We’re Michael Bender and Maya King, reporters for The New York Times covering the 2024 presidential election. Ask us Anything.
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Hello, ElPlywood. Thanks for participating, and I appreciate your passion! I'll try to answer the first few here as best as I can. 1 Why do you...

“I think what you’re reacting to is that, at the moment, Biden is an unpopular president seeking a second term while Trump is a popular figure inside his party who is winning primary races. I wouldn’t necessarily compare the two.”

Credit to @JoshuaHolland

    • mozz@mbin.grits.devOP
      2·
      8 months ago

      You’re talking as if Biden is doing something to stop the genocide in Gaza rather than literally funding it

      https://time.com/6591139/biden-israel-executive-order-sanctions/

      https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-791654

      https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1237616100/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-un-food-ships

      https://www.axios.com/2024/03/12/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza-war-red-lines

      Is it enough? Fuck no. I’m not happy about him funding the Israelis before during and after all of that either. In particular, the line “impose restrictions on the use of U.S.-made offensive weapons by the IDF in Gaza” jumped out at me pretty much as I’m sure it did to you.

      On most things I’ll defend Biden; on Israel and Gaza I won’t. He’s the latest in a long string of leaders who’s okay with arming the Israelis so they can kill innocent Palestinians, and blocking any attempt to stop them. I’m fine with clinging to a small hope that he’s planning on changing for the better. A lot of un-heard-of things have been happening in the last few years: Big climate change legislation, student loan forgiveness, a bill for federal marijuana legalization, stuff that was way beyond the limits during the Obama years. If Israel is the next one of those, then great. But I’m not holding my breath and I don’t think it excuses four months of death and allegiance to the worst country in the mideast. I’m only bringing up those small examples above to say, that’s more than most US leaders and way, way more than Trump would do for Palestine.

      The absolute nerve of trying to wave Palestinian lives around as if that serves as some kind of a defense of the people actively funding their murder at this very moment. Absolutely detatched from reality. To try and guilt people because they won’t vote for that is unconscionable.

      Okay, let me do it again: Trump’s said he wants to “finish the problem” in Gaza. Personally, I believe he means it and that’s how he plans to wield power with a second term. If you bring that to power, instead of someone who’s merely on the grim neoliberal a-little-genocide-is-okay-but-maybe-let’s-do-better-in-the-future trajectory, then all those dead people are on you.

      To bring Hitler to power, because Germany’s colonial adventures before that created enslavement, starvation, and slaughter (because they did), and so you can’t see a difference between Hitler and the establishment Germans, is unconscionable. That’s you. That’s what you’re doing.

      Yes, I’ll hold you partly responsible for all the dead Palestinians, Ukrainians, Americans, and whoever else at the end of whatever Trump does if you think there’s no problem with actively bringing him to power and don’t want to actively work to stop it.

    • revelrous@sopuli.xyz
      2·
      8 months ago

      What’s your plan? I’m listening.

      edit:

      The absolute nerve of trying to wave Palestinian lives around as if that serves as some kind of a defense of the people actively funding their murder at this very moment. Absolutely detatched from reality. To try and guilt people because they won’t vote for that is unconscionable.

      In November there are two outcomes. This is reality. One has a higher death count. Showing up and voting blue is the least one can do. There is no virtue that costs innocent lives.