Biden
Biden is the most progressive, most liberal president the US has had
since 1980. (I don't recall enough to judge how he compares with
Jimmy Carter.) We should show our appreciation for that. On some
important issues, he is doing great.
At the same time, on some other important issues he falls far short of what the US
and the world needs and what we demand. We get frustrated and infuriated that he
doesn't change for the better. One of these issues is ending the bombing and siege
of Gaza.
How should we deal with this half-full, half-empty glass? I think we should make
sure to keep showing both sides of what we feel.
We need to keep saying, "Yes, more of that," for the issues where Biden does the
right thing,p and "Stop this nonsense!" where he does not. To continue pressure on
Biden, we need both sides. Sometimes we need both at once: "This is a big advance,
but without more, we are still headed for disaster. Tackle the whole problem, fast!"
There are times for saying, "Yes, this measure is something to be proud of, for
today." And there are times to say, "Don't make us laugh — that change is
inadequate."
The student protests against Biden's inadequate efforts to protect the civilians of
Gaza are running into increasing repression. Although not violent, they are
calculated to provoke the schools to violence. This tends to make compromise
impossible and leave no chance of agreeing on an outcome we would really want: It
seems designed to lead to going down fighting, followed by years of hatred, rather
than to a change for the better that leads to opportunities to demand further change.
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