Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
Independent candidates each rarely get more than 1% of votes in presidential elections. There have been rare exceptions, but never enough to sway an election on that level.
Thus, a vote for an independent is basically a vote for Trump.
Excuse me, but what did Biden do about guns, climate, abortion and democracy? He made a lot of promises back in 2020 and didnt do that much in the end, even though, just like Obama after the 08 election, he had three branches of government in his first two years as president. And with Obama it was even worse since he had a super majority and refused to take bold action and did not deliver what he promised. I know Trump will be worse over all but lets not act as if Biden did a good job, especially on the examples you gave.
1. Biden passed the first major bipartisan gun bill in 30 years, which expanded background checks and red flag laws. Not perfect, or enough, but major.
2. Biden passed biggest climate bill in history. Remember, the senate was 50-50 with two conservative democrats (manchin and sinema), so passing anything was extremely difficult.
3. Biden restored normalcy to the executive branch, and respected our democracy again though his words and deeds. Appointed the most diverse set of federal judges to the circuit courts in history.
4. Roe vs. Wade was overturned due to a court case reaching the Supreme Court, where the 3 justices Trump appointed had a major role in overturning it. This had nothing to do with Biden. The ruling sent the power back to the states, so again, Biden couldn’t do much. All that Biden could do to protect abortion, he did via executive order.
5. Insulin for seniors is now $35 a month, and multiple other major / popular drugs will become much cheaper starting in 2025. Rx costs for seniors will be capped at $2,000.
6. Massive infrastructure bill, with a lot of climate provisions as well.
7. Massive pro- labor policies.
8. Compare minimum tax of 15%.
I get it’s not perfect, and progress is slow. But this was a lot to accomplish with a 50-50 senate. Compare this record to anything Trump did. The other guy will literally destroy this democracy. I’m sticking with Biden even though I HATE his unconditional support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Biden's climate bill won't make much of a difference. Climate change continues unabated. Fossil-fuel subsidies rose to a record $7 trillion last year worldwide. Emissions continue to rise. We really need the Green Party to take over for about 20 years.
Right now, Biden is absolutely awful. But I believe that Biden did a lot before. He had a lot of people against him in Congress. He did not really have a full Democratic majority he had two rogue Democrats Nothing excuses his behavior right now NOTHING! But he did get some stuff done. I wake up every morning and I feel like I’m in a dream because I am so confused by his behavior right now I think he is living in the 70s and is blinded by his own Zionism. Not an excuse! I’m confused because he doesn’t seem to understand that his possibility of losing is so great! He criticizes his own voters who are protesting against genocide. As I said right now, I hate his guts, but I will vote for him because I feel like it’s our only chance to get America, right We can continue the fight With Biden in OFFICE. With Trump and OFFICE and project 2025 I don’t know if we’ll have a chance
Disagree. Robert is correct. Biden had both the Senate and House for the first two years to pass criminal justice reform (a big promise he made to the Black community -- and he is now paying price for not delivering), and he had time to pass a fix to Dobbs. They managed the "Manchin-Sinema" issue on lots of other "tough" issues (including passing Respect for Marriage Act) but decided they wanted a political issue to drive people to the polls on abortion and didn't want to fix Dobbs. As a result, you lose your window, and it turns off voters - you lose their trust that you're serious about getting things done.
Actually, he gave Manchin his pipeline and his wife a cushy government position. Never pressured either of them on their positions and managed to scale down Bernie’s proposal by half. The one he adopted to get elected. Then he went missing on voting rights, opened drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, supported the filibuster…on and on.
No you are right. I hear you, sir I really do As a fellow American, I love you. I just want us all to be OK. If we the people who really care about those people in Gaza have no power Which is what will happen if Trump wins, then what. But I respect you, sir if you can’t vote for Biden, I respect you and I understand why
I just believe the real powers that we have to fight are AIPAC And other PACS that Control our politicians.
Biden can decide to not accept the Democratic nomination & enable someone else (maybe even a few years younger) to convince voters. And this person could campaign on changing the US/Israel relationship, while also allowing Biden another 8 months to do what he wants. A different Democratic president may keep doing what Biden started (to finish the job) but also change policies where Biden cannot.
I understand some people don't want Biden, I get it. We had a Democratic primary for people to vote for whomever they wanted for President. President Biden got the most votes. Only 10% of Democratic voters voted in the primaries nationwide. When you don't vote in all elections, you get what you get.
Sounds ideal, but unfortunately it’s not gonna be that way. Biden is the incumbent and has decided to run again so bar any health issue he’ll be the candidate. Not willing to throw away other democracy to Trump. He will destroy this country
wait, what is it? Biden is small bean and cant get anything done without both houses and a supermajority or Trump will dismantle democracy? It cant be both...
He and the GOP will annihilate it. They hate democracy. They are fascists. They are racists. They are antisemitic. They pretend to like Jews right now. Fundamental Christian Zionist like Jewish people for quite nefarious reasons . They hate Muslims more than they hate anybody on any other group. I wish I could say that weren’t true, but it is true ! They hate immigrants. The two groups that will be the most affected will be Latino and black immigrants and Muslims if Trump and the GOP win. Please, please know that! They also hate the LGBT community. But I believe they hate Muslims and immigrants more.
There is no real alternative in this election. West and Stein and RFK (who'd be no better on Israel) do not have a chance to beat Trump. If people would think of this as beating Trump, who'd be worse in every way, instead of voting "for" Biden it would help. Beating Trump is most important. Remember he wanted a Muslim ban and Trump thinks everyone not white and Christian is a probable terrorist. He even wants to put migrants (even Dreamers) in detention camps.
I agree, but here’s the problem, someone is going to win. We need to take seriously the need for a real social Democratic Party, at the wry least, if not a constitutional convention
You don’t know what’s coming then. Sorry, but you’re not paying attention. This could be the last election and a descent into full blown fascism. I cannot in good conscience do anything that helps Trump return to power. Biden’s support for Israel’s genocide has been horrific, but I’m also thinking about other issues. I’m not a single issue voter.
I know what is coming, but I will never be able to justify for either Biden the genocidal, or Trump the corrupt. The democratic party had the ball for a long time and they all deliberately decided to risk their chance to support a genocidal foreign country. Just look at what they did recently to pass the new Antisemitism Awareness Act. It seems they don't even care about First Amendment anymore. Why should we care about their wining?
I do think we should talk about what can we do if Trump wins in the GOP does the awful thing of an acting project 2025. I wonder who would give us asylum. I heard Canada was somewhat preparing for this. They would be wise to do this— Two grand asylum so that we could organize in a Safe way. There are certainly a whole lot of us. Who actually loved democracy. It scares the ever loving crap outta me though
Unfortunately, a vote for Jill Stein is ultimately a vote for DJT. We've got to playtime cards we're dealt even if it mens voting for Biden in this election.
I am not American, and I do care about the wellbeing of the American people and their democracy.
I think that people who fear a fully fascist Trump regime are underestimating the Americans ability to stop him.
As for Palestinians, I think Israelis are planning to commit a wider scale genocide against Palestinians with or without Trump's administration, and Biden is not going to stop them because he is a deep zionist fanatic.
Underestimating? No, the American people are generally sheep-like and just want their lives to be comfortable and uninterrupted by unpleasantness. They think Trump makes them richer. My eyes have really been opened in the last 10 years by the actual ethical makeup of the American people. Most people seem unethical to me now, versus pre-Trump.
I believe those same Americans would welcome some fascism. That's why we have to give them no chance to do it, by not letting Trump into office again.
Not to mention #AIPAC money . This promotes racism of various forms. They should be required to register as a foreign entity.@POTUS took a massive donation.
I live in PA. I didn’t vote for Biden in the primary. He is a foolish old ass Zionist. I needed to scare him. I think he’s too dumb to be scared. I don’t understand him. But I must in conscience vote for his sorry old ass in November because the alternative is sooooo much worse. Trump hates Muslims. He hates the Palestinians. He hates BIPOC immigrants and I fear he will put them in camps here in America. Biden will come and go but Trump will have the power to seek revenge on us. And he may die but not before he does irreparable damage to the structure of our government.
Biden literally hates Palestinian people just like Trump, if not more and has said horiibly racist things about them. He doesnt care about the people being shot and littles boys being slaughtered in the US and cares even less about the Palestinian people in Palestine! Biden is putting immigrants in cages just like Trump, puts forward Trump like immigration reform and creates a atmosphere of hate towards pro Palestinian activists throughout the country, is smearing them antisemitic and compares them to literal Nazis!
