I see lots of evidence for this take on the changing vibe:
Harris-Walz was obviously a positive, winning narrative for most of a month, until the first CNN interview made it clear that every Biden policy — even the illegal, deeply flawed (can’t we say mass homicidal?) Gaza policy — was going to continue under Harris until we pushed back hard, and with very little time. Immediately what had been a joyous accelerating process was poisoned. Already polls are showing Harris’s ascent falling back. It’s not exactly pessimism — the real network effects that drive elections can work with you or against you, and suddenly not everyone is saying “Of COURSE I’ll give and recruit my friends!” Instead plenty are saying, “OMG she doesn’t care if a single Uncommitted voter or anyone who has lost family in Gaza, she’s already played the “We’ll blame you for Donald” card AND the “We won’t let you take your turn speaking in ‘your’ party, suck it up” card AND the “we’ll condemn you for interrupting” card.
And of course that’s exactly the attitude that can needlessly cost a couple of swing states. Even though none of those progressives will vote Donald they’ll soon be too embarrassed and depressed to ring any more doorbells.
To get back from doom to joy we actually have to face that:
Much as Harris would like to deny it while Joe is in office, Gaza lives do matter.
Biden’s policy is illegal under US law as well as internationally. It’s SUCH a BAD LOOK for an ex prosecutor to oppose any candidate — esPECially this one — with a “WE know which laws to break” platform. You can’t copy their evil brand without strengthening them.
So to get to joy we actually need to finally start to respect US law, international law, the Uncomittted movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, Bernie, Ben and Jerry, and so on, and do it before extra poison continues through the election and inauguration.
The glorious vibe waiting for us is, if Kamala does recover her soul — maybe a US citizen murdered by Israeli soldiers this weekend will even have an effect or provide an excuse — she won’t lose a single vote when she reverses that broken policy and repurposes that dead-hostage factory! It turns out Kamala already has half a billion dollars and AIPAC doesn’t actually vote. She’s currently stuck in a way that CAN become UNstuck if she ever sees it has so little political benefit — that it’s just costing her votes — even in the next two months.
So we CAN escape our violent denial syndrome, but it requires more courage, ingenuity and imagination than we’re accustomed to seeing whether on social media or TV. I’m finding more kindred thinkers on Substack these days…
