand. I have found dialoging and arguing with the pro Pals is useless. The counter is always about “morality” as if anything u do in this immoral system is somehow virtuous. Sad. I am sticking with the hope that idea of beating Donald Trump and smashing Maga will be more compelling to voters than blocking traffic on the freeway, while chanting from the river to the sea.

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