And no one can stop you from doing that. You have the right to vote for whomever you want. I hope we’re all just having a discussion here. Of course I would love to persuade you to vote differently, but please know that I respect you. Please know that as a fellow American who loves democracy I love you. Maybe that sounds sappy, but it’s true.
Keep in mind that independent candidates typically get around 1% of votes (and less!) and no electoral votes. For example leading independent candidate Jo Jorgenson got around 1.2% in the 2020 election. It's a protest vote--and a heartfelt one of the voter is truly interested in the candidate's platform, but in any case it is a wasted opportunity to block Trump--which is what we must do or you can kiss democracy and the rule of law goodbye. That's just the way it is.
The two sides are NOT equal. One side actually cares about people. Old people. Poor people. Sick people. Child people. The other side shows nothing but contempt for the old, the sick, the young and the poor. To me there is no contest. Not even close.
What's going on in Gaza, and Biden's part in it, is serious stuff, but not as serious (for us over here) as allowing a single lie to implode the greatest democracy in the world.
Greatest democracy in the world? How is a two party system with the electoral college, a deeply undemocratic senate and many many more issues the greatest democracy in the world?
And how does he care about children? He did let the child tax credit expire which exploded child poverty!
The poor? This has to be a joke, he didnt fight for 15$ minimum wage and did nothing about affordable housing, no Biden cheques (that he promised) and no public option (that he promised as well)
The young? He despises the young as he showed in recent months and even before, when he refused to fight for the policies young people want to see and sometimes doing the exact opposite! He even said it during the 2020 campaign "I have ZERO empathy for them"
The only people he didnt seem to despise are (in part) boomers and i dont care about his empath in chief image or how he is acting around children. His policies speak a different language.
The empath chief image also has nothing but contempt for muslim americans, Palestinian americans and Palestinian people in general. The things he said throughout his career about people from the MENA region, especially Palestinians are so disgusting and racist, it is a miracle he got a lot of their votes in 2020.
And now he is complicit in genocide, bypassed congress several times to send weapons to Israel, he lied about October 7 even in his last speech he lied so much, his admin had to quietly walk back some of his statements again! His admin gives political and diplomatic cover to Israel at the UN again and again. He does nothing about the atrocities in Gaza and the Westbank, when there are very strong ways to take action!
I`m sorry, but Biden is as awful as a democratic President can be. People held their nose, voted for him in 2020 hoping he would keep his word and be a one term President. But he actively chooses to break promises and to turn big parts of his electorate against him! When he looses in November, it will be his and not the voters` fault
Compared to Trump, Joe Biden is a saint. I agree with you about his atrocious (literally) support of Netanyahu and the ultimate and grim irony of it. Our concerns wholly overlap here.
Regardless, Trump would do far more damage to America and America's standing in the world.
If you want to kiss Democracy and the Rule of Law goodbye, and install an autocrat --a dangerous psychopath, frankly-- stay steamed and stubborn. In a way... honestly, I don't blame you. But this is a responsibility that we can't turn away from or everything we know ends.
I agree with you about Trump. He will be a disaster for the US and the rest of the world. And I hope, Biden will change his ways but time is running out for him. He needs at least to do something, anything at all to get his voters back.
The traditional labels (left, right, conservative, liberal, etc) don’t apply to the existing GOP & Democratic Party anymore. The GOP is populist party (with nationalistic/fascistic ideas), while the Democratic Party clings to neoliberal ideology. With many non-Trump conservatives moving to the Democratic Party, it is becoming more centre right than centre left. There is an opportunity for a new party to emerge from the left, but I dont know if the Green Party is it. Who else is there beside Jill Stein? Do thay have anyone else running for a House seat? Or any of the state legislatures? It could start with one seat, to become 10 seats & then 50 seats over multiple election cycles. They could try convince Bernie and/or squad members to come over, which may happen if the DP keep drifting towards to right.
It's not "neo-liberal". It's just liberal. Liberal causes have been the same ones for as long as I remember. Ecology, women's rights, civil rights, antiwar protest, gay liberation, freedom of speech, abortion, parity in pay and salaries, diversity in the workplace, and on and on. What exactly are you talking about?
I hear you. He is positively disgusting right now. As I said, I will vote for him with puke in my mouth. But as I do, I will remember that I am merely voting against Trump 2025. In my opinion, that is what we have to vote against – – project 2025. We will become an evil ethno state. I respect your opinion I really do. I just want you to think about the presidency only being one branch of government. I want to keep it that way. I want the presidency to be way less powerful than it is. Trump is in office. It will become an authoritarian dictatorship. Our work will not be done, simply because Biden wins. Americans need to come together like we never have before. The Democrats who are evil and the GOP, who are all evil have gone out of their way to divide us. The division must end. These huge PACS LIKE AIPAC Are really our government right now. We have got to change that.
The alternative is the monstrous Trump, a person who lacks empathy. No one but Biden or Trump has a chance of winning. So not voting for Biden, who is persuadable and can be convinced to change his mind, is allowing Trump to win, and we all know Trump is not a person anyone can talk sense into. I don't want to vote for either of them, but I feel it's my duty as a human to not allow Trump to win another term as president.
I'm a whole lot less willing to take my own advice today (May 29) than the day I wrote this. Rafah is being attacked, civilians are dying and Biden's red line has dissolved. He seems to have no ethics when it comes to human rights. I can no longer support him.
Oooh because senile pedo Biden is?! Stein, West, any of these 3rd party will be better than evil DT or B. And even if they don’t pass at least one has voted its conscience. I’m pretty sure most democrats who voted for B are horrified by their choice right now. He just threw freedom of speech and first amendment out the window! Not to mention his complicity in genocide. Biden belongs in The Hague so yeah ANYONE can do better almost regardless of their qualifications. Just need to be a human with integrity.
Absolutely not, vote for anyone but Biden... I respect Mehdi's views on this but this is not about working to avoid trump, it's about getting rid of Biden... Maybe Trump could be bad/worse, but Biden HAS been a disaster.. I may change my view after listening to this show, but I start watching it with this opinion!
1) A strong Uncommited vote may serve well in the long run - in the UK we just saw workers party GB turn up the heating a notch on the two main parties which are now both controlled and serve nasty Zionists instead of the British public. There are a LOT of people who are not happy with the absence of choice, but everyone assumes we are stuck in the stays quo.
2) We know that trump will be a disaster, but sadly, sometimes, you need a disaster to really wake people up. A tiny minority of elites now control politics and power. People, perhaps, need a reminder that they hold the vote. They vote in politicians, they vote with every dollar they spend, with how they live their lives. But for far too long people have sold their votes and power way too cheap to the elite. After all, it's the taxpayer dollars paying for the weapons that arm Israel's genocide.
The problem is a 2nd trump term won’t just be a few “tough years.” It could be the last election and a descent into fascism. Sorry, but if you don’t acknowledge that, you’re simply not paying attention. It really is the LESSER of two evils of you want to look at it. I cannot in good conscience do anything to allow Trump to return to power
We are literally descending into fascism as I write. Blocking of all UN resolutions, ICJ, ICC, BRUTAL crackdown of students, banning TikTok, mass media control, hate speech though control coodification... It's fascism pure and simple. There's no escape from this ongoing necrostate.
Yes Keeping a democracy is hard. Getting one back……😳will be brutal. We are leaning in wrong direction for sure but here we are on this forum talking openly. No democracy means no more of these forums.
Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
I don't know, I can only agree there's no easy solution... And I certainly would not vote trump ever, but I couldn't in conscious give a vote to Biden either. I would also note, at least from what I've seen, US political system is set up to protect interest of the elite irrespective of who the president is. Change won't happen in a single term, and no better candidate will even be allowed to run (look at what the democrats did to Sanders), until change is forced from the bottom up.
I agree that biden has been atrocious in his actions with gaza and Israel, but will your conscious be okay with trump aiding netanyahu, going after abortion, destroying our democracy loosening gun control, and the myriad of other bad things he has already promised to do?
Biden has shown that he can be swayed by the people, he can be asked to represent us, trump wants to rule us.
If anyone supporting the Palestinians doesn't like what biden has done so far, what exactly to they expect trump to do? He definitely won't be supporting the Palestinians either. In fact, trump would help netanyahu go after them.
And still Bernie fights on because he knows how corrupt the system is but also knows we have the right to vote and to express ourselves. He knows if it’s not Biden it will be HELL
I find something fundamentally troubling about voting for Biden just because 'Trump would be worse' - voters MUST find a way to demand a better choice than that, there is no easy option.
Like being good all your life then publically turning into a cold blooded serial killer with no shame or remorse for 7 months ... I'd say at that point there's no 'buts' left, you're just a sick, cold blooded, murderer, not fit for any public office or any sort...
