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Massacres and Destruction of Democracy: My Head and Heart Are Exploding [1]

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Date: 2024-06-03  

My head and heart are exploding.

Democrats Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries agreed to join with Republicans to honor the Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu with an invitation to address a joint session of Congress. Meanwhile, the murderous assaults on Rafah continue, and while under pressure President Biden declared, “It is time for this war must end," the flow of weapons to support the war have not ceased and Biden declared that the ICC’s call for the arrests of Israeli and Hamas leaders was, “Outrageous.” The combination is not even a mixed message. It resolves to, “Keep it up, Bibi!”

Every day, grotesque images of burnt and crushed Palestinian bodies and reports of suppression of dissent on U.S. college campuses compete for attention with dire warnings of the impending destruction of democracy if Trump and his loyal allies are victorious in November. Poll after poll indicates that in addition to voters’ lack of enthusiasm for Biden, enough are so outraged by U.S. support for continued unspeakable war crimes they will sit out the next election. Yet, despite the daily horror and all the international and local condemnation and mass protests, Biden and most Democratic politicians remain steadfast in their commitment to unshakable military and diplomatic support for Israel. It's beyond head in the sand slumber or the proverbial fog of war. Either the Democrats are arrogantly tunnel-visioned in their delusional belief that voters will ignore their moral compasses, or they are criminally in the thrall of AIPAC and other wealthy donors. Campaign dollars and threats trump democratic values or listening to the needs and will of citizens. The Double trump meaning intended.

I reject the argument that sitting out the next election or voting for a third party with no chance of victory will be a wake-up call for Democrats for two reasons. First, they don’t need awakening. They need defeat in primaries. However, viable progressive political parties or candidates cannot be developed in the year before elections. That takes long-term local organizing and base building from which progressive movement candidates emerge. Second, if Trump and his allies win–and they will certainly cheat to do so–they will crush dissent and stop at nothing to maintain and consolidate power for the long term. They have no moral or legal limits. The recovery for democratic and human rights will not happen in the next election cycle when all opposition has already been crushed by government power as enemies of the people. There is no telling how long the period of repressive, authoritarian–and yes, sanctioned mob violence–will last. A wake-up doesn't happen with a jackboot on the throats of the opposition.

However, it has become more and more challenging, if not impossible, to persuade outraged and cynical voters to vote for those who they regard as genocide enablers, who also seem to care not a whit about the pervasive insecurity that plagues the lives of American working people. For example, in New York State, where Democrats control the governor’s office, the senate, and the assembly, they could not bring themselves to overcome real estate industry lobbying to protect tenants statewide, substantially fund public housing repairs, or pass additional taxes on wealth to fund public services.

I do not write to abandon hope that votes matter. Instead, it is to encourage progressives to keep organizing. Citizens who are disengaged or cynical about their influence will not value their ballots without active engagement to seek power and demand justice in collaboration with others in democratically run organizations.

Those engagements enable forging relationships across the differences that often divide people. That is what gives us strength. Progressives must resist the divisive, defeating plague of factionalism and maximalist positioning. Because Trumpists are unshakably united, so must progressives. Don't let anyone convince you that your vote does not matter.

Arthur taught and led science professional learning and curriculum and assessment development projects for 50 yrs. He writes about education and social justice. He loves spending time with friend, family and pooch, hiking, and gardening.

Follow him:

Substack: https://arthurhcamins.substack.com/

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Instagram @caminsarthur

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