Today the U.S. Senate voted against halting weapons shipments to Israel, despite 61% of Americans supporting that.
Why? Because dark money group @AIPAC has spent over $100 million on political campaigns this year alone.
But this speaks to a larger issue 1/7 🧵
It’s easy for someone like myself, who @AIPAC targeted because I see Palestinians as deserving of self-determination, to criticize that lobby for this vote and their actions.
They’re wrong in what they stand for.
But they aren’t the only group that operates this way.
The majority of Americans support common-sense gun legislation, yet a group by the name of NRA spends money hand over fist on political campaigns. They don’t do this out of the kindness of their hearts, they do it for a return on investment.
VP Harris and Gov. Walz are not on a victory tour, they’re on a job interview.
Being condescending to protesters who represent over 100k votes in a crucial swing state is like being condescending to a hiring manager in a job interview.
The Harris-Walz campaign is enjoying a surge of energy in *LARGE* part because the youth & progressive voting blocks are re-energized after months of anti-Biden protests.
Things don’t have to go back to how they were, but talking down to protesters and without policy changes, the campaign risks going right back to the position the Biden campaign was in two and a half weeks ago.
Campaign officials and allies should not be uplifting this moment as some kind of incredible moment.
Applauding this says to a large voting block “we don’t care about you.”
And you should care, because the Uncommitted movement showed, in vote totals, that Democrats need this voting block to win the election.
What is the reason the majority of Americans disapproved of Israel’s military action in Gaza, yet our elected officials keep sending Israel bombs?
Corruption.
AIPAC lobbies these politicians.
But it’s not just AIPAC 🧵
What is the reason the majority of Americans support universal healthcare, yet our elected officials don’t pass Medicare for All?
Corruption.
The insurance companies lobbies these politicians.
What is the reason the majority of Americans believe climate change is causing harm to humans, yet our elected officials don’t take meaningful steps towards solving the issues?
The difference between liberals and *actual* progressives is that liberals see the rise of MAGA and Trump as a symptom of an “unwell” country, while *actual* progressives see the rise as a result of a political system that doesn’t meet the needs of the people.
FDR, while certainly not perfect, was able to remain in power so long because he fought on the side of the working class instead of the ruling class.
Now, the Democratic establishment—the major donors and power brokers—oppose any candidate that takes on that same fight.
Too often, this gives the American people two choices: neoliberalism or neofascism.
Neoliberalism promises to save us from neofascists and people buy in. But when it doesn’t deliver material changes, like cutting childhood poverty just to double it again, people get angry.
Our current system of meat production isn’t sustainable for our environment.
That being said, poor people do deserve fresh meat so long as that is our way of life.
We can move towards sustainability without ‘othering’ poor people.
I’ve read responses to my tweet regarding the Iowa’s GOP bill to bar EBT purchases of fresh meat and have noticed people trying to find a silver lining of reduced meat consumption—even having my of progressiveness questioned for not appreciating that silver lining.
Let me be clear: restricting poor people from accessing fresh meat will not curb meat consumption, they’d still be permitted to buy less nutritious canned meats. The purpose of the bill is to shame poor folks.