Mehdi, while I agree that Netanyahu and his right-wing government are just as bad as Hamas, this isn’t a choice between the lessor of two evils.
Biden may be old school, obtuse and intransigent, but he is not evil: Trump and his minions are the epitome of evil: The Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, tin-foil hat religious billionaires and sadistic advisors like Miller, and Bannon.
What exactly would you like Biden to do? You know as a top-notch journalist, that Israel doesn’t take marching orders from Washington. Israel is part of a security alliance in the region that includes Jordan, Egypt and some of our gulf state allies as a bulwark to Iran’s aggression. Bottom line: Israel is an ally, not the 51st state of America, or a colony.
Furthermore, Trump’s first term is one of the reasons we’re here to begin with. He gave away the store to Netanyahu; allowing them to annex more West Bank territory (settlements), the Golan Heights and effectively Jerusalem.
That said, perhaps you’re asking the wrong questions. The real question should be what happens to the Palestinians, and any chance for a two state solution of Trump wins? And what does that mean for the Palestinian people at large?
Let’s face it, Jordan and Egypt wouldn’t take back the West Bank and Gaza if you paid them in gold! The Sunni Gulf States only view them as a political football with no interest whatsoever in helping them; they’re always been nothing more than a thorn in their side.
Biden may not be your first choice for president, he’s not even in my top two; however, if Biden loses, so do the Palestinians, the world, and America.
This is a fight for democracy and freedom. A second Trump term will be disastrous and the beginning of the end for our republic.
So a vote for Trump, a third party candidate, or a no vote at all, is a vote for a dystopian future for all of us.
His religious and sadistic advisors are already salivating at the chance to install a Christian version of Sharia Law on the rest of us; which means goodbye to all religious freedoms, unless you happen to be a White Christian Nationalist.
And just because the Muslim ban didn’t work the first time around, the fascist SC justices gave him a blueprint for allowing one his next time around.
I’m sorry Hhelie, when exactly did Biden commit genocide?
Oh, you mean supporting an ally that every president before him has, only Biden has openly shown his disdain for Netanyahu and his policies. He even warned Netanyahu not to invade Rafah; to no avail, they will invade.
You just don’t understand the national security complexities in the region, nor do you understand that American Presidents have NO control over a sovereign nation when it comes to National Security.
Benjamin Disraeli once said, “countries have no friends, only interests.” And it’s true for every nation on this planet.
Israel’s interests are no ours, except to hold Iran in check and be national security ally in the region, including sharing intelligence and developing military technology and capabilities.
They will never allow America to dictate policy, regardless of whether you have Biden, Obama or anyone one else in office.
They see the attack by Hamas as a threat to the state of Israel itself, and don’t believe they could ever rely on anyone but themselves in the long-run; even America.
So stop being naive and living in a binary world of good vs evil; right versus wrong. That world doesn’t exist. There are more grey areas than you could ever imagine.
It’s amazing that we live in a world where genocides are occurring more often than not. Myanmar, Sudan, Uyghur’s and more. Yet, you only focus on the Palestinians and are willing to help elect a truly evil guy just to punish Biden for not doing enough. Why is that?
If Trump wins, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself, and you will pay a price you never, ever could conceive of.
And then you’ll truly know pure evil. It’s not Trump you need to worry about. It’s his cadre of religious fanatics, sadistic advisors like Stephen Miller (family separation). It’s the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society. It’s tin-foil hat religious billionaires. All who will shape policy and control the courts in a second Trump term, turning this country into an authoritarian white nationalist theocracy.
Remember the Muslim Ban was only saved by the Supreme Court. What you don’t know is they gave Trump’s people a blueprint to try again which they would approve.
I agree, Helie. I can’t use the term ‘evil’, since it is both too old-testament and undefined, but Biden can smile and smile, can shed a tear at well-attended funerals for deserving citizens, pat himself on the back, civic duty done, and sit down to a meal while isra*l deliberately starves infants in Palestine. No, I will not vote for this empty shirt…
Fair enough, but a vote for anyone but Biden, is a vote for tyranny, but feel to vote at your own peril. You’ll get the government you deserve; good and hard!
Because elections are choices and one of them will be president. Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
So Democrats can field the worst possible candidate for President and then blackmail Muslims into voting them using Trump as the consequence. Why can’t they field someone with a backbone who can stand up to Israel and AIPAC?
Sorry that it isn’t ideal for you. The perfect candidate doesn’t exist. Biden is the incumbent and has done a lot of good domestically. The AIPAC problem is bipartisan, not just democrats. I’m not willing to literally hand over our democracy to Trump. Just search project 2025 or read his TIME magazine interview from this past week.
IF Muslims do not vote for Biden then they will languish in camps or be deported. They will look back to the days when they were allowed to protest and work to making changes.
How is it fair to call other people's comments "simplistic," when your comment asserts that Biden — who has spent seven months INSISTING on doing the wrong thing (against the will of the American public), and is FAR TOO LATE to do the "right" thing — "will do the right thing?"
How is it fair to call other people's comments "emotional," when you say, "the alternative is too horrifying to contemplate?"
Trump is a white-supremacist, who doesn't value other people's lives, as well as being an intransigent old man, who couldn't care less about the will of the American people.
Biden is ALSO a white-supremacist, who doesn't value other people's lives, as well as being an intransigent old man, who is currently demonstrating that he couldn't care less about the will of the American people (when the will of the people conflicts with his feelings).
There is a difference between them, but there is nowhere near ENOUGH of a difference.
All there are, are two wrong choices for president... who BOTH belong in an Old Racists' Home, and not allowed near sharp objects.
Great choice between these two men, one is a sociopath, the other a self-confessed Zionist. Biden has a cruel streak to boot. The two of them are useless. Out of 340 million people, this is the best the U.S. can come up with? I'm not even sure if Biden is calling the shots between naps. Time for the rocking chair for the both of them.
Well he doesn’t seem to care about Arabs but is scheduled to give James Clyburn a medal for knocking Bernie out of the running and giving him the presidency.
Voting for Biden is an approval of the Genocide the United States and Israel are conducting in Gaza. I cannot believe you are even asking the question? Cornell West is the only candidate worthy of my vote. - Period!
You’re not living in reality. “Punishing” Biden won’t accomplish anything. You’re handing it over to a 2nd trump term? Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator. I don’t think you are aware what’s coming in a 2nd trump term. A complete dismantlement of our democracy.
You wasted too much energy with your useless response. Everyone agrees the alternative is Cornell West and not any of the two evils that have been running this country for the past 100 years!.
So you can make it a self-fulfilling prophecy by claiming no one else has a chance and then of course that's exactly what will materialize or you can make your own vote count like everybody else's and help put Cornell West in the white house so we can get rid of this evil Zionist control of the United States and the rest of the world for once and for all!
Muslims and the students in the US can push the Biden Administration and their representatives in Government to listen to them, and they will be able to get some changes that they want. The Biden Administration is flawed certainly. I think the Trump alternative is an end to the democratic republic, imperfect as it is. A Trump Administration means no future as there will not be free and fair elections.
At this time in the US, Muslims have the right to vote for Biden, for Trump, for a Third Party or to not vote at all.
The caveat is that the result of a vote for Trump or a Third Party or many people not voting is a Trump Administration. I believe the threats and statements from Trump and his cronies. I think Muslims and many other people will be very very unhappy in a Trump Administration. In fact, all of us who didn’t want a Trump Administration will be very unhappy. Of course, a twisted sort of logic might spur people into wanting a Trump Administration because everyone should suffer. And actually, who knows who “The Other” will be in an Administration run by the likes of someone like Steven Miller? It could change on a whim. Trump is a Strongman like Netanyahu, like Putin. The history of Strongmen generally ends in disaster for anyone they decide is “The Other”. Trump is amoral and transactional, so the Country will be run like a cartel or the Mafia. People can always leave the US, but where will they go? And will it be better?
We "can push the Biden Administration," was the line during the last election, when people didn't know that it is NOT TRUE.
It's not enough to remind people of things about t'rump, and his monsters, that people have not forgotten... and compare that to a denialist view of Biden.
If genocide is a triviality to you, then just TRY to respect the fact that it is a deal-breaker to others.
Did I say genocide was a triviality? Am I disrespecting you? This is my opinion. And if it’s a deal breaker, what are you going to do about it?
I worked in Mali for 7 years and served in Peace Corp in Burkina Faso in the 1970s. The Military with the help of the Wagner Group is running those Countries now. The deaths are not on the level of Gaza but reports are that those with the guns go in a kill on a regular basis. I don’t see students protesting that. It’s not even on the radar. It breaks my heart to see what is going on in those Countries and in all the other ones which are also experiencing genocide such as Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, and Sudan. I could go on and on. Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone. I did not serve in those Countries but the killing was terrible. Do you know what Child Soldiers were?
