Choose wisely is exactly right. This is the election of our lifetimes and, should the 🟠💩 prevail, democracy will die on January 20, 2025. The election is so much more than Gaza or immigration or inflation. This election is critically important for future generations to survive and thrive.
I hope your son appreciates your words. I, for one, do and have shared your "Open Letter to my Son on Gaza" on Spoutible and several Slack channels, urging them to share it, as well.
Such a great letter! I hope it will go far and wide. There really is no other choice than voting for every Dem on the ballot! It is normal for young folks to be myopic. I'm sure I was, but it's very important for them to realize that the country they live in is in peril and voting for Trump or not voting at all will be the end of a life they now know. Protest WILL NOT be an option!
Thank you for this. The headwinds of unfair media coverage of Biden poignantly covered by Robert Hubbell (and maybe by you), add to this dueling narrative. This adds greatly to the cynicism.
Hope and effective applied participation and efforts. Plus lots of love and laughs will help inspire and move others. We can't believe otherwise or we add to the cynicism.
Unfair media coverage is right- e.g. after a reporter told us about Biden's Executive Order to allow married, undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship here, NPR followed up with audio of Trump's reaction. What do they think people will take away with them - the quiet logic of the Order or the bombast that drowned it out?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Every word is SPOT ON! Only one glaring omission I'd love to see added:
Putin's relentless attack on Ukraine - and worldwide democracy - which has vanished from the public conversation and the media, despite countless reports of rape and torture, not to mention well over half a million deaths. If Trump succeeds in retaking the White House, Putin will quickly move unconstrained through Ukraine - and beyond.
Agree with this and that Putin is pulling strings in the Mideast. We are all being played against each other. Proxy wars and their violence are so so unfair to those caught on the ground.
For democracy, after all is said and done regarding the next federal election with all its faults, its got to be Biden over Trump (for South Florida Cubans, Trump is spelled "B-a-t-i-s-t-a").
A Trump photo with a title of "Viva Batista" should be placed in Florida's Spanish-language newspapers to show what such a victory actually represents.
FWIW, though I don’t know you or Theo, I suspect he knows all this.
What you don’t address are the tactical or strategic possibilities: tactically, a threat to withhold votes might move Biden left on Gaza. And strategically, a Democratic loss due to those withheld votes might move the party left in a number of ways.
I happen to agree with the tactic and disagree with the strategy. The pressure has moved Biden left, though in a very small way. The strategy seems to me equally likely to backfire and help cement a break between mainstream Dems and the left rather than cement a once growing, now uneasy, alliance.
I think, underneath all this, is a sense that things, especially for younger people, are falling apart. Whatever progress we have made on climate change isn’t enough. Wealth inequality is tremendous and corrosive. Rights once fought for and won are being taken away.
Is it so hard to imagine that the stakes you lay out could be recast in ways that highlight how little difference it all seems to make?
In the end, I agree with you. But I’m not sure I think your letter gets at the actual issues that young voters are struggling with, at least not the young progressives I know. And I worry that explaining it like this is more condescending than illuminating. YMMV, of course.
HI, Adam, I appreciate your comment, but at this point in time the priority must be defeating Trump and MAGA rather than moving Biden to the left. The sense that things are falling apart is a core message of the right wing propaganda machine, but I haven't perceived that view coming from the young progressives. My impression is that they are much more singularly focused on Gaza as a reason not to support Biden.
Seems like the young Biden haters have their heads up their butts just like the magamorons. Each group of lunatics would destroy America to “ make it better”. Sad.
There is so much wrong with this. Lets start from the top:
(1) The Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has been going on for over 50 years. Israeli bombing of civilian infrastructure, apartments, mosques, churches, cannot be justified. It is NOT a war. Calling it a 'war' makes me wonder whether the author has any remote comprehension of what is really going on besides the propaganda that is played on CNN
(2) A voter in Oakland California, presumably a California voter, who refuses to vote for Biden but may vote for every other Democrat on the ballot is a necessary ally and can be tactically very effective as a voter. Telling her off in this instance seems to me counterproductive. This letter seems less an attempt to persuade abstainers, in whatever state they vote, than to soothe the conscience of those of you who do not think an ongoing ethnic cleansing, very likely a genocide (as the Intl Court of Justice has yet to determine), should factor into your voting calculus. I think those of you voting for Biden may be right to do so in these circumstances, but telling people that 'not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump' demonstrates an appeal to fear and a flat misapprehension of how the Federal electoral system works. Do not do this.
