What You Missed
This week in our Members Only Newsletter you missed:
- Max Notes on how the Left and Right narratives shifted after Biden dropped out.
- The Tuesday Top Five news articles everyone should be reading.
- An original essay from News Beat’s Rashed Mian on The Butcher of Gaza’s appearance in Congress.
- And Ryan Stanco’s “Not for Nothing” on Harris, Vance and “her emails”.
So I guess the question is…what are you waiting for? Sign up today to become a member and level up to unlock a slew of additional perks!
Max Notes
I’m taking a lot of heat over my most recent take on the Kamala Harris coronation. I’m here for it and am grateful for all of the responses thus far, even if you’re angry with me right now. There’s a sense among liberal Democrats and progressives alike that we need to unify around a Harris candidacy and focus our efforts on running against Trump. A few thoughts to consider over the weekend…
First off, my criticism of Harris mirrors my critique of the Biden administration for one simple reason. Vice President Harris is one-half of the team and therefore her record is only what she has shown us thus far as a promoter and supporter of the president. It seems like even progressives are experiencing some sort of Stockholm Syndrome. We’re held captive to the fear of another Trump term rather than pushing to escape the grip of the corporate duopoly and the structures of inequality that are endemic to both party platforms.
We believed for months, if not years now, that Joe Biden was incapable of managing a second term.
We were frustrated by the administration’s refusal to take conservative democrats like Manchin and Sinema to task by forcing votes on popular initiatives that would have put them in difficult positions in their districts.
We were incensed when progressives were sidelined by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer as they eliminated core progressive causes from the major spending bills.
We were horrified by the DNC’s suppression tactics during the primary season in 2016, 2020 and then again this year.
We remain heartbroken over the administration’s blind support of genocide in Palestine.
Kamala Harris was “in the room” for all of it. All along the polling numbers indicated that she was as much of a loser against Trump, especially in key battleground states, as Joe Biden. We knew she was an aggressive prosecutor in a blue state during a time when the winds of progressive change were blowing throughout her state.
Now here’s a counterbalance that is worth considering.
As a U.S. Senator, Harris was decidedly more liberal than most of her colleagues. She supported popular progressive measures such as Medicare for All. She voted more like Bernie than most during her tenure. In senate hearings she was nothing short of masterful when holding power to account. She brings a much needed energy and vitality to the election and she may very well infuse the platform with more progressive ideals than her soon-to-be former boss. We’ll know more when she hits the campaign trail in earnest, sits for genuine interviews and selects her vice presidential candidate.
These are the factors that are certainly cause for optimism.
My problem, however, is this: We weren’t given a choice. No matter how you look at it, the decision has been made for us through a combination of money and backroom deals. I understand that this is the political landscape in which we exist. I didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree. But our job is to push to change this dynamic. All along I have maintained that even the most progressive-minded individual can vote for a Democrat with a clear conscience because it is a vote to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized populations.
But as we speak, they’re clearing homeless encampments in “liberal” California.
Vice President Harris was in charge of border initiatives in her administration and thus we can only assume that she did more than participate in the effort to take a hard right turn on immigration. She may very well have directed it.
When she was tasked with putting together a plan for healthcare and put her voting record on paper during her presidential bid, she substituted ‘universal healthcare’ for ‘Medicare for All’ by leaving a role for private insurers.
She has been the more critical voice in the administration with respect to Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, but nothing changed. Was it “good cop / bad cop” or does a Harris administration portend a shift in our policy toward Israel?
What exactly is the Democratic economic plan? As far as I can tell it’s a continuation of the “bottom up, middle out” strategy that has furthered economic stratification in the country over the past couple of years.
The common thread in my editorials over the past couple of months has been simple. It is the job of progressives to hold power to account and make political life uncomfortable for all elected officials. How one chooses to vote on a single day every four years is by no means inconsequential. But it pales in comparison to the steady advocacy and fight for individual rights, economic justice and a healthy planet.
The one lesson that I hoped to inculcate in UNFTR listeners is to show just how mighty the opposition is to progressive values. It’s why we spend so much time talking about the assault on the pillars of economic life and social structures. The 50 plus year plan the conservative movement has assiduously followed to ensure that democracy was unmoored from the people.
Everything done can be undone. But the damage they’ve done will take years.
Vote Kamala Harris. No shade. The prospect of a Trump administration (with a Republican Congress) is far scarier this time around. But do so with clear eyes and prepare for the long fight ahead.
Other things I’m obsessing over…
-Max