Your question: "Did I say genocide was a triviality?"
It's implied in the understatement, "The Biden Administration is flawed."
It's further reinforced by the wilfully blind (and time-insensitive) claim, "Muslims and the students in the US can push the Biden Administration."
Biden is not listening. To anyone. For seven months, he has been aiding & abetting a genocide, while aggressively NOT listening.
It's already far too late for countless Palestinians, but on top of that, it is NOT TRUE to claim that Biden can be "pushed."
Responding to reality with a false promise — of an already-disproved fantasy — is, yes, "trivializing."
The only word you've made me regret is my compassionate use of the qualifier, "If."
...
Your question: "Am I disrespecting you?"
Implicitly accusing me of having "disrespected" you — as opposed to having disagreed with you — is a form of rhetorical bullying that won't convince me that your opinion should never be challenged.
What’s to debate? Long after the current situation is resolved - do voters want women to be forced to have their rapist’s baby? Do voters want a free press? Do we want to fix our legal immigration system and show respect to people who risk everything to come to the US? Do we want to ever have healthcare for all? Do we want to fix public education?
And on and on. It’s not a debate we can have. The only vote we can cast is for Joe Biden. Everyone needs to GROW UP. We can pressure Biden to do what’s right for Palestinians. We will have no such opportunity to pressure Trump to do ANYTHING if he wins in November.
Biden is more Zionist than Trump even. There is no way he will change, plus he is too old to even control his own house. I cannot morally vote for Biden or Trump. I will vote for Jill Stein. Biden and democrats brought it upon themselves. They supported genocide, and they failed the students, and they approve aid for more killing machines and bombs to be dropped on poor innocents in Gaza. If you can sleep at night with your vote to genocidal Biden, then it's fine, but don't lecture us on whom to vote for. I know Trump is our worst nightmare, but again Biden shouldn't even run for presidency. Democrats should find a more decent candidate who is really human.
Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator. I don’t think you are aware what’s coming in a 2nd trump term. A complete dismantlement of our democracy.
As if democrats really care about democracy. A genocide is going under this administration for months, they did nothing. They have just passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act sacrificing our first amendment, the police crackdown on our amazing students, etc. This administration is a fraud and they use Trump to scare us. If the don't respect our freedom of speech and our voices, I will never vote for them. Believe me, at the end of the day, all parties are owned by AIPAC and the fat cats. we need new blood. 2-party system is outdated.
Free press? Fix public education? Help immigrants? Where? Give us a break. We are not stupid. You the one that need to grow up and put yourself on the shoes of people that are trying to make ends meet in this country and see all their hard earned money being used on forever wars. We are either the worst world police. Which other country has killed more children in the last 20 years than the US army? Israel? Be serious.
We can’t stop fighting for Palestinians. I’m hoping that our collective consciousness will really get to the point where we take to the streets by the hundreds of thousands to let Biden know. Now and after November.
It can’t just be the young students. It has to be all of us. It has to be peaceful. And it has to be relentless.
I could not agree more with Abdullah Hammoud and disagree more with Keith Ellison in this regard. Voting for Joenocide Biden will only means that what you did to our families in Gaza, to our rights in US to object to this genocide was all OK. If he loses this election, it will go to show the next round that our vote is not to be taken for granted. I am not Arab, nor Muslim nor young and I am fully committed to hold Joenocide Biden accountable next Nov for his complicity to this genocide.
Mehrdad, Given the likelihood that if Trump wins in November there won’t be a “next round” in the foreseeable future to show that our votes cannot be taken for granted, I, instead, would suggest, absent a meaningful shift in policy, that we consider pressing Biden to withdraw his candidacy (he could choose among several face-saving justifications), thus releasing his electors to Democratic Convention delegates who would select another nominee. While a brokered convention poses risks, the opportunity for debate among top-tiered candidates also could be energizing.
An interesting idea, one that I think is extremely unlikely. He has so far insisted on making himself our only choice within the Democratic party AND each time we think he would be fed up with the situation, he doubles down on supporting this genocide AND its leaders.
While that is also very true, we all need to operate and plan based on facts that we have. At this point in time, my conscience does not allow me to vote for anyone that has been complicit in this genocide. Let's hope our politicians, on both sides, have an awakening as watching the level of destructions is beyond belief. Of course watching how they have been systematically limiting American people's hands opposing Israel while giving a free reign to the Zionist.
Mehrdad, I believe it is of note that just yesterday House Democrats deployed 2 letters to the Administration: one signed by 87 Democratic House members urging Biden to enforce U.S. laws and policy regarding U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the second signed by 57 Democratic House members calling on the Administration to help prevent an assault on Rafah. Note that neither initiative received any Republican support.
My point circling back to Ellison’s position is that, in contrast to Republicans, we can bank on Democrats exerting increasing pressure on a Democratic Administration to try and end the senseless abuse of the Palestinian people.
Barbara, I agree that Democrats are not nearly as bad as Republicans but this only goes to prove that we need to support those who put their money where their mouth is and oppose the rest. I believe this two-party system is a disaster and we need to help strengthen Independents candidates and others and I fully understand that it will not happen quickly but if each time we say 'this round the stakes are high' then they will never gain the momentum. In reality it has been hard to distinguish Democrats and Republicans apart, especially regarding Israel. Just look at the HR 6090 that was passed just a few days ago and see how many Democrats sold their soul to erode our freedom of speech in support of Zionist. I believe we must hold them accountable
Keith Ellison and those espousing his position are gaslighting the public. The point is this - Biden WILL NOT change his stance when it comes to unequivocally supporting Israel. It's been one of the pillars of his four decades plus political career. Just look at the list of the top recipients of AIPAC funding - $5.2 million over 34 years. 34,000+ killed, an engineered famine, virtually all of Gaza levelled over the last 200+ days and his pal Bibi's bloodlust still isn't satisfied. And yet Biden won't say stop! Enough! That's what unwavering ideological commitment looks like.
Look, I can accept the line of reasoning that Biden is the better candidate given the choice. But don't base it on the misleading, dishonest argument that it's BECAUSE this self professed ardent Zionist can somehow be 'persuaded' to change course when it comes to unconditionally supporting Israel.
Humans should not vote for Biden. Period.
Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
Stein or West
Did Netanyahu send you to write this so Trump will win?
She literally has 0% of winning and deep down you must know that
Independent candidates each rarely get more than 1% of votes in presidential elections. There have been rare exceptions, but never enough to sway an election on that level.
Thus, a vote for an independent is basically a vote for Trump.
Excuse me, but what did Biden do about guns, climate, abortion and democracy? He made a lot of promises back in 2020 and didnt do that much in the end, even though, just like Obama after the 08 election, he had three branches of government in his first two years as president. And with Obama it was even worse since he had a super majority and refused to take bold action and did not deliver what he promised. I know Trump will be worse over all but lets not act as if Biden did a good job, especially on the examples you gave.
1. Biden passed the first major bipartisan gun bill in 30 years, which expanded background checks and red flag laws. Not perfect, or enough, but major.
2. Biden passed biggest climate bill in history. Remember, the senate was 50-50 with two conservative democrats (manchin and sinema), so passing anything was extremely difficult.
3. Biden restored normalcy to the executive branch, and respected our democracy again though his words and deeds. Appointed the most diverse set of federal judges to the circuit courts in history.
4. Roe vs. Wade was overturned due to a court case reaching the Supreme Court, where the 3 justices Trump appointed had a major role in overturning it. This had nothing to do with Biden. The ruling sent the power back to the states, so again, Biden couldn’t do much. All that Biden could do to protect abortion, he did via executive order.
5. Insulin for seniors is now $35 a month, and multiple other major / popular drugs will become much cheaper starting in 2025. Rx costs for seniors will be capped at $2,000.
6. Massive infrastructure bill, with a lot of climate provisions as well.
7. Massive pro- labor policies.
8. Compare minimum tax of 15%.
I get it’s not perfect, and progress is slow. But this was a lot to accomplish with a 50-50 senate. Compare this record to anything Trump did. The other guy will literally destroy this democracy. I’m sticking with Biden even though I HATE his unconditional support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
I liked your post above because all the is true, But I still hate him right now!! And I will still vote for him.
Biden's climate bill won't make much of a difference. Climate change continues unabated. Fossil-fuel subsidies rose to a record $7 trillion last year worldwide. Emissions continue to rise. We really need the Green Party to take over for about 20 years.