(3) The warning that Trump will put undocumented in camps rings hollow while Biden refuses to honor Federal and International law in the admission and processing of asylum seekers. Biden lost the right to go after Trump on this issue the moment he caved to the right and 'got tough on the border.' The American Bar Association has released a statement on this and I recommend those who are unfamiliar with the particular laws covering asylum seekers to read it: https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2024/06/aba-president-statement-re-exec-order-on-asylum/?login
(4) It is manifestly important that Trump be defeated. We need everyone to do so. But part of that effort will be integrating those who must exercise their conscience in abstention because of Biden's flawed foreign policy ... funding Israel's destruction of hospitals in Gaza while the US decries Russian destruction of hospitals in Ukraine ... and motivating them to vote across the ballot where state and local Democrats need their support. Broad coalitions require tolerance of dissent. And dissent towards this brutal horrible ethnic cleansing must be accommodated ... if not, the Democrats may well be doomed.
Thanks for your comment. Here's my thoughts about it.
1. I understand your point about Gaza not being a war. War is an armed conflict between large groups or nations . I haven't seen any recent reports of Hamas fighting back against the IDF. So I agree that applying the term "war" to what is going on now in Gaza may not be accurate. I've rewritten The Open Letter to remove the word "war." If you read this and give me your email, I'd be happy to send you the revised version, which I will be sending out today to my email newsletter.
2. It was not my intention to "tell off" someone who is thinking of not voting for Biden. My purpose is to persuade progressives that we should unite as an anti-fascist movement to support Biden, because, as you recognize, Trump must be defeated. The only way to beat Trump is for Biden win. That is kind of a "duh" statement, but it seems that many progressives want to deny the reality of the importance of supporting Biden because of their dismay with his Gaza policy. It is true that a person not voting for Biden due to U.S. policy on Gaza is not going to affect who wins California. However, I disagree that not voting for Biden "can be tactically very effective." Realistically, if Biden's margin in California is thousands of votes lower because of "abstainers", it is unlikely that anyone will know that is because of protest non-votes due to Gaza. It will slightly reduce Biden's national popular vote, which will diminish slightly his mandate if he wins, but realistically that's not important either. However, there is a real problem with the idea that not voting for Biden makes sense anywhere, because that idea can affect voters in swing states where not voting for Biden could result in the election of Trump. From my perspective, not voting for Biden as a "protest" does not accomplish anything as a practical matter, and endangers our future, for the reasons I wrote in The Open Letter.
3. I strongly disagree with your idea that Biden's decision to limit the number of persons who can apply for asylum when a certain threshold is reached causes Biden to lose the right to go after Trump on his plans to put approximately 11 million undocumented people in deportation camps and then deport them. While is is true that some people seeking asylum may be delayed, frustrated and unfairly treated, and might suffer adverse consequences due to Biden's policy, that is in no way the equivalent of tearing millions of people out of their homes using the military, the national guard and local police, imprisoning them, deporting them, separating families, and destroying lives. If you were an undocumented person living in this country, I don't think you would feel that Trump's proposed policy should not be criticized because you disagree with Biden's position on asylum. To me, your analysis on this issue makes no sense.
4. I completely agree with your position that Trump must be defeated and we need everyone to do so. That is exactly the point of the Open Letter. That means that everyone should be supporting Biden not only by voting, but by actively volunteering and donating to groups that will help us win the swing states and competitive congressional races. We need not only to defeat Trump, but also other MAGA candidates, and we need to control Congress so we can pass laws that improve the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world. I also agree that we need to tolerate dissent to Biden's policies on the Middle East, on immigration, and whatever else people think Biden is doing wrong. The responsible way to exercise that dissent is through protests and organizing and education on those issues. But you can do all of that while still actively campaigning for Biden to prevent a fascist takeover of this country. And you should. No one should use Gaza or anything else as an excuse for sitting on the sidelines while the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Choose wisely is exactly right. This is the election of our lifetimes and, should the 🟠💩 prevail, democracy will die on January 20, 2025. The election is so much more than Gaza or immigration or inflation. This election is critically important for future generations to survive and thrive.
