Bernie Sanders: Vote Harris because Gaza is ‘not the only issue’

Once you are under dictatorship, you can't vote to hold anyone accountable. Vote for Trump and you won't have a say in what happens to Gaza. Or anything else.

“Gaza is not the only issue” should not be the takeaway here:

“Even on this issue [Gaza], Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse,” Sanders said in the six-minute video, which he posted to X. He noted that Republicans have fought to block humanitarian aid to Gaza and that Trump — who has praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — has suggested Gaza would be a great site for beachfront development.

Protest voting doesn't work when the candidate you are protesting is the least worst option. Democrats that will not vote out of principle have been conned as badly as MAGA republicans. End of story.

If you want to engage those bad faith accounts, don't respond to the Gaza thing; that's a trap. Instead, ask about other issues like climate issues, housing issues, food insecurity problems, etc. ask them what their third party candidate has planned for that and ask for evidence of these plans. They'll move goalposts and attempt to get back on Gaza. Keep them coming back to those other issues that affect Americans daily. Many of those accounts are here to derail conversation. Derail them in turn and force the conversation back on track.

Or do what I do and downvote then block, then post the occasional reminder that most of those accounts are bad faith at best.

Here come the tankies to call Bernie Sanders BlueMAGA in 3...2...

Bernie is such a good guy. The Dems have done him dirty so many times, they are currently continuing to support many harmful policies but he understands what's at stake and he puts all of that aside to do the best he can.

He doesn't have to do this. He's 83 years old and while his cognitive health is outstanding for his age, someone his age doesn't need to be on this grind for us. He probably won't stop until he's forced to due to his health. I love the guy and it's a shame we weren't given the chance to see him take the presidency.

I was a Bernie-or-Bust-er in 2016 because I was confident Hilary was going to win with or without my vote. I deeply regret taking that stance and feel like I let down every woman who's lost rights to their bodily autonomy, every family who was separated at the border, everybody whose life was lost or ruined due to the Trump administration's incompetent response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and everybody else who has been harmed by the Trump administration.

Don't be like me. It sucks having to vote for the lesser of two evils but that's how our system works and not voting or voting third-party isn't going to change that but it does run the risk of things getting a lot worse.

The fantasy world the zero-tolerance high-ground morality angels live in is as dangerous as the one MAGA lives in, and ironically has the same victims. They proudly polish their halos nice and shiny while they let the world burn.

I'm not sure why people haven't been saying this more.

That's a bad headline. Watch his video, he makes a much more nuanced argument.

Hey look, someone finally posted an article about this so the mods don't remove it!

Not voting for a candidate is not the only, nor the most effective way to push a party to change positions on an issue you care about.

Anybody voting against Harris over Gaza is a moron. Trump may be even more pro Israel...

Gaza is hardly even an issue on the ballot, you're picking between slow genocide and fast genocide.

Unfortunately Gaza is a non issue. The situation would only be handled worse under the other candidate. Along with just about every other conceivable thing.

America voting for the lesser evil since 1792.

It's not the time to stop now. But I better see all of you on the streets with signs on November 6th.

I can't wait for blue conservatives to blame Bernie Sanders for whatever fuckup they do next.

Gaza is not the only issue? Tell that to the main stream media.

Current Politics can be summarized into 3 things.

• Israel
• The Opponent
• The Election

Anything else doesn't exist in their eyes. My grandfather had his Fubo running last night, I kid you not 10 minutes of ads, and every single one of them was based off one of those 3 categories. I asked him why he's paying 95$ a month to watch smear campaigns and the same 3 topics over and over.

I'd really like to see someone who has the power to actually do something stand up to Israel and knock them down a peg or 2.

The information that I've seen about Israel's attack on Iran over the weekend has some outrageous levels of discrepancy. Israel claims it crippled all of Iran's air defenses and its ability to produce drones and missiles. Iran claims it intercepted the attack with limited damage (and a few confirmed fatalities). The truth is almost certainly between these 2 points with tons of propaganda and straight-up misinformation, but despite the "Iran Dome" bravado I'm not convinced that Iran's defense was particularly successful.

I am no fan of Iran by any stretch and would prefer a more benign entity to step in and do something, but seeing them keep Israel in check would have been a welcome change. I guess my mindset is that you never really want one group to have too much power over others because being able to act with impunity opens the door for the worst types of behavior.

First of all, at this point people in the US should vote against Trump for their safety, and that means in the current political system they have to vote for Harris. That's the reality they have to face. The Trump party has made fascist announcements that are real and people should expect them to be made into real actions.

The problem is that the Democrats frankly have abysmal messaging and are drifting to the right further and further while using Trump as a threat to their voters. They adopt anti-immigrant policies and are distancing themselves from pro-LGBT stances, saying it's the states decision. Both these issues as well as demands for a ceasefire poll exceptionally well, but the Harris campaign seemingly don't want the edge. With all this they are signaling that right wing worries about immigrants and trans people are valid, although that's absolutely not the case, and leave people to decide for example "do I want anti-immigrant light or extra harsh anti-immigrant?" when everybody says immigrants are an issue. This is unacceptably stupid and risking the vote. And that's ignoring the elephant in the room that progressive policy like health care is exceptionally popular and using that as counter messaging would win her voters.

We've seen how popular the Democrats got after Harris took over and Walz got nominated. It signaled change. Now all the Democrats say that it's gonna be the same old as usual treading on and the same bad argument vote us or you'll get a dictatorship. I'm not denying Biden dropping out had nothing to do with the surge of popularity, but back then we also had comments like here, basically declaring any dissent from supporting a decrepit old man as the candidate as heresy. Now there are again, only Yes men here saying if you criticize Harris you're a bot or a Trump ass eater. What is wrong with you?