Right now, Biden is absolutely awful. But I believe that Biden did a lot before. He had a lot of people against him in Congress. He did not really have a full Democratic majority he had two rogue Democrats Nothing excuses his behavior right now NOTHING! But he did get some stuff done. I wake up every morning and I feel like I’m in a dream because I am so confused by his behavior right now I think he is living in the 70s and is blinded by his own Zionism. Not an excuse! I’m confused because he doesn’t seem to understand that his possibility of losing is so great! He criticizes his own voters who are protesting against genocide. As I said right now, I hate his guts, but I will vote for him because I feel like it’s our only chance to get America, right We can continue the fight With Biden in OFFICE. With Trump and OFFICE and project 2025 I don’t know if we’ll have a chance
Ooh, I'd love to live in that made-up world of yours where Manchin and Sinema magically didn't exist. We'd all be a lot happier for sure.
Disagree. Robert is correct. Biden had both the Senate and House for the first two years to pass criminal justice reform (a big promise he made to the Black community -- and he is now paying price for not delivering), and he had time to pass a fix to Dobbs. They managed the "Manchin-Sinema" issue on lots of other "tough" issues (including passing Respect for Marriage Act) but decided they wanted a political issue to drive people to the polls on abortion and didn't want to fix Dobbs. As a result, you lose your window, and it turns off voters - you lose their trust that you're serious about getting things done.
You miss the part about not all Democrats agreeing on everything. Biden couldn't get passed the things he didn't get passed in that short time frame.
come on, he didnt even try
Yeah, but it would also have been nice if Biden would've put any pressure on them. He didn't even try...
Actually, he gave Manchin his pipeline and his wife a cushy government position. Never pressured either of them on their positions and managed to scale down Bernie’s proposal by half. The one he adopted to get elected. Then he went missing on voting rights, opened drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, supported the filibuster…on and on.
No you are right. I hear you, sir I really do As a fellow American, I love you. I just want us all to be OK. If we the people who really care about those people in Gaza have no power Which is what will happen if Trump wins, then what. But I respect you, sir if you can’t vote for Biden, I respect you and I understand why
I just believe the real powers that we have to fight are AIPAC And other PACS that Control our politicians.
The only job Biden really had to do when he was a candidate in 2020 was not be Trump. We knew the risks then, and they are the same risks now.
Biden can decide to not accept the Democratic nomination & enable someone else (maybe even a few years younger) to convince voters. And this person could campaign on changing the US/Israel relationship, while also allowing Biden another 8 months to do what he wants. A different Democratic president may keep doing what Biden started (to finish the job) but also change policies where Biden cannot.
That's a nice fantasy but that just won't happen. I'm worried about the convention in Chicago in general.
I understand some people don't want Biden, I get it. We had a Democratic primary for people to vote for whomever they wanted for President. President Biden got the most votes. Only 10% of Democratic voters voted in the primaries nationwide. When you don't vote in all elections, you get what you get.
Sounds ideal, but unfortunately it’s not gonna be that way. Biden is the incumbent and has decided to run again so bar any health issue he’ll be the candidate. Not willing to throw away other democracy to Trump. He will destroy this country
wait, what is it? Biden is small bean and cant get anything done without both houses and a supermajority or Trump will dismantle democracy? It cant be both...
He and the GOP will annihilate it. They hate democracy. They are fascists. They are racists. They are antisemitic. They pretend to like Jews right now. Fundamental Christian Zionist like Jewish people for quite nefarious reasons . They hate Muslims more than they hate anybody on any other group. I wish I could say that weren’t true, but it is true ! They hate immigrants. The two groups that will be the most affected will be Latino and black immigrants and Muslims if Trump and the GOP win. Please, please know that! They also hate the LGBT community. But I believe they hate Muslims and immigrants more.
Kamala would be the anointed one by the DNC.
Ah yeah he will have protesters shot. He already wanted to do that. We must never ever ever forget that.
There is no real alternative in this election. West and Stein and RFK (who'd be no better on Israel) do not have a chance to beat Trump. If people would think of this as beating Trump, who'd be worse in every way, instead of voting "for" Biden it would help. Beating Trump is most important. Remember he wanted a Muslim ban and Trump thinks everyone not white and Christian is a probable terrorist. He even wants to put migrants (even Dreamers) in detention camps.
Vote for Biden to Block.
If we don’t find anyone existing, we have make a new one.
Exactly.
I agree, but here’s the problem, someone is going to win. We need to take seriously the need for a real social Democratic Party, at the wry least, if not a constitutional convention
We can vote to Jill Stein. Not going to vote for either genocidal corrupt parties, sorry.
You don’t know what’s coming then. Sorry, but you’re not paying attention. This could be the last election and a descent into full blown fascism. I cannot in good conscience do anything that helps Trump return to power. Biden’s support for Israel’s genocide has been horrific, but I’m also thinking about other issues. I’m not a single issue voter.
I know what is coming, but I will never be able to justify for either Biden the genocidal, or Trump the corrupt. The democratic party had the ball for a long time and they all deliberately decided to risk their chance to support a genocidal foreign country. Just look at what they did recently to pass the new Antisemitism Awareness Act. It seems they don't even care about First Amendment anymore. Why should we care about their wining?
I do think we should talk about what can we do if Trump wins in the GOP does the awful thing of an acting project 2025. I wonder who would give us asylum. I heard Canada was somewhat preparing for this. They would be wise to do this— Two grand asylum so that we could organize in a Safe way. There are certainly a whole lot of us. Who actually loved democracy. It scares the ever loving crap outta me though
Unfortunately, a vote for Jill Stein is ultimately a vote for DJT. We've got to playtime cards we're dealt even if it mens voting for Biden in this election.
I am not American, and I do care about the wellbeing of the American people and their democracy.
I think that people who fear a fully fascist Trump regime are underestimating the Americans ability to stop him.
As for Palestinians, I think Israelis are planning to commit a wider scale genocide against Palestinians with or without Trump's administration, and Biden is not going to stop them because he is a deep zionist fanatic.
Israhell is THE SUPER POWER. Not America
Underestimating? No, the American people are generally sheep-like and just want their lives to be comfortable and uninterrupted by unpleasantness. They think Trump makes them richer. My eyes have really been opened in the last 10 years by the actual ethical makeup of the American people. Most people seem unethical to me now, versus pre-Trump.
I believe those same Americans would welcome some fascism. That's why we have to give them no chance to do it, by not letting Trump into office again.
A Stein/West ticket?
Hopefully someday we will have more choices. Hopefully in time we can have more than a two party system but it ain’t happening this time around 😞
With two horrible candidates, if not now, then when?
I’ll be voting for Cornel West, but living in CA, only the Dem will Cary the state,
I think the is the right choice. They have taken off the gloves and we have to do the same.
The Democrats have become intolerable…to me.
Not to mention #AIPAC money . This promotes racism of various forms. They should be required to register as a foreign entity.@POTUS took a massive donation.
And our next senator, the cheater, will be even worse.
I live in PA. I didn’t vote for Biden in the primary. He is a foolish old ass Zionist. I needed to scare him. I think he’s too dumb to be scared. I don’t understand him. But I must in conscience vote for his sorry old ass in November because the alternative is sooooo much worse. Trump hates Muslims. He hates the Palestinians. He hates BIPOC immigrants and I fear he will put them in camps here in America. Biden will come and go but Trump will have the power to seek revenge on us. And he may die but not before he does irreparable damage to the structure of our government.
Biden literally hates Palestinian people just like Trump, if not more and has said horiibly racist things about them. He doesnt care about the people being shot and littles boys being slaughtered in the US and cares even less about the Palestinian people in Palestine! Biden is putting immigrants in cages just like Trump, puts forward Trump like immigration reform and creates a atmosphere of hate towards pro Palestinian activists throughout the country, is smearing them antisemitic and compares them to literal Nazis!
And no one can stop you from doing that. You have the right to vote for whomever you want. I hope we’re all just having a discussion here. Of course I would love to persuade you to vote differently, but please know that I respect you. Please know that as a fellow American who loves democracy I love you. Maybe that sounds sappy, but it’s true.
Keep in mind that independent candidates typically get around 1% of votes (and less!) and no electoral votes. For example leading independent candidate Jo Jorgenson got around 1.2% in the 2020 election. It's a protest vote--and a heartfelt one of the voter is truly interested in the candidate's platform, but in any case it is a wasted opportunity to block Trump--which is what we must do or you can kiss democracy and the rule of law goodbye. That's just the way it is.
The two sides are NOT equal. One side actually cares about people. Old people. Poor people. Sick people. Child people. The other side shows nothing but contempt for the old, the sick, the young and the poor. To me there is no contest. Not even close.