I hope your son appreciates your words. I, for one, do and have shared your "Open Letter to my Son on Gaza" on Spoutible and several Slack channels, urging them to share it, as well.
Beautifully written, Steve. I'm sharing it with our friends, all of whom have 20-something children.
Hi, MIchele,
I don't use Facebook so I'm not the one to ask how to post on Facebook or get past its security algorithms. Sorry!
Such a great letter! I hope it will go far and wide. There really is no other choice than voting for every Dem on the ballot! It is normal for young folks to be myopic. I'm sure I was, but it's very important for them to realize that the country they live in is in peril and voting for Trump or not voting at all will be the end of a life they now know. Protest WILL NOT be an option!
Thank you for this. The headwinds of unfair media coverage of Biden poignantly covered by Robert Hubbell (and maybe by you), add to this dueling narrative. This adds greatly to the cynicism.
Hope and effective applied participation and efforts. Plus lots of love and laughs will help inspire and move others. We can't believe otherwise or we add to the cynicism.
Again thank you for sharing this post.
Unfair media coverage is right- e.g. after a reporter told us about Biden's Executive Order to allow married, undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship here, NPR followed up with audio of Trump's reaction. What do they think people will take away with them - the quiet logic of the Order or the bombast that drowned it out?
Facebook won't let me share your letter. They think it looks like Spam. Can you do something?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Every word is SPOT ON! Only one glaring omission I'd love to see added:
Putin's relentless attack on Ukraine - and worldwide democracy - which has vanished from the public conversation and the media, despite countless reports of rape and torture, not to mention well over half a million deaths. If Trump succeeds in retaking the White House, Putin will quickly move unconstrained through Ukraine - and beyond.
Agree with this and that Putin is pulling strings in the Mideast. We are all being played against each other. Proxy wars and their violence are so so unfair to those caught on the ground.
For democracy, after all is said and done regarding the next federal election with all its faults, its got to be Biden over Trump (for South Florida Cubans, Trump is spelled "B-a-t-i-s-t-a").
A Trump photo with a title of "Viva Batista" should be placed in Florida's Spanish-language newspapers to show what such a victory actually represents.
FWIW, though I don’t know you or Theo, I suspect he knows all this.
What you don’t address are the tactical or strategic possibilities: tactically, a threat to withhold votes might move Biden left on Gaza. And strategically, a Democratic loss due to those withheld votes might move the party left in a number of ways.
I happen to agree with the tactic and disagree with the strategy. The pressure has moved Biden left, though in a very small way. The strategy seems to me equally likely to backfire and help cement a break between mainstream Dems and the left rather than cement a once growing, now uneasy, alliance.
I think, underneath all this, is a sense that things, especially for younger people, are falling apart. Whatever progress we have made on climate change isn’t enough. Wealth inequality is tremendous and corrosive. Rights once fought for and won are being taken away.
Is it so hard to imagine that the stakes you lay out could be recast in ways that highlight how little difference it all seems to make?
In the end, I agree with you. But I’m not sure I think your letter gets at the actual issues that young voters are struggling with, at least not the young progressives I know. And I worry that explaining it like this is more condescending than illuminating. YMMV, of course.
Maybe you could ask Theo to write a reply?
HI, Adam, I appreciate your comment, but at this point in time the priority must be defeating Trump and MAGA rather than moving Biden to the left. The sense that things are falling apart is a core message of the right wing propaganda machine, but I haven't perceived that view coming from the young progressives. My impression is that they are much more singularly focused on Gaza as a reason not to support Biden.
Seems like the young Biden haters have their heads up their butts just like the magamorons. Each group of lunatics would destroy America to “ make it better”. Sad.
Excellent points . Thank you
FB won’t allow this to be posted.
There is so much wrong with this. Lets start from the top:
(1) The Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has been going on for over 50 years. Israeli bombing of civilian infrastructure, apartments, mosques, churches, cannot be justified. It is NOT a war. Calling it a 'war' makes me wonder whether the author has any remote comprehension of what is really going on besides the propaganda that is played on CNN
(2) A voter in Oakland California, presumably a California voter, who refuses to vote for Biden but may vote for every other Democrat on the ballot is a necessary ally and can be tactically very effective as a voter. Telling her off in this instance seems to me counterproductive. This letter seems less an attempt to persuade abstainers, in whatever state they vote, than to soothe the conscience of those of you who do not think an ongoing ethnic cleansing, very likely a genocide (as the Intl Court of Justice has yet to determine), should factor into your voting calculus. I think those of you voting for Biden may be right to do so in these circumstances, but telling people that 'not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump' demonstrates an appeal to fear and a flat misapprehension of how the Federal electoral system works. Do not do this.
