Thursday, February 29, 2024

THIS IS A FIRST
Most Democrats prefer a president who doesn't support military aid to Israel

Poll shows 56% of party's voters say less likely to vote for candidate who supports aid to Israel; More Democrats now blame Israel for Gaza war


Ynet, News Agencies|

A survey published Thursday by the Reuters news agency and the Ipsos polling institute has provided some extremely worrying data for Israel: It shows that the majority of Democratic voters now prefer a presidential candidate who does not support the transfer of military aid to Israel. According to the survey, which was conducted over three days this week, 56% of the respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports military aid to Israel, and only 40% said that such support would actually increase the chance that they would vote for him
The survey's data fits into an already worrying trend for Israel vis-à-vis Democrats. In recent years, the power of the radical progressive camp in the party has greatly strengthened, and highly vocal figures such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ilhan Omar, and American-Palestinian congresswoman Rashida Tlaib are convincing masses of Democratic voters to demand that the Democratic Biden administration halt traditional U.S. aid to Israel due to its alleged "abuse" of the Palestinians.

 
President Joe Biden continues to support Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza
(Photo: AP)

Despite the pressure on him from Democratic lawmakers and a large portion of his party's voters, President Joe Biden continues to give the green light to Israel's military action in Gaza. This week there was a reminder of the political danger inherent in this for him, when more than 100,000 voters in the Republican primaries in the key state of Michigan chose the "uncommitted" option instead of voting for Biden, to express their protest over his support for Israel.

According to the new survey, an increasing proportion of Democrats, even if it is still a minority, blames Israel for the war in Gaza, with 23% of Democrats saying that they blame the Israeli government, up from 13% in November. Some 46% of Democrats said they blame Hamas, down from 54% in November. An overwhelming majority of Democrats also state that they want a presidential candidate who will call for a cease-fire.


A majority of Democratic voters now prefer a presidential candidate who does not support the transfer of military aid to Israel
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

On the other side of the political aisle, the situation is, predictably, the opposite. Some 62% of the Republicans who participated in the survey said that they prefer a presidential candidate who would support the transfer of military aid to Israel, while 34% said that supporting such aid would make them less likely to vote for him.

According to poll released on Thursday, public opinion is equally divided between Biden and his expected opponent in the elections, Donald Trump , with each receiving the support of 36% of the voters - an extremely low rate.

Donald Trump leads over Joe Biden in seven key states

Still, U.S. presidential elections are decided by the electoral system, from that perspective Biden's situation continues to look grim. According to a survey published on Thursday by Bloomberg, Trump leads over Biden in seven key states and the president must win in almost all of them if he wants to win the presidential election in November.

Trump leads by 9% in North Carolina, 6% in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada, 4% in Wisconsin and 2% in Michigan. If these are the results of the election, it will mean a resounding defeat for Biden.

An Open Letter to the Women of the Congressional Progressive Caucus


 
 FEBRUARY 29, 2024

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Specifically Jasmine Crockett, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jill Tokuda, Grace Napolitano Sylvia Garcia, Val Hoyle, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sheila Jackson Lee, Frederica Wilson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jennifer McClellan, Lori Trahan, Madeleine Dean, Gwen Moore, Suzanne Bonamici, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Yvette Clarke, Nanette Barragan, Andrea Salinas, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rosa DeLauro, Katie Porter, Grace Meng, and Shontel Brown

Dear Women of the Congressional Progressive Caucus,

We, the undersigned, are writing to you because although you are part of a progressive caucus, you have yet to do the most bare minimum progressive act: call for a ceasefire in Gaza. 26 women in this committee already have—it’s time for the 24 of you to join them.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, a fitting reminder of the thousands of women in Gaza who are being slaughtered, clearly abandoned by women like you who hold positions of power and privilege yet refuse to call for a ceasefire. Many of you will use the discussion of reproductive justice in the US as an opportunity to say you stand with women. Many of you will release statements about IWD, citing your membership to the Congressional Progressive Caucus as evidence of your commitment to progressive advocacy for women, but your inaction tells us the truth.

Your words mean nothing when you fail to center the women of Gaza, who need our attention the most right now. You lose credibility when you fail to demand an end to Israel’s genocide campaign. What is more anti-feminist and less progressive than war? Since the start of Israel’s most recent bombardment, miscarriages in Gaza have gone up 300%. Women are forced to undergo C-sections without anesthesia. Israeli soldiers in the Tal al Zaatar area of Gaza shot at and bulldozed over pregnant women carrying white flags. What significant action have you taken to stop this genocide? None. We will not allow you to continue virtue signaling by simply being part of this caucus. We demand consistency.

This IWD, we call on you to reject traditional Western and colonial “feminist” narratives that have long perpetuated war, occupation, and genocide! War-mongering fuels the oppression, mistreatment, and murder of women around the world. The struggle for reproductive justice and Palestinian liberation are deeply intertwined feminist issues.

Be a real feminist and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Reproductive justice starts there.

Towards peace and liberation,

CODEPINK staff, chapters, volunteers, and supporters

CODEPINK, along with Mothers and Daughters Against Genocide, will be in the halls of congress on March 8, International Women’s Day, delivering the letter to the specified progressive caucus members.

Click here to  learn more about the IWD campaign. 

Click here to sign the petition.


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