According to Gallup, 76% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States. That usually spells trouble for whichever party occupies the White House, but the Democrats have an ace up their sleeve: Nobody really knows who’s in charge anymore!
Joe Biden’s the president (at least in name), but he’s been so thoroughly emasculated by his own party that Tim Walz keeps handing him tampons. Biden won the Democratic nomination for reelection, but after revealing his mental ineptitude to a national audience, Grandpa Joe was locked in the basement. (Yet somehow, he kept his finger on The Button.)
Is Kamala Harris now in charge? Is it Nancy Pelosi and/or her minions? One of the cabinet members? Anyone? No one? The whole damn thing is weird: they’ve whited out the White House.
When nobody’s in charge, nobody’s accountable.
That’s deeply problematic for the entire federal government, but it’s especially troublesome when it comes to foreign relations. Unaccountable actions can lead, quite literally, to war. The stakes don’t get higher than that.
Today in POLITICO, there was an intriguing analysis of the Middle East. In an article by Nahal Toosi and Robbie Gramer (“Biden raises pressure on Israel as war undercuts Harris”), the subtitle really says it all:
U.S. officials stress that the latest moves aren’t linked to November’s election; but the vice president could benefit.
Well, gosh! That’s a heckuva coincidence.
The article begins by noting that the Biden administration (interestingly, they declined to call it the Biden-Harris administration) is taking “fresh steps” to defuse tensions in the Middle East. Naturally, none of these “fresh steps” include pressuring the Palestinian terrorists, clamping down on Iran, or annihilating Islamic militias. But what did you expect? This is the Biden (and possibly Harris) administration.
This is how they roll.
“In recent days, President Joe Biden’s team has warned Israel that it must resume humanitarian aid to Gaza or face a cutoff in weapons shipments; wrested an apparent commitment from Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear and oil facilities; marked the anniversary of the killing of a Palestinian American boy; and publicized the steps it is taking to fight Islamophobia in the United States.” [emphasis added]
POLITICO is NOT a conservative publication. They reliably and predictably voice the concerns and the perspective of the Democratic Party. Yet even POLITICO noted the nakedly transparent political opportunism:
“But the steps could also benefit Vice President Harris in the presidential race against Donald Trump if it appears Biden is being tougher on Israel. That’s especially the case in swing states such as Michigan, where a sizable number of Arab and Muslim Americans live.”
Just going by the math, POLITICO isn’t wrong: About 1% of Michigan’s population is Jewish, but three times as many (3%) have Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. And in a razor-close election, those narrow margins will make or break a candidate’s hopes.
So if they gotta stab Israel in the back, they’ll do it. Hey, sacrifices gotta be made, right?
Related: The Tyranny of FEMA: Elon Musk Versus Biden-Harris
Purely from a Machiavellian perspective, the Democrats have no choice but to escalate their anti-Israel rhetoric. Not picking the (Jewish) governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, as V.P. will likely cost Democrats the state. And if they can’t win Pennsylvania, they absolutely, positively must win Michigan. They’ll pull all the stops.
The Jewish people recently celebrated the holy day of Yom Kippur, which is traditionally observed with a 24-hour fast. In the old days of the Temple, the High Priest would sacrifice a lamb on Yom Kipper to atone for the people’s sins.
Alas, it seems that the Democratic Party has a different sacrificial lamb in mind for November.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member