(3) The warning that Trump will put undocumented in camps rings hollow while Biden refuses to honor Federal and International law in the admission and processing of asylum seekers. Biden lost the right to go after Trump on this issue the moment he caved to the right and 'got tough on the border.' The American Bar Association has released a statement on this and I recommend those who are unfamiliar with the particular laws covering asylum seekers to read it: https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2024/06/aba-president-statement-re-exec-order-on-asylum/?login
(4) It is manifestly important that Trump be defeated. We need everyone to do so. But part of that effort will be integrating those who must exercise their conscience in abstention because of Biden's flawed foreign policy ... funding Israel's destruction of hospitals in Gaza while the US decries Russian destruction of hospitals in Ukraine ... and motivating them to vote across the ballot where state and local Democrats need their support. Broad coalitions require tolerance of dissent. And dissent towards this brutal horrible ethnic cleansing must be accommodated ... if not, the Democrats may well be doomed.
Hi, Labor Produces Marvels,
Thanks for your comment. Here's my thoughts about it.
1. I understand your point about Gaza not being a war. War is an armed conflict between large groups or nations . I haven't seen any recent reports of Hamas fighting back against the IDF. So I agree that applying the term "war" to what is going on now in Gaza may not be accurate. I've rewritten The Open Letter to remove the word "war." If you read this and give me your email, I'd be happy to send you the revised version, which I will be sending out today to my email newsletter.
2. It was not my intention to "tell off" someone who is thinking of not voting for Biden. My purpose is to persuade progressives that we should unite as an anti-fascist movement to support Biden, because, as you recognize, Trump must be defeated. The only way to beat Trump is for Biden win. That is kind of a "duh" statement, but it seems that many progressives want to deny the reality of the importance of supporting Biden because of their dismay with his Gaza policy. It is true that a person not voting for Biden due to U.S. policy on Gaza is not going to affect who wins California. However, I disagree that not voting for Biden "can be tactically very effective." Realistically, if Biden's margin in California is thousands of votes lower because of "abstainers", it is unlikely that anyone will know that is because of protest non-votes due to Gaza. It will slightly reduce Biden's national popular vote, which will diminish slightly his mandate if he wins, but realistically that's not important either. However, there is a real problem with the idea that not voting for Biden makes sense anywhere, because that idea can affect voters in swing states where not voting for Biden could result in the election of Trump. From my perspective, not voting for Biden as a "protest" does not accomplish anything as a practical matter, and endangers our future, for the reasons I wrote in The Open Letter.
3. I strongly disagree with your idea that Biden's decision to limit the number of persons who can apply for asylum when a certain threshold is reached causes Biden to lose the right to go after Trump on his plans to put approximately 11 million undocumented people in deportation camps and then deport them. While is is true that some people seeking asylum may be delayed, frustrated and unfairly treated, and might suffer adverse consequences due to Biden's policy, that is in no way the equivalent of tearing millions of people out of their homes using the military, the national guard and local police, imprisoning them, deporting them, separating families, and destroying lives. If you were an undocumented person living in this country, I don't think you would feel that Trump's proposed policy should not be criticized because you disagree with Biden's position on asylum. To me, your analysis on this issue makes no sense.
4. I completely agree with your position that Trump must be defeated and we need everyone to do so. That is exactly the point of the Open Letter. That means that everyone should be supporting Biden not only by voting, but by actively volunteering and donating to groups that will help us win the swing states and competitive congressional races. We need not only to defeat Trump, but also other MAGA candidates, and we need to control Congress so we can pass laws that improve the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world. I also agree that we need to tolerate dissent to Biden's policies on the Middle East, on immigration, and whatever else people think Biden is doing wrong. The responsible way to exercise that dissent is through protests and organizing and education on those issues. But you can do all of that while still actively campaigning for Biden to prevent a fascist takeover of this country. And you should. No one should use Gaza or anything else as an excuse for sitting on the sidelines while the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Excellent! Thank you, thank you, thank you!