What's going on in Gaza, and Biden's part in it, is serious stuff, but not as serious (for us over here) as allowing a single lie to implode the greatest democracy in the world.
Greatest democracy in the world? How is a two party system with the electoral college, a deeply undemocratic senate and many many more issues the greatest democracy in the world?
And how does he care about children? He did let the child tax credit expire which exploded child poverty!
The poor? This has to be a joke, he didnt fight for 15$ minimum wage and did nothing about affordable housing, no Biden cheques (that he promised) and no public option (that he promised as well)
The young? He despises the young as he showed in recent months and even before, when he refused to fight for the policies young people want to see and sometimes doing the exact opposite! He even said it during the 2020 campaign "I have ZERO empathy for them"
The only people he didnt seem to despise are (in part) boomers and i dont care about his empath in chief image or how he is acting around children. His policies speak a different language.
The empath chief image also has nothing but contempt for muslim americans, Palestinian americans and Palestinian people in general. The things he said throughout his career about people from the MENA region, especially Palestinians are so disgusting and racist, it is a miracle he got a lot of their votes in 2020.
And now he is complicit in genocide, bypassed congress several times to send weapons to Israel, he lied about October 7 even in his last speech he lied so much, his admin had to quietly walk back some of his statements again! His admin gives political and diplomatic cover to Israel at the UN again and again. He does nothing about the atrocities in Gaza and the Westbank, when there are very strong ways to take action!
I`m sorry, but Biden is as awful as a democratic President can be. People held their nose, voted for him in 2020 hoping he would keep his word and be a one term President. But he actively chooses to break promises and to turn big parts of his electorate against him! When he looses in November, it will be his and not the voters` fault
Compared to Trump, Joe Biden is a saint. I agree with you about his atrocious (literally) support of Netanyahu and the ultimate and grim irony of it. Our concerns wholly overlap here.
Regardless, Trump would do far more damage to America and America's standing in the world.
If you want to kiss Democracy and the Rule of Law goodbye, and install an autocrat --a dangerous psychopath, frankly-- stay steamed and stubborn. In a way... honestly, I don't blame you. But this is a responsibility that we can't turn away from or everything we know ends.
I agree with you about Trump. He will be a disaster for the US and the rest of the world. And I hope, Biden will change his ways but time is running out for him. He needs at least to do something, anything at all to get his voters back.
A vote for anyone else but Biden is basically a vote for Trump. You know the saying: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Your vote is a Trump block. Don't throw it away!
The traditional labels (left, right, conservative, liberal, etc) don’t apply to the existing GOP & Democratic Party anymore. The GOP is populist party (with nationalistic/fascistic ideas), while the Democratic Party clings to neoliberal ideology. With many non-Trump conservatives moving to the Democratic Party, it is becoming more centre right than centre left. There is an opportunity for a new party to emerge from the left, but I dont know if the Green Party is it. Who else is there beside Jill Stein? Do thay have anyone else running for a House seat? Or any of the state legislatures? It could start with one seat, to become 10 seats & then 50 seats over multiple election cycles. They could try convince Bernie and/or squad members to come over, which may happen if the DP keep drifting towards to right.
It's not "neo-liberal". It's just liberal. Liberal causes have been the same ones for as long as I remember. Ecology, women's rights, civil rights, antiwar protest, gay liberation, freedom of speech, abortion, parity in pay and salaries, diversity in the workplace, and on and on. What exactly are you talking about?
I like your last sentence. Almost no one is happy with either choice. A progressive coup! The time could be now.
Every state has different rules for ballot status.
I hear you. He is positively disgusting right now. As I said, I will vote for him with puke in my mouth. But as I do, I will remember that I am merely voting against Trump 2025. In my opinion, that is what we have to vote against – – project 2025. We will become an evil ethno state. I respect your opinion I really do. I just want you to think about the presidency only being one branch of government. I want to keep it that way. I want the presidency to be way less powerful than it is. Trump is in office. It will become an authoritarian dictatorship. Our work will not be done, simply because Biden wins. Americans need to come together like we never have before. The Democrats who are evil and the GOP, who are all evil have gone out of their way to divide us. The division must end. These huge PACS LIKE AIPAC Are really our government right now. We have got to change that.
The alternative is the monstrous Trump, a person who lacks empathy. No one but Biden or Trump has a chance of winning. So not voting for Biden, who is persuadable and can be convinced to change his mind, is allowing Trump to win, and we all know Trump is not a person anyone can talk sense into. I don't want to vote for either of them, but I feel it's my duty as a human to not allow Trump to win another term as president.
I'm a whole lot less willing to take my own advice today (May 29) than the day I wrote this. Rafah is being attacked, civilians are dying and Biden's red line has dissolved. He seems to have no ethics when it comes to human rights. I can no longer support him.
I agree with Taz! They should ALL vote for Jill Stein and give 3rd party a chance
A year from now, either Trump or Biden will be in the WH. Let’s be real
Or Trump will be in Jail and Biden will be detested
Yeah, she's sooooooo well qualified Lol.
Oooh because senile pedo Biden is?! Stein, West, any of these 3rd party will be better than evil DT or B. And even if they don’t pass at least one has voted its conscience. I’m pretty sure most democrats who voted for B are horrified by their choice right now. He just threw freedom of speech and first amendment out the window! Not to mention his complicity in genocide. Biden belongs in The Hague so yeah ANYONE can do better almost regardless of their qualifications. Just need to be a human with integrity.
No, genius. We need to get rid of the electoral college before third party voting will work.
In the future, try to converse like an adult, OK?
I like Jill Stein in theory. I think the Green Party could have found a better candidate.
Absolutely not, vote for anyone but Biden... I respect Mehdi's views on this but this is not about working to avoid trump, it's about getting rid of Biden... Maybe Trump could be bad/worse, but Biden HAS been a disaster.. I may change my view after listening to this show, but I start watching it with this opinion!
There are 2 more important points;
1) A strong Uncommited vote may serve well in the long run - in the UK we just saw workers party GB turn up the heating a notch on the two main parties which are now both controlled and serve nasty Zionists instead of the British public. There are a LOT of people who are not happy with the absence of choice, but everyone assumes we are stuck in the stays quo.
2) We know that trump will be a disaster, but sadly, sometimes, you need a disaster to really wake people up. A tiny minority of elites now control politics and power. People, perhaps, need a reminder that they hold the vote. They vote in politicians, they vote with every dollar they spend, with how they live their lives. But for far too long people have sold their votes and power way too cheap to the elite. After all, it's the taxpayer dollars paying for the weapons that arm Israel's genocide.
The problem is a 2nd trump term won’t just be a few “tough years.” It could be the last election and a descent into fascism. Sorry, but if you don’t acknowledge that, you’re simply not paying attention. It really is the LESSER of two evils of you want to look at it. I cannot in good conscience do anything to allow Trump to return to power
We are literally descending into fascism as I write. Blocking of all UN resolutions, ICJ, ICC, BRUTAL crackdown of students, banning TikTok, mass media control, hate speech though control coodification... It's fascism pure and simple. There's no escape from this ongoing necrostate.
Yes Keeping a democracy is hard. Getting one back……😳will be brutal. We are leaning in wrong direction for sure but here we are on this forum talking openly. No democracy means no more of these forums.
Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
I don't know, I can only agree there's no easy solution... And I certainly would not vote trump ever, but I couldn't in conscious give a vote to Biden either. I would also note, at least from what I've seen, US political system is set up to protect interest of the elite irrespective of who the president is. Change won't happen in a single term, and no better candidate will even be allowed to run (look at what the democrats did to Sanders), until change is forced from the bottom up.
I agree that biden has been atrocious in his actions with gaza and Israel, but will your conscious be okay with trump aiding netanyahu, going after abortion, destroying our democracy loosening gun control, and the myriad of other bad things he has already promised to do?
Biden has shown that he can be swayed by the people, he can be asked to represent us, trump wants to rule us.
If anyone supporting the Palestinians doesn't like what biden has done so far, what exactly to they expect trump to do? He definitely won't be supporting the Palestinians either. In fact, trump would help netanyahu go after them.
And still Bernie fights on because he knows how corrupt the system is but also knows we have the right to vote and to express ourselves. He knows if it’s not Biden it will be HELL
I find something fundamentally troubling about voting for Biden just because 'Trump would be worse' - voters MUST find a way to demand a better choice than that, there is no easy option.
I don't feel like Biden has been a disaster overall.
On this one thing - human rights and genocide, yes Biden is a complete disaster. He might as well be Nikki Haley, signing bombs.
