The Shift: The Most Surreal Election of Your Lifetime

In recent years political headlines have frequently read like a DC version of Mad Libs, but that hasn’t stopped people from making definitive and dramatic predictions.

After former president Donald Trump was nearly assassinated, the takes inevitably poured in. Everything had changed. Nothing would ever be the same. The contours of our Republic had been permanently upended.

Less than a week later, the story has (no pun intended) nearly died. There’s a good chance it will gain legs again if we learn something compelling about the perpetrator, but a young, disturbed registered Republican trying to knock off Trump is actually not the easiest development to exploit for political gain.

A recent poll found that 24% of Americans believe this was simply a “deranged shooter,” while 23% blame Trump’s own violent rhetoric helped lead to the assassination. Just 13% blame Democratic rhetoric and a measly 6% think the media can be blamed.

It was challenging to entertain theories about a possible Trump “sympathy bump,” as he’s easily his generation’s most polarizing political figure. It’s hard to imagine a voter who was on the fence about him last week, but suddenly came around after the shooting. There’s probably an enthusiasm boost among the GOP base, but if the Democrats insist on running a blundering incumbent it’s hard to believe it really matters.

The references to 1968 might seem redundant at this point, but an assassination attempt adds something to the air. We were already witnessing an unprecedented situation with Biden’s potential ouster and now this?

The shooting doesn’t appear to be politically motivated, but that didn’t stop some from invoking a deeper, foreign conspiracy of some sort. A Fox News host immediately brought up the campus protests. A Democratic donor suggested it was staged operation, “classic Russian tactic” reminiscent of Hamas’s October 7th attack. Eric Trump told CNN that “They” tried to kill his father, whoever They is. Authorities claim they obtained info about an Iranian plot to kill Trump, which seems dubious for a variety of obvious reasons.

Whenever there’s an act of violence like this, politicians get on television to insist that this is not who we are despite the overwhelming amount of evidence suggesting that it is. This time around, the condemnations of political violence felt even more ridiculous as the United States continues to support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Next week Congressional members will welcome Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. A warrant for his arrest is expected to be issued from the ICC within the next two weeks.

Biden’s condemnations of violence were obviously the most galling, but I’d like to shout out Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton for his post-shooting take.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a few instances of violence in recent years. Throughout our history, there’s been sporadic speights of violence,” Cotton told CBS. “It has no place in America, or in the American political tradition. Robust, strong campaigns, contrasting ideas between candidates and parties, of course, is central to American democracy. But we settle those differences through political debates and through elections.

“We don’t settle them through violence,” he continued. “So what happened yesterday is extremely regrettable. It’s not consistent with the American spirit. And I’m very grateful again, that President Trump miraculously survived and is going to move forward with the convention this week and this campaign, because that’s how we settle our political differences in America.”

Just a few months ago, Cotton was urging people to “take matters into your own hands” and attack pro-Palestine protesters.

“Let’s just say I think there would be a lot of very wet criminals that would have been tossed overboard — not by law enforcement, but by the people whose road they are blocking,” he told Fox News. “If they glued their hands to their car or pavement, it’d probably be pretty painful to have their skin ripped off.”

The American political tradition, indeed.

AOC Loses DSA Endorsement Over Gaza

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) pulled its endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) last week. The move came in response to the Congress Woman’s public stances on Gaza.

AOC is going to roll to a reelection victory regardless of whether DSA backed her, but the decision does say something interesting about the organization’s National Political Committee.

The group put out a lengthy statement on their reasoning, which is worth taking a look at.

The group acknowledges that AOC has taken some good positions on the issue, but highlights some problematic ones as well.

“We recognize that AOC has taken many courageous positions on Palestine such as co-sponsoring several House Resolutions (3103, 786,  496), naming Israel’s genocide as well as opposing House Resolution 894,” it reads. “However, members have raised their concerns regarding a number of her votes, including a vote in favor of H.Res.888, conflating opposition to Israel’s ‘right to exist’ with antisemitism. AOC also co-signed a press release on April 20, 2024, that “supports strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems””

“Finally, AOC recently hosted a public panel with leaders from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, lobbyists for the IHRA definition of antisemitism. On this panel, anti-Zionism and antisemitism were conflated and boycotting Zionist institutions was condemned. This sponsorship is a deep betrayal to all those who’ve risked their welfare to fight Israeli apartheid and genocide through political and direct action in recent months, and in decades past.”

Here’s the concluding paragraph: “A national DSA endorsement comes with a serious commitment to the movement for Palestine and our collective socialist project. We must endorse candidates who enthusiastically seek a relationship with DSA, and the National Political Committee as the highest body of the organization between conventions is responsible for setting the criteria we establish for national endorsements. Chapters have a responsibility to make this clear to their endorsed candidates when applying for a national endorsement.  The NPC is committed to ensuring that all of our elected officials are unabashed in their support for Palestinian freedom. To build a socialist movement that’s capable of defeating capitalism, we must demand more from leaders in our movement.”

This is a story to keep an eye on as groups like DSA navigate their election strategies amid the ongoing Gaza protests.

AOC’s reelection effort continues to be backed by DSA’s New York City chapter.

Odds & Ends

🇺🇸 J.D. Vance’s anti-Palestine record

🗳️ ‘They are trying to buy this seat’: Can Cori Bush beat AIPAC?

🪖 Mercenary or Scholar: disrupting military-funded research at the University of California 

🏫 The reluctant memoirist exposes the academy

🪧 Truthout: Hundreds March Against GOP in Milwaukee During First Day of RNC

🇺🇸 Responsible Statecraft: What will Vance do for Trump’s foreign policy?

🚫 Electronic Intifada: Hesen Jabr paid the price of conscience

🏫 Columbia Spectator: SWC-UAW passes resolution supporting BDS, commits to strike ‘should circumstances justify’

📄 Jewish Insider: Virginia judge rules pro-Palestinian group required to disclose donor documents

🇺🇸 Code Pink: Republican Congressman Falsely Accuses CODEPINK Palestinian-American Organizer of Assault at RNC

🇵🇸 Counterpunch: The Gaza Genocide Deepens: The Reckoning Begins for the Perpetrators

🏫 Finger Lakes Times: Hobart and William Smith Colleges Professor Jodi Dean allowed to return to classes this fall

⚖️ Common Dreams: ‘Stunning Abdication’: Appeals Court Dismisses Biden Genocide Complicity Case

🇮🇱 CNN: The US held off sanctioning this Israeli army unit despite evidence of abuses. Now its forces are shaping the fight in Gaza.

🏫 Insider Higher Ed: Columbia’s President Denounced Her Before Congress. Firing Could Be Next.

📝 Jewish Insider: U.S., 30 other nations unveil new ‘global guidelines’ to fight antisemitism

🇮🇱 ABC News: Far-right groups that block aid to Gaza receive tax-deductible donations from US and Israel

🏫 The Intercept: Columbia Law Professor Smeared by Israel Supporters Could Lose Her Job

Stay safe out there,