Finally, I have the creeping suspicion that Democratic establishment people don't fear a fascist Trump administration themselves personally as much as the population has to. Trump announces he will go after his enemies, Latinos and trans people (probably all queer people actually). He has anti women's health and rights messaging all over his campaign. But that doesn't seem to be a risk for people higher up in the party. I suspect that when you're rich you don't have to worry about abortion bans or HRT access. And if Trump threatens them with violence they always have money they can throw at him. It's much more comfortable to run a risky neo liberal and right wing platform against a fascist if you can jump ship later on.

Most of Lemmy thinks you should vote against Kamala on principle against genocide and if Trump gets elected and makes the genocide far worse than it would’ve been under Kamala that that is a preferred outcome and somehow they won’t have blood on their hands.

The problem of the US is that you might lose more voters by dumping Israel than you'd gain by supporting Palestine.

Statement: government in Ukraine changed in 2014.

Your response: that new government had the support of the people, therefore that statement is false

This is a non-sequitor. The government either changed or it didn't. Whether the people supported it or not doesn't fundamentally change the statement.

I'm starting to think you are a bot, someone with very low reading comprehension, or simply a malicious actor.

If you refuse to engage in this attempt to reach a set of facts we can agree on, then we will never move forward.

I could say the sky is blue and the grass is green and you would yell me I am justifying capitalism's embrace of carbon emissions and the death of the climate.

Do you understand how that works? There are expectations specifically carved out for Israel, which require Blinken to initiate that process.

hoohoooo, all the single-issue "progressives" and Bernie bros who have been screaming at me for saying the same thing have to scream at Bernie now.

that'll be funny.

No, no, no, you see, you should see Gaza as the only issue and ignore all the other issues because <insert word salad here>. ^{Awaiting check, komrade.}

The tactic is just about the same as the MAGA side, try to get people emotionally involved without thinking and lock them into a state so emotionally charged they are unwilling to back down.

Sorry Bernie but after Hillary ousted you and then Biden was shoehorned through the primary in 2020 I voted for Gloria LA riva and now I've written in Claudia de la Cruz / Karina Garcia. I think voting left of center or even a vote for that hack Jill Stein actually would show the DNC they are losing votes based on their continued shift to the right and I am even considering leaving the party on my registration over their antidemocratic primaries and their decisions to fund the campaigns of right wing extremists under the misguided notion that they're easier to beat.

Dont get me wrong, I hope Harris/Walz wins but I do not support them because their positions continue to reinforce the status quo and prop up a system that supports fascism today, right now, at home and abroad.

Otherwise im voting downballot blue except where there is a further left independent which in my area is viable for another statewide position. Thats the most practical support the " at least I'm not the other guy" strategy will get from me, and they didnt even earn it

Wish the push was to tell the Democratic party not to engage with genocide not to tell us we have to suck it up to vote for genocide anyway.

Permanently Deleted

Your vote only actually matters if you're in a wing state. If you aren't you should be voting PSL or greens.

Sometimes there are "issues" that we must absolutely not compromise on. "Why gain the world to lose your soul?"

Media Bias Fact Check | bot support

Stop pretending Harris also doesn't have absolutely horrible immigration, environmental and police policies as well.

No thanks, genocide is my biggest concern and you dont get to decide it isnt

Unless you have friends and family there. People here act like it's irrational or hateful to want byut to vote for Harris, and I get it, Trump is worse, but at the same time, this is literally the only way some of these voters have to influence the candidate and her platform. I have stepped away from this conversation because I have changed my mind and think you should vote against trump, but also because it's full of trolls and it's impossible to have a reasonable debate.

Holy hell, you liberals really have gone completely off the rocker in your corner of Lemmy, huh? I mean, Jesus Christ the shit I am reading in these comments is completely insane.

“Everyone I disagree with is a foreign agent”, say the people whose same views Israel are literally running bot farms about.

“Trump would be worse”, say the people who have admitted that the genocide of Palestine is an acceptable means to an end, as if queer folks are supposed to believe you won’t be their next tool of convenience to be discarded.

“Look at all these policy differences”, say the party who brag about being half Republicans and use their policies.

Y’all are going to lose, and it’s not going to be because of the 100 US leftists on Lemmy.

I’m sure you’ll blame us anyway though, because liberals have objectively abandoned reality.

Look at yourselves. You’ve become MAGA, and don’t even try to deny it. This is the shit you made fun of Republicans for doing for 4 years of Trump. I thought Democracy was about winning votes, not demanding them under threats of violence? Or is this another one of PugJesus’ cronies?

Love you Bernie, but get bent.

War in Gaza... Is Bernie still doing genocide denial?

Is this going to be American politics for the rest of time: continually voting for least worst of two options which will cause observable harm?

If yes, it would be nice if that changes at some point, thanks.

Gunna vote twice, once for each candidate, so I double my chances of ensuring genocide. It's what america was founded on, it's what our forefathers would have wanted.

Someone running for office should not be entitled to a vote simply because the opposition is bad. Even if they're as bad as Trump. I wish more people demanded better from their leaders, it would stop this ridiculous slide to the right the entire American political system has been going though for decades.

Just say you do not care Bernie. We all know it. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/30/bernie-sanderss-failure-to-back-gaza-ceasefire-disappoints-us-supporters

the antisemites have to be clearly and succinctly told this, you see