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Gaza Could Unravel Biden’s Presidency [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-12-26

When President Biden took office, he inherited a US-European alliance and a NATO alliance that had been shredded by Trump and a broken US government that was doing little effective governing or regulating. Trump had empowered Putin and autocrats the world over. Our foreign policy was in tatters, and our standing and influence worldwide were at a historic low.

In the lead-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin was confident that the work he had done with his useful idiot Trump, the promising results from the support he had given to nativist, racist movements in Europe, and European dependence on Russian energy had set the stage for him to upset the world order and establish Russia as a feared world power and the dominant power in Europe. Putin assumed that Biden would be no match for his own strategic genius. Biden, however, managed to outfox Putin completely. The President resuscitated the US/European alliance and NATO almost overnight to defend European democracy and international law. Putin’s invasion, which every observer thought would be a walk in the park, turned into a complete disaster. The combination of Ukrainian courage, ingenuity, and Biden’s deft diplomacy put a wrench into Putin’s plans.

Here in the US, the President managed to push an impressive infrastructure package through a dysfunctional Republican-controlled Congress, and the Democratic party has been racking up successive electoral victories against the MAGA threat. A key part of this has been that young voters who normally don’t turn out have been voting in historic numbers. Biden has been carrying the banner for democracy and the rule of law domestically and internationally.

Biden’s Double Standards for Russia and Israel

Biden’s aid to Ukraine has come attached with multiple restrictions and limits. Our support requires that despite the horrific war crimes and atrocities that Russia commits daily, Ukraine must still adhere to the Geneva Conventions and International law. If Ukraine were to start to bomb civilians indiscriminately, that support would evaporate overnight. This has made US support for Ukraine and the alliance the US has assembled in support of democracy and law in Ukraine is one of the few times that American foreign policy has been on the side of the angels. It's no surprise that MAGA Republicans don’t support it.

That brings us to Gaza. Netanyahu’s coalition is the Israeli version of MAGA. It is a collection of fascist, racist thugs who have been trying to destroy the Israeli judiciary and Israeli democracy and put an end to the rule of law in Israel. At the same time, they have been responsible for a violent reign of terror against Palestinians in the West Bank. There are daily attacks, murders, beatings, and the destruction of homes, olive groves, and property by extremist settler fanatics supported by the Netanyahu government. Netanyahu had been funding and supporting Hamas for years, right up until October 7th, to ensure that there never would be peace or a Palestinian state.

After the atrocities by Hamas on October 7th, the President immediately flew to Israel to provide US support. The President made clear that the US was with Israel after the trauma of October 7th. So far, so good. I think all of our allies supported the President’s sentiments concerning the October 7th massacre. But Netanyahu, being the corrupt fascist that he is, would immediately use the situation to advance his own agenda. An agenda that is diametrically opposed to Biden’s stated goals for sustainable peace for Israel and Palestine.

Unlike with Ukraine, the US arms that were supplied to Netanyahu had no strings attached. The Zelenskyy government champions democracy, peace, and the rule of law. The Netanyahu government is an implacable opponent of peace, wants a single Jewish state from Jordan to the sea, and has been trying to destroy democracy in Israel. The Netanyahu government has been engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians and breaking international law for decades. Given all that, why would you provide Netanyahu with arms without limits on how they are used?

The result was a predictable disaster. Netanyahu launched a war against the Palestinian population in Gaza. A war against the children of Gaza. A war against journalists and their families. The President himself has publicly called the bombing indiscriminate:

For Biden to say that out loud, the reality that US intelligence is sharing with him has got to be horrific. The US military knows a thing or two about urban warfare in the Middle East, so the President would not use the term without full consideration of the circumstances on the ground. Yet the US vetoed the call for a ceasefire in the UN and continues to supply the bombs for the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. Israel apologists point out that they are being held to a different standard. After all, everyone does war crimes, so why can’t we? Not an argument that will help the President with Arab American and young voters that he needs in November.

Will Netanyahu Succeed where Putin Failed?

The UN resolution demanding that the Russian Federation withdraw all military forces from the territory of Ukraine passed with a vote of 141 to 5. The US had its European allies and the entire Global South on its side. The UN resolution for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza saw a vote of 153 in favor and 10 against. The US was completely isolated in its support for the slaughter going on in Gaza. Gaza has been like a life raft for Putin and his closest allies. They have been, with little real-world success, trying to rally the global South against US hegemony. This glaring example of US hypocrisy is rocket fuel for their efforts, and that could have long-term negative effects on US security.

Gaza promises to hurt Democrats in November, and not just in the Presidential race.

That will lose the Democrats Michigan. Seeing an opportunity, independent candidate Cornel West has been campaigning hard in Michigan, offering himself as an alternative to Arab American voters.

Now, that is a depressing poll result I never expected to see.

Democrats had never been more united than they had been after the election of President Biden, and Progressives were the President’s strongest allies and boosters in Congress. At the same time, Republicans have never been more fractured and dysfunctional. All the stars where in alignment for a Democratic victory that could give a re-elected President Biden the majority he needed. That could change:

If AIPAC has any success, it will be a pyrrhic victory for moderate Democrats. If polls show collapsing support among young voters thanks to Gaza. Watch young voters abandon the party entirely as a result of an AIPAC-funded civil war during the primary season, not over domestic issues, but over Gaza. The Netanyahu supporters and Islamophobes were never going to vote for Biden. His unqualified support for Netanyahu will get the President zero votes from that block of voters. It will, however, lose him a key and critical component of the Democratic electorate.

Netanyahu may succeed where Putin failed. Netanyahu could get Trump elected and end American Democracy and America’s leadership position worldwide. Biden outfoxed Putin in Europe. He’d better figure out how to outfox Netanyahu before it's too late.

PS

I wanted to add one more thing. President Biden has consistently outperformed expectations. I am hoping that he will do the same again here. If he succeeds where everyone has failed, he will win in a landslide.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/26/2213868/-Gaza-Could-Unravel-Biden-s-Presidency?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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