W/UPDATE: DKos, Want to Have AOC's Back? Then Start Writing - and Doing - about Palestine.

In the last couple of days we’ve had rec-list and front-page diaries about that sicko wannabe Nazi rookie House member’s stalking of AOC. One popular diary suggested to “Get AOC’s Back” by sending her flowers.

The latest incident involved Greene yelling at AOC that she’s a “terrorist supporter”. Gee, I wonder why this accusation and why now?

Maybe it has something to do with this?

Transcript of the final 20 seconds:

The President and many other figures this week stated that Israel has a right to self defense. This is a sentiment that is echoed across this body.

But do Palestinians have a right to survive? Do we believe that?

And if so, we have a responsibility to that as well. And with that I yield back.

None of those diaries, and surely not the Front Page ones, ever discussed the context in which AOC was assaulted.

More generally per my 15-year experience, the FP observes an unofficial gag rule on Israel-Palestine. It is true that the site focuses on domestic US politics, and foreign policy and foreign news take a back seat. But:

1. Israel-Palestine is perhaps the only major topic that never gets mentioned on the FP. There’s actually quite a bit of global coverage on the FP, particularly during the pandemic. Almost every day Mark Sumner mentions Israel vis-a-vis Covid vaccine coverage. Do you realize how myopic and Orwellian it is for a news organization to mention Israel on vaccines — and completely ignore the out-of-control spiraling bloody crisis that Israel has gotten itself into right now? A crisis that’s literally the front-page story on the Guardian all week? Not a good look, particularly for a progressive news organization.  [Oh, and it is also myopic to keep Ooh’ing and Aah’ing on the FP about Israel’s vaccination speed, and yet never once mention how Israel sits on a stockpile of surplus vaccine even as Palestinians cannot afford vaccines and their hospitals are bursting with Covid patients. On the rank racism and epidemiological folly of it. And how it is a blatant symbol for global Vaccine Apartheid.]
2. Among all foreign-policy topics in the US, Israel-Palestine is far and away the most domestic one. Both in terms of political dynamics here — it is part and parcel of American politics - and in terms of the Israeli Occupation regime’s own power dynamics. The US is literally the Occupation’s anchor.
3. This unofficial I-P gag rule is completely in line with general Democratic Establishment cowardice on the topic. Precisely the type of cowardice this site was actually set up to banish.

This cowardice is why Republicans have embraced I-P as a winning wedge issue, and a major reason why actual reality on the ground in I-P continues to deteriorate.

I understand the rationale for this cowardice: “I-P divides Democrats.”  In order to keep our Big Tent — goes the conventional Democratic Establishment wisdom — let’s not make waves. Keep whatever status quo (which is, in case you haven’t noticed, is heavily slanted against Palestinian freedom, anytime in the foreseeable future), and find some lip service that leaves everyone not too offended.

This has opened the field wide for Republicans to pounce. Here’s a constituency (Jewish voters) traditionally breaking 70-30 and even 75-25 towards Dems — and the GOP can eat deep into these 70-75% simply by being themselves! Racist, Messianic, militaristic, one-sided, corrupt, reckless, stoking culture wars — you name it, support for Israel’s Occupation regime offers it. They don’t even have to put up an act or invent disinformation; the disinformation is already there for the taking.

Gingrich did it in the mid-90s, Bush brought it to the big leagues in the 2000s — and Trump took it to places unimaginable 10 years ago. All against a complete vacuum on the Democratic side. And they’ve cashed in on it. How come Florida was the only competitive state where Trump increased his margin in 2020, and by a full 2.2%? Much of the story is weird stuff happening in Greater Miami. But I suspect that the other big piece — and far less discussed — was an acceleration of the slide of certain sectors of American Jewry, towards the GOP’s embracing arms. 

As kos himself keeps saying, Prevent Defense is the worst type of defense. It is also a betrayal of the spirit of the game and of our common values.

Civil Rights, too, did not seem a winning electoral issue in its time — which is what kept it at the back of the bus for decades. But it was the right thing to do, and eventually the only way forward.

We are so lucky now to have AOC, Omar, Tlaib, and the rest of the Squad et al. — and Bernie (thanks for the reminder, Alexa!) —  joining the ranks of veteran heroes like Barbara Lee and Betty McCollum, and putting their own bodies on the line for justice and for a responsible, coherent foreign policy. Let us not waste their courage and this opportunity. Let us not say empty words of solidarity, if we are unwilling to put up a stand behind them.

Daily Kos must stop its silence on Israel-Palestine. When the Front Page ignores it, either we have individual diarists pick up the slack for a while until they get burnt out — burnout which has happened repeatedly, particularly among Palestinian and Arab diarists [in case you haven’t noticed, Daily Kos has not been a safe space for Arab diarists who dare to write about I-P] — or we just have over-the-top flame diaries from either side, often by woefully uninformed people, that are worse than useless.

As a site, as a community, we betray millions of people whose future depends on us stopping our silence. A statement of principles will be a good start. Not just on I-P, but globally on racism and oppressive racist structures. For a year now, there’s been a solidarity with Black Lives banner at the top of the site. Why, one might ask? Wasn’t DKos always in support of Black rights? Well, obviously it wasn’t clear enough. There are bigger experts here who can explain this.

Well, relative to this site community I’m an expert on I-P, and I can tell you that decades of American progressive silence, cowardice, and both-siderism on the Occupation have been empowering the Israeli right-wing and deflating the left, contributing to the killing of many people, and prolonging the suffering of millions.

There are plenty of talented, knowledgeable, respected, Front Page diarists who can take up the task of gradually, patiently, gently when needed (and less-gently when warranted) educating (and mutually learning from!) the Daily Kos community about Israel-Palestine.

This is a critical issue that we must stop shoving to the back of the political bus.

AOC said it best: we have a responsibility to that as well.

And with that I yield back. Thank you.

Apologies, I won’t be around in the morning to respond to comments.