Thanks, I have also noticed that many are uninterested in the nuance, especially during the election cycle. Many are committed to the team sports aspect and consider any criticism of the Dem party or their positions to be tantamount to betrayal, as if those criticisms must come from some secret conservative or Russian operative masquerading as a progressive.
I also noticed progressives that would refuse to vote Dem for their pro-genocide stance, which I find completely understandable. However, just as the Dems were ignoring the grassroots pressure during the primary, they would also completely ignore any and all protest votes. Harm reduction is the only argument for voting Dem regardless of their right-wing stance on certain issues (foreign policy, immigration), which is a correct argument and why I advocated for others to vote Dem regardless.
But this argument also only works for some high propensity voters who do get the pragmatism of the situation. I noticed many were unwilling to accept that the vast majority of the voter population don’t vote like that, and are unable to be convinced to vote that way.
They need a strong stance on policy that benefit them in some way, more of the status-quo will never cut it when the majority of people are fed up with the status-quo. It’s a systemic issue. Besides the voter suppression aspect, it’s entirely on the campaign to make those strong popular stances on policy. Door knockers can’t outflank the top-line messaging. And yeah, it all goes back to the party being captured by corporate interests. It’s just irritating to see people focus the blame on voters instead of the administration.
People voting against their self-interest is as old as voting itself. People need to be convicted and captivated. This is why I try to stress how the only effective counter to Right Populism is Left Populism. Once populism is on the rise, those are the only options to mobilize. As the Dems continue to ignore left populism, right populism is the only avenue available for people to channel their frustrations with the status-quo towards. Yet, all it’ll take to turn the tide in a massive way, is that Left Populist candidate. I have my hopes on AOC. But if the party continues to side line her, I can’t see any electoral way out of fascism. At some point, it will no longer be an option.
That’s also why I extend my support to both electoral reform and armed struggle. Not because armed struggle is preferred, it’s a last resort; but after learning the history of anti colonialism in the global south, armed struggle cannot be ignored. I’m glad I’ve come across the works of Franz Fanon. His works have opened my understanding of many things I wouldn’t have even questioned seeing things from a western lenses.
The main issue here is that Israel is an Apartheid Settler Colonialist State. The German law prevents even mentioning the reality of Israel as an Apartheid or as a Settler Colonialist Entity, both of which are critical to the understanding of the current situation and the resolution.
Due to the Settler Colonialism that have atomized the West Bank into hundreds of isolated Bantustans, it’s already a one-state reality. I’ll quote Avi Schlaim and Ilan Pappe below as they explain the situation quite comprehensivly.
An Apartheid State has no right to exist. This was the same for Apartheid South Africa. The state was abolished and replaced with one that has equal rights. It did not mean the expulsion of all Afrikaners, it meant the creation of a new state with the integration of equal rights and reparations for the oppressed. It’s the same situation with the current state of Israel, and the way forward also requires the right of return for all Palestinians.
Settlements and the One-State Reality
The reality of the settlements on-the-ground has been the cause of violent resistance and a significant obstacle to peace, as it has been for decades.
This type of settlement, where the native population gets ‘Transferred’ to make room for the settlers, is a long standing practice. See: The Concept of Transfer 1882-1948, the Transfer Committee, and the JNF which led to Forced Displacement of 100,000 Palestinians throughout the mandate, before the mass ethnic cleansing campaign of 1948: Plan Dalet, Declassified Massacres of 1948, and Details of Plan C (May 1946) and Plan D (March 1948) . Further, declassified Israeli documents show that the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip were deliberately planned before being executed in 1967: Haaretz, Forward; while the peace process was exploited to continue de-facto annexation of the West Bank via Settlements (Oslo Accord Sources: MEE, NYT, Haaretz, AJ). The settlements are maintained through a violent apartheid that routinely employs violence towards Palestinians and denies human rights like water access, civil rights, etc. This kind of control gives rise to violent resistance to the Apartheid occupation, jeopardizing the safety of Israeli civilians.