Like being good all your life then publically turning into a cold blooded serial killer with no shame or remorse for 7 months ... I'd say at that point there's no 'buts' left, you're just a sick, cold blooded, murderer, not fit for any public office or any sort...
Mehdi, while I agree that Netanyahu and his right-wing government are just as bad as Hamas, this isn’t a choice between the lessor of two evils.
Biden may be old school, obtuse and intransigent, but he is not evil: Trump and his minions are the epitome of evil: The Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, tin-foil hat religious billionaires and sadistic advisors like Miller, and Bannon.
What exactly would you like Biden to do? You know as a top-notch journalist, that Israel doesn’t take marching orders from Washington. Israel is part of a security alliance in the region that includes Jordan, Egypt and some of our gulf state allies as a bulwark to Iran’s aggression. Bottom line: Israel is an ally, not the 51st state of America, or a colony.
Furthermore, Trump’s first term is one of the reasons we’re here to begin with. He gave away the store to Netanyahu; allowing them to annex more West Bank territory (settlements), the Golan Heights and effectively Jerusalem.
That said, perhaps you’re asking the wrong questions. The real question should be what happens to the Palestinians, and any chance for a two state solution of Trump wins? And what does that mean for the Palestinian people at large?
Let’s face it, Jordan and Egypt wouldn’t take back the West Bank and Gaza if you paid them in gold! The Sunni Gulf States only view them as a political football with no interest whatsoever in helping them; they’re always been nothing more than a thorn in their side.
Biden may not be your first choice for president, he’s not even in my top two; however, if Biden loses, so do the Palestinians, the world, and America.
This is a fight for democracy and freedom. A second Trump term will be disastrous and the beginning of the end for our republic.
So a vote for Trump, a third party candidate, or a no vote at all, is a vote for a dystopian future for all of us.
His religious and sadistic advisors are already salivating at the chance to install a Christian version of Sharia Law on the rest of us; which means goodbye to all religious freedoms, unless you happen to be a White Christian Nationalist.
And just because the Muslim ban didn’t work the first time around, the fascist SC justices gave him a blueprint for allowing one his next time around.
Let that sink in!….:)
Biden is “not evil”…sorry but if you don’t consider genocide evil you expose the fact that you have no clue what evil is. Next
I’m sorry Hhelie, when exactly did Biden commit genocide?
Oh, you mean supporting an ally that every president before him has, only Biden has openly shown his disdain for Netanyahu and his policies. He even warned Netanyahu not to invade Rafah; to no avail, they will invade.
You just don’t understand the national security complexities in the region, nor do you understand that American Presidents have NO control over a sovereign nation when it comes to National Security.
Benjamin Disraeli once said, “countries have no friends, only interests.” And it’s true for every nation on this planet.
Israel’s interests are no ours, except to hold Iran in check and be national security ally in the region, including sharing intelligence and developing military technology and capabilities.
They will never allow America to dictate policy, regardless of whether you have Biden, Obama or anyone one else in office.
They see the attack by Hamas as a threat to the state of Israel itself, and don’t believe they could ever rely on anyone but themselves in the long-run; even America.
So stop being naive and living in a binary world of good vs evil; right versus wrong. That world doesn’t exist. There are more grey areas than you could ever imagine.
It’s amazing that we live in a world where genocides are occurring more often than not. Myanmar, Sudan, Uyghur’s and more. Yet, you only focus on the Palestinians and are willing to help elect a truly evil guy just to punish Biden for not doing enough. Why is that?
If Trump wins, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself, and you will pay a price you never, ever could conceive of.
And then you’ll truly know pure evil. It’s not Trump you need to worry about. It’s his cadre of religious fanatics, sadistic advisors like Stephen Miller (family separation). It’s the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society. It’s tin-foil hat religious billionaires. All who will shape policy and control the courts in a second Trump term, turning this country into an authoritarian white nationalist theocracy.
Remember the Muslim Ban was only saved by the Supreme Court. What you don’t know is they gave Trump’s people a blueprint to try again which they would approve.
So good luck, you’ll truly going to need it!
I agree, Helie. I can’t use the term ‘evil’, since it is both too old-testament and undefined, but Biden can smile and smile, can shed a tear at well-attended funerals for deserving citizens, pat himself on the back, civic duty done, and sit down to a meal while isra*l deliberately starves infants in Palestine. No, I will not vote for this empty shirt…
Fair enough, but a vote for anyone but Biden, is a vote for tyranny, but feel to vote at your own peril. You’ll get the government you deserve; good and hard!
Dark Brandon is a real thing. Took his support for Netanyahu’s genocide to display it front and center.
Like what world are people living in?
Wow. Agree with everything you just said and appreciate how eloquently you put all that. Thank you!!!
Why does this have to be a Muslim vs Non-Muslim debate? When the question is about supporting or not supporting a genocide does religion matter?
Because elections are choices and one of them will be president. Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator.
So Democrats can field the worst possible candidate for President and then blackmail Muslims into voting them using Trump as the consequence. Why can’t they field someone with a backbone who can stand up to Israel and AIPAC?
Sorry that it isn’t ideal for you. The perfect candidate doesn’t exist. Biden is the incumbent and has done a lot of good domestically. The AIPAC problem is bipartisan, not just democrats. I’m not willing to literally hand over our democracy to Trump. Just search project 2025 or read his TIME magazine interview from this past week.
IF Muslims do not vote for Biden then they will languish in camps or be deported. They will look back to the days when they were allowed to protest and work to making changes.
These comments are all emotional and simplistic. Biden will do the right thing; the alternative is too horrifying to contemplate.
How is it fair to call other people's comments "simplistic," when your comment asserts that Biden — who has spent seven months INSISTING on doing the wrong thing (against the will of the American public), and is FAR TOO LATE to do the "right" thing — "will do the right thing?"
How is it fair to call other people's comments "emotional," when you say, "the alternative is too horrifying to contemplate?"
Trump is a white-supremacist, who doesn't value other people's lives, as well as being an intransigent old man, who couldn't care less about the will of the American people.
Biden is ALSO a white-supremacist, who doesn't value other people's lives, as well as being an intransigent old man, who is currently demonstrating that he couldn't care less about the will of the American people (when the will of the people conflicts with his feelings).
There is a difference between them, but there is nowhere near ENOUGH of a difference.
All there are, are two wrong choices for president... who BOTH belong in an Old Racists' Home, and not allowed near sharp objects.
Great choice between these two men, one is a sociopath, the other a self-confessed Zionist. Biden has a cruel streak to boot. The two of them are useless. Out of 340 million people, this is the best the U.S. can come up with? I'm not even sure if Biden is calling the shots between naps. Time for the rocking chair for the both of them.
Well he doesn’t seem to care about Arabs but is scheduled to give James Clyburn a medal for knocking Bernie out of the running and giving him the presidency.
Thank you
Voting for Biden is an approval of the Genocide the United States and Israel are conducting in Gaza. I cannot believe you are even asking the question? Cornell West is the only candidate worthy of my vote. - Period!
Free Free Palestine ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Cornell West for President! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
You’re not living in reality. “Punishing” Biden won’t accomplish anything. You’re handing it over to a 2nd trump term? Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator. I don’t think you are aware what’s coming in a 2nd trump term. A complete dismantlement of our democracy.
You wasted too much energy with your useless response. Everyone agrees the alternative is Cornell West and not any of the two evils that have been running this country for the past 100 years!.
So you can make it a self-fulfilling prophecy by claiming no one else has a chance and then of course that's exactly what will materialize or you can make your own vote count like everybody else's and help put Cornell West in the white house so we can get rid of this evil Zionist control of the United States and the rest of the world for once and for all!
Any vote not for Biden is a vote for Trump, which, unless you don't care, is a vote for fascism.
Muslims and the students in the US can push the Biden Administration and their representatives in Government to listen to them, and they will be able to get some changes that they want. The Biden Administration is flawed certainly. I think the Trump alternative is an end to the democratic republic, imperfect as it is. A Trump Administration means no future as there will not be free and fair elections.
At this time in the US, Muslims have the right to vote for Biden, for Trump, for a Third Party or to not vote at all.
The caveat is that the result of a vote for Trump or a Third Party or many people not voting is a Trump Administration. I believe the threats and statements from Trump and his cronies. I think Muslims and many other people will be very very unhappy in a Trump Administration. In fact, all of us who didn’t want a Trump Administration will be very unhappy. Of course, a twisted sort of logic might spur people into wanting a Trump Administration because everyone should suffer. And actually, who knows who “The Other” will be in an Administration run by the likes of someone like Steven Miller? It could change on a whim. Trump is a Strongman like Netanyahu, like Putin. The history of Strongmen generally ends in disaster for anyone they decide is “The Other”. Trump is amoral and transactional, so the Country will be run like a cartel or the Mafia. People can always leave the US, but where will they go? And will it be better?
