Years of labor unionizing, tenant organizing, Palestine liberation, electoralism, "celebrity" politicians, and the DSA ground machine stuck a dagger in the heart of the Democratic Establishment.
As a European, I am very happy to see that at long last there is a real alternative to the right (Democratic Party) and the extreme right (Republican Party) in the USA. Although the widespread and normalized racism I see in your country doesn't give me much hope, perhaps I will yet live to see the day that the USA will become a civilized country!
Great piece as always. But I disagree that the Columbia encampments represent some kind of failure. While the demands of the students were obviously not met, the encampments were the central force in catalyzing the global movement for palestine. They put the movement on the map, generated countless offshoots at campuses around the world, and forced the media and elites to reckon with it for months on end. I would argue it represented one of the most successful and meaningful acts of protest in decades.
@joewrote: Please correct the article, and not a stealth correction. You say that Lander a "ran as a stern anti-genocide critic who opposed weapons shipments to Israel" but this misrepresents the record. Lander was asked in an interview about how he's perceived as being pro-BDS, and he said that he opposed BDS and has invested NYC pension money in Israeli companies, including Elbit Systems. You know all that Palestine Action stuff in the UK? That's about direct action against Elbit Systems.
He also supports continuing funding for the Iron Dome genocide umbrella, which AOC and Bernie voted for. AOC voted against MTG's proposal to end Iron Dome funding. Here's the roll call:
As a European, I am very happy to see that at long last there is a real alternative to the right (Democratic Party) and the extreme right (Republican Party) in the USA. Although the widespread and normalized racism I see in your country doesn't give me much hope, perhaps I will yet live to see the day that the USA will become a civilized country!
You and me both! It’s far past time America entered the 20th century.
Great piece as always. But I disagree that the Columbia encampments represent some kind of failure. While the demands of the students were obviously not met, the encampments were the central force in catalyzing the global movement for palestine. They put the movement on the map, generated countless offshoots at campuses around the world, and forced the media and elites to reckon with it for months on end. I would argue it represented one of the most successful and meaningful acts of protest in decades.
@joewrote: Please correct the article, and not a stealth correction. You say that Lander a "ran as a stern anti-genocide critic who opposed weapons shipments to Israel" but this misrepresents the record. Lander was asked in an interview about how he's perceived as being pro-BDS, and he said that he opposed BDS and has invested NYC pension money in Israeli companies, including Elbit Systems. You know all that Palestine Action stuff in the UK? That's about direct action against Elbit Systems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKO-JWNQquc
He also supports continuing funding for the Iron Dome genocide umbrella, which AOC and Bernie voted for. AOC voted against MTG's proposal to end Iron Dome funding. Here's the roll call:
https://www.congress.gov/votes/house/119-1/207
Lander supports the AOC/Bernie position on weapons to Israel.
Thank you, Joe. Side note: I find it interesting that twice now I have tried to share your pieces on Bluesky, and the app won't let that happen.