Unlike Obama, the leftist alternatives to him were always constructs, as much invented by the Left as of the L
eft.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was a more conventional old-school Marxist until he suddenly became famous and his base forced him to pay homage to identity politics, endorse open borders (both things he used to oppose) and hold AOC’s purse.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren fancied herself an old-school liberal socialist wonk after being a Republican and libertarian for a while. One way to measure how far she’s come is to look at her back in 2014 when she was just exploring the possibility of taking on Hillary.
Warren said Hamas has attacked Israel “indiscriminately,” but with the Iron Dome defense system, the missiles have “not had the terrorist effect Hamas hoped for.” When pressed by another member of the crowd about civilian casualties from Israel’s attacks, Warren said she believes those casualties are the “last thing Israel wants.”
“But when Hamas puts its rocket launchers next to hospitals, next to schools, they’re using their civilian population to protect their military assets. And I believe Israel has a right, at that point, to defend itself,” Warren said, drawing applause.
Fast forward to 2023, and Warren is complaining that Facebook is censoring Hamas supporters, and just tweeted that…
“Netanyahu & his right-wing war cabinet have created a humanitarian catastrophe, killing thousands of Palestinian civilians. Israel needs leadership that will bring the hostages home, not wage months of war. Stop bombing Gaza. Resume the cease-fire. Work toward a permanent peace.”
Bernie Sanders has said similar things, but he’s refused (thus far) pressure from the Left to call for a “ceasefire”. Why?
“Lastly, Hamas has been very clear, both before its barbaric attack on October 7th and after that attack, that their goal is perpetual warfare and the destruction of Israel. Just last week a spokesman for Hamas, Mr. Taher El-Nounou, told the New York Times, “I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us.” I am not quite sure how you negotiate a ceasefire with a terrorist organization that is dedicated to perpetual war.”
Sanders has become more vocally anti-Israel throughout the months after Oct 7, and has called for no military support for Israel, but so far he hasn’t endorsed the big lie of a ceasefire in which Hamas gets to attack Israel while the Jews don’t get to fight back.
Warren has.
Sen. Warren has called for a “ceasefire”. There was one in play before Oct 7. And during the humanitarian truce that she endorsed so loudly, Hamas carried out a terrorist attack that killed a pregnant woman, a school worker and an elderly Rabbi.
Not only doesn’t Sen. Warren care, but she’s urging “work toward a permanent peace.” With whom? Hamas.