Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said policy differences toward Israel between her and President Biden won’t stop her from supporting him in the November general election.

“Of course,” Omar said Tuesday, when asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip on “NewsNight” whether she would vote for Biden if the election were held that day, in a clip highlighted by Mediaite. “Democracy is on the line, we are facing down fascism.”

“And I personally know what my life felt like having Trump as the president of this country, and I know what it felt like for my constituents, and for people around this country and around the world,” Omar continued. “We have to do everything that we can to make sure that does not happen to our country again.”

  • Natanael@slrpnk.net
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    8 months ago

    He’s doing a lot of diplomacy behind closed doors, a bit too much for my taste even, but that’s how he’s always worked and he’ll keep doing that, so there’s not much visible but the few public statements. I think he needs to do more, but he’s very risk averse and the problem is that if he just straight up blocks all support for Israel then that could cause chaos (risk for war in the region, loss of internal support, etc).

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      but he’s very risk averse

      If he was averse to risk, he’d stop doing all this shit his voters hate less than a year out from an election…

      He’s being dangerously risky right now, and we’re all fucked if it turns out he made a bad judgement call and loses the election.

      he just straight up blocks all support for Israel then that could cause chaos (risk for war in the region, loss of internal support, etc).

      At the same time, Biden says trump is incredibly dangerous, and him becoming president again could be the end of American democracy.

      And I agree with that.

      Which is why I think Biden putting Israel over America is so fucking stupid.

      America isn’t responsible for the safety of Israel. If America stopped protecting them at the UN, and the UN forced them to stop their genocide…

      That wouldn’t be the end of Israel, just the end of their current genocide.

      If Israel got attacked after that and invaded, then aid to Israel would be a different story and the rest of the UN would be helping.

      You’re arguing from this false stance where Joe Biden is the only thing keeping Israel a state right now, and ignoring that his support of Israel could very well lead to the actual end of American democracy.

      The president of America’s priority should be America, not if a foreign country might have to stop their genocide.

      Like, if Biden was stopping a genocide, that would be different.

      Do you legitimately not understand any of that?

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        he’d stop doing all this shit his voters hate less than a year out from an election…

        There’s not as many people who think like you as you think there are.

        • juicy@lemmy.today
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          8 months ago

          We have states with 20% of voters choosing uncommitted. What are you on about?

          • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            80% > 20%

            And that’s of Democrats who voted in the primary.

            There’s just way more supporters of Israel than there are people who dislike genocide. Biden has to be careful to not lose their votes.

            • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
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              8 months ago

              I was under the impression that refusing to do the right thing because you’re scared of the consequences was the definition of cowardice.

            • juicy@lemmy.today
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              8 months ago

              You can’t assume the 80% of people who voted for Biden would abandon him the minute he withdrew his support of genocide. They might as easily believe the fud I keep hearing here that an uncommitted vote is tantamount to a vote for Trump.

              • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Likewise, not all of the 20% would withold their votes if he continues to support Israel.

                But regardless of the actual number, it’s pretty clear that “votes at risk if I continue to support Israel” is a much smaller number than “votes at risk if I denounce Israel”. The resulting political calculus is unavoidable. Biden can work for a ceasefire, but acting or speaking in direct opposition to Israel is a terrible idea.

                • juicy@lemmy.today
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                  8 months ago

                  It’s not clear at all that a smaller number of votes are at risk. And the whole idea that whether Biden supports genocide should the result of a political calculus is abhorrent.

                  • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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                    8 months ago

                    That’s life, if you can’t handle it go get therapy or something. “Stop all bad things” is not always an option, you have to pick the least bad sometimes.