Hot take: Biden should pull a Fetterman and go all in on supporting Israel.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Yes, most Americans despise Hamas. Most Americans also don’t want to see the US dragged into another war, certainly not one in that part of the world. And most Americans don’t support the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians or the displacement of far more, certainly not with American weapons paid for by American tax dollars.

In a close race against a demagogue with savant-like abilities to manipulate the media to his advantage, Biden needs every vote he can get. And with the way the current Democratic coalition is constituted, alienating young voters, Arab and Muslim voters—frankly, “people of color” in general—is not good politics for Democratic candidates. I also seriously doubt that swing voters are particularly committed to Israel, especially compared to Republicans. 

Which brings me to my final point: it’s been decades since Democrats could outflank Republicans on support for Israel. That’s been made all the more implausible in the age of Netanyahu and the parties who keep him in power. Like it or not, support for Israel has become a liability for Biden, and that’s only more true the further away from October 7th we get, the more Palestinians die, and the more unstable the Middle East becomes.