We "can push the Biden Administration," was the line during the last election, when people didn't know that it is NOT TRUE.
It's not enough to remind people of things about t'rump, and his monsters, that people have not forgotten... and compare that to a denialist view of Biden.
If genocide is a triviality to you, then just TRY to respect the fact that it is a deal-breaker to others.
Did I say genocide was a triviality? Am I disrespecting you? This is my opinion. And if it’s a deal breaker, what are you going to do about it?
I worked in Mali for 7 years and served in Peace Corp in Burkina Faso in the 1970s. The Military with the help of the Wagner Group is running those Countries now. The deaths are not on the level of Gaza but reports are that those with the guns go in a kill on a regular basis. I don’t see students protesting that. It’s not even on the radar. It breaks my heart to see what is going on in those Countries and in all the other ones which are also experiencing genocide such as Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, and Sudan. I could go on and on. Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone. I did not serve in those Countries but the killing was terrible. Do you know what Child Soldiers were?
Your question: "Did I say genocide was a triviality?"
It's implied in the understatement, "The Biden Administration is flawed."
It's further reinforced by the wilfully blind (and time-insensitive) claim, "Muslims and the students in the US can push the Biden Administration."
Biden is not listening. To anyone. For seven months, he has been aiding & abetting a genocide, while aggressively NOT listening.
It's already far too late for countless Palestinians, but on top of that, it is NOT TRUE to claim that Biden can be "pushed."
Responding to reality with a false promise — of an already-disproved fantasy — is, yes, "trivializing."
The only word you've made me regret is my compassionate use of the qualifier, "If."
...
Your question: "Am I disrespecting you?"
Implicitly accusing me of having "disrespected" you — as opposed to having disagreed with you — is a form of rhetorical bullying that won't convince me that your opinion should never be challenged.
Good luck in your life. You will need it.
What’s to debate? Long after the current situation is resolved - do voters want women to be forced to have their rapist’s baby? Do voters want a free press? Do we want to fix our legal immigration system and show respect to people who risk everything to come to the US? Do we want to ever have healthcare for all? Do we want to fix public education?
And on and on. It’s not a debate we can have. The only vote we can cast is for Joe Biden. Everyone needs to GROW UP. We can pressure Biden to do what’s right for Palestinians. We will have no such opportunity to pressure Trump to do ANYTHING if he wins in November.
Biden is more Zionist than Trump even. There is no way he will change, plus he is too old to even control his own house. I cannot morally vote for Biden or Trump. I will vote for Jill Stein. Biden and democrats brought it upon themselves. They supported genocide, and they failed the students, and they approve aid for more killing machines and bombs to be dropped on poor innocents in Gaza. If you can sleep at night with your vote to genocidal Biden, then it's fine, but don't lecture us on whom to vote for. I know Trump is our worst nightmare, but again Biden shouldn't even run for presidency. Democrats should find a more decent candidate who is really human.
Who’s the alternative? I’m as disgusted by his support for Israel’s genocide as anyone. But what’s the alternative? A guy who will destroy this democracy for good this time, will rule by executive fiat, and a wannabe dictator? Trump just said last night he’ll reimplement the Muslim ban, and was applauding the police who cleared out protesters. I’m with Biden, because I also care about other issues like climate, abortion, guns, democracy, etc. I know Trump would be 10x worse in a 2nd term. A “protest” vote gets us nowhere, but it will lead to a 2nd trump term. Sorry, I’m not willing to throw away our democracy to a dictator. I don’t think you are aware what’s coming in a 2nd trump term. A complete dismantlement of our democracy.
As if democrats really care about democracy. A genocide is going under this administration for months, they did nothing. They have just passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act sacrificing our first amendment, the police crackdown on our amazing students, etc. This administration is a fraud and they use Trump to scare us. If the don't respect our freedom of speech and our voices, I will never vote for them. Believe me, at the end of the day, all parties are owned by AIPAC and the fat cats. we need new blood. 2-party system is outdated.
Sorry to say, you read like Netanyahu sent you here. We will all be paying a big price if Trump wins.
Free press? Fix public education? Help immigrants? Where? Give us a break. We are not stupid. You the one that need to grow up and put yourself on the shoes of people that are trying to make ends meet in this country and see all their hard earned money being used on forever wars. We are either the worst world police. Which other country has killed more children in the last 20 years than the US army? Israel? Be serious.
Lovely, Mehdi, Thank you for your voice ❤️❤️❤️
No Muslim should vote for third party. Even if they don't win its time to show the line.
Trump said “finish them” referring to the bombing on GAZA, aka genocide.
Biden said in 1986- “if there were no Israel, America would invent one”. To protect US interest in the region.
I feel bad for this country. Trump advised he will NOT accept the election results unless he wins.Biden is just complicit with Israel’s genocide.
Sad times for this country.
Very sad. Very terrifying.
We can’t stop fighting for Palestinians. I’m hoping that our collective consciousness will really get to the point where we take to the streets by the hundreds of thousands to let Biden know. Now and after November.
It can’t just be the young students. It has to be all of us. It has to be peaceful. And it has to be relentless.
I could not agree more with Abdullah Hammoud and disagree more with Keith Ellison in this regard. Voting for Joenocide Biden will only means that what you did to our families in Gaza, to our rights in US to object to this genocide was all OK. If he loses this election, it will go to show the next round that our vote is not to be taken for granted. I am not Arab, nor Muslim nor young and I am fully committed to hold Joenocide Biden accountable next Nov for his complicity to this genocide.
Mehrdad, Given the likelihood that if Trump wins in November there won’t be a “next round” in the foreseeable future to show that our votes cannot be taken for granted, I, instead, would suggest, absent a meaningful shift in policy, that we consider pressing Biden to withdraw his candidacy (he could choose among several face-saving justifications), thus releasing his electors to Democratic Convention delegates who would select another nominee. While a brokered convention poses risks, the opportunity for debate among top-tiered candidates also could be energizing.
An interesting idea, one that I think is extremely unlikely. He has so far insisted on making himself our only choice within the Democratic party AND each time we think he would be fed up with the situation, he doubles down on supporting this genocide AND its leaders.
Mehrdad, As for my idea, while you might be right, as outsiders, none of us is privy to conversations that could be occurring behind closed doors.
The foregoing notwithstanding, still, I maintain that were Trump elected in 24, we would lose our opportunity to set our own course in 28.
While that is also very true, we all need to operate and plan based on facts that we have. At this point in time, my conscience does not allow me to vote for anyone that has been complicit in this genocide. Let's hope our politicians, on both sides, have an awakening as watching the level of destructions is beyond belief. Of course watching how they have been systematically limiting American people's hands opposing Israel while giving a free reign to the Zionist.
Mehrdad, I believe it is of note that just yesterday House Democrats deployed 2 letters to the Administration: one signed by 87 Democratic House members urging Biden to enforce U.S. laws and policy regarding U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the second signed by 57 Democratic House members calling on the Administration to help prevent an assault on Rafah. Note that neither initiative received any Republican support.
My point circling back to Ellison’s position is that, in contrast to Republicans, we can bank on Democrats exerting increasing pressure on a Democratic Administration to try and end the senseless abuse of the Palestinian people.
Barbara, I agree that Democrats are not nearly as bad as Republicans but this only goes to prove that we need to support those who put their money where their mouth is and oppose the rest. I believe this two-party system is a disaster and we need to help strengthen Independents candidates and others and I fully understand that it will not happen quickly but if each time we say 'this round the stakes are high' then they will never gain the momentum. In reality it has been hard to distinguish Democrats and Republicans apart, especially regarding Israel. Just look at the HR 6090 that was passed just a few days ago and see how many Democrats sold their soul to erode our freedom of speech in support of Zionist. I believe we must hold them accountable
Keith Ellison and those espousing his position are gaslighting the public. The point is this - Biden WILL NOT change his stance when it comes to unequivocally supporting Israel. It's been one of the pillars of his four decades plus political career. Just look at the list of the top recipients of AIPAC funding - $5.2 million over 34 years. 34,000+ killed, an engineered famine, virtually all of Gaza levelled over the last 200+ days and his pal Bibi's bloodlust still isn't satisfied. And yet Biden won't say stop! Enough! That's what unwavering ideological commitment looks like.
Look, I can accept the line of reasoning that Biden is the better candidate given the choice. But don't base it on the misleading, dishonest argument that it's BECAUSE this self professed ardent Zionist can somehow be 'persuaded' to change course when it comes to unconditionally supporting Israel.