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If you’ll forgive me for tangenting pretty hard here:

This is the level of pragmatism and realpolitik that is appropriate in this context (that is: an election wherein one of the outcomes is “the fascists win”). I staunchly support environmental causes, but losing the forest for the trees (a hilariously accurate metaphor, here) is one of the enormous weak spots of the American left.

And (at the risk of hitting the hornet’s nest), the distinct lack of pragmatism found in the pro-Palestinian movement vis a vis Harris is more than a little infuriating to me. Don’t get me wrong: I find Biden’s handling of the situation thus far, and his usage of our UN vote to block any meaningful action to constrain, discourage, or halt Israel’s genocide they’re conducting in Gaza to be categorically reprehensible, and one of the most categorical failures of his administration. But that’s Biden, not Harris.

Thr fact that so many are refusing to support Harris because she’s being intentionally vague on Gaza, and simultaneously ignoring the fact that she’s being intentionally vague because AIPAC basically has a campaign funding knife to her throat is just so idiotic and self-defeating I have difficulty expressing it.

I get that the genocide is happening by the second. It’s fucking awful, and should be halted immediately. But Biden is definitely not going to do that. And Harris has precisely zero authority to set and enact national policy until she’s sworn in (in reality, the president-elect starts setting policy shortly after they win, but the enacting part NEVER comes before being sworn in). Ignoring these subtle procedural constraints and attributing guilt to Harris for shit she has absolutely no real control over at the moment is a self-defeating strategy of the highest order. Her hands are tied because money runs our elections (which, to be clear, needs to be remedied), and AIPAC has a shitload of money they’ll throw at anyone who’s even mildly critical of Israeli policy. I hope and expect her to be a lot less friendly to Israel after the election is over and settled - or at the very latest, after she’s sworn in (and if she doesn’t, my opinion on her will change drastically).

TL;DR: I deeply wish people who feel strongly about the Gaza Genocide would take a page out of the playbook being used by environmentalists this election cycle.