Shouldn’t Democrats Be Able to Condemn Genocide?
Instead of acknowledging Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Dem politicians Mallory McMorrow and Andy Beshear complain about ‘purity tests’ and ‘litmus tests.’
This shouldn’t be at all controversial. After two and a half years, Democratic candidates and elected officials should – and indeed, must – be willing and able to name and condemn the genocide that Israel has committed against Palestinians with US support.
It is not a question of whether Israel has committed genocide. Putting aside the long list of human rights experts and organizations that have come to this conclusion, we in the US have all watched the genocide unfold on our screens, and on our dime. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 72,289 people in Gaza – and potentially as many as 215,000 people – while forcibly displacing 1.9 million.
The genocide is precisely why Americans’ opinions on Israel and Gaza have radically and rapidly shifted – especially among Democratic voters. And Kamala Harris’s inability to separate herself from Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza likely played a significant role in why Democrats lost the 2024 election.
Unfortunately, we continue to see Democrats – from Senate candidates, to potential 2028 presidential hopefuls, to party-aligned think tanks that advise Dems what to say and think – refuse to call Israel’s genocide what it is. In doing so, they deny reality, and doom themselves both morally and politically.
If Democrats want to regain power and the trust of the American people – and restore America’s supposed standing in the world – they cannot assume they can dance their way around this issue.
‘Purity Tests’
The preferred rhetorical crutch these days appears to be that voters who want Democrats to condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza are not attempting to gauge their politicians’ values, but instead are unfairly subjecting them to a “purity test” or “litmus test.”
Take the Michigan Senate race, for example.