I am in such a dark and gloomy place these days. And while this brilliant essay cannot lift me out of that dark and gloomy place, it at least assures me that I have precious company there. Your inspiring well of humanity and compassion, Sarah, and the depth and breadth of both your research and your capacity to SEE, enable you to say things persuasively that others, who have so much less of all those things, may try to say but often only convey in angry, ill-informed, performative bleats. Thank you for all that you do, for your companionship in the dark and the gloom, and for the light you bring to that lonely place.
“Placeholder President” nails the dismay I started feeling about 6 months into the Biden presidency, when I realized none of the steps needed to protect/build democracy would be taken. Today, as an anti-occupation Jew, that dismay is now sheer disgust.
I want to not pay attention to the world collapsing before my eyes. I want to be distracted and blind but in reality I just want to be numb to the world. In the same breath I also want to pay attention so I’m not blind to the world I live in. The path we are on claws at me I’m scared about what’s to come. I feel like I’m watching a catastrophe unfolding my eyes in slow motion and am powerless to help. I hate it.
This completely encapsulates my feelings. I’m frightened all the time. God help me, I’m glad my daughters remain childless, because to raise a child in these uncertain times would be disheartening.
“A person cannot rightly claim democracy is under attack and then brag that they are working with the people trying to destroy it.” Beautiful essay Sarah! This sentence in particular stood out for me. For so long I’ve been enraged by the hypocrisy of these “reach across the aisle” comments and this sums up those frustrations perfectly.
While I agree with portions of your argument, you ignore many positives that Biden has responsible for because they don't nearly fit within your chosen narrative (eg, student debt relief, vigorous antitrust enforcement...the first president in decades to do so, restarting US manufacturing, supporting unions, reenergizing NATO, etc).
Biden is flawed, but he's not a willing participant in a many-pronged conspiracy.
Netanyahu was embraced by Biden after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Even if Biden ultimately denounces Israel's scorched earth response, the tools he possesses to stop Israel are limited. Israel doesn't need US money, and Netanyahu isn't a rational figure.
For those of us not balancing complex geopolitical issues, the moral choice seems obvious, but the moral choice doesn't solve anything. What is the answer to ensuring Israel's safety and providing a safe, thriving Palestinian state? Who would fund the rebuilding of Gaza, who would govern Gaza, who would ensure that another terrorist organization fails to overturn such a government? Free Gaza is just an empty motto without a plan. No plan can survive the Netanyahu administration. These are intractable issues that Biden faces.
I'm extremely frustrated by the utter lack of progress in hardening democracy, and I agree that our institutions are rotted. But Biden started with a 50/50 Senate, 2 compromised Senate Democrats, a filibuster and a 5-seat House majority. Hardening democracy requires Congressional action.
It might feel good to proclaim that our rotted institutions should be replaced, but there are tens of thousands of hardworking people behind those institutions. Trump wants to fire them all and replace them with loyalists. That should terrify people. As to replacing institutions...replacing them with what? staffing them with who?
Your contention that both sides are equally culpable isn't supported by reality...the GOP is fully corrupted and driven to create a White Nationalist autocracy. The Democratic party has it's own corruption and compromise, but it still strives to benefit its base. If Democrats start voting in record numbers for good people in state and national elections, better leaders will be elected.
Unless you have another plan for fixing what ails this country, your message of "both parties bad, why bother voting" is counterproductive to those you purport to support and fails to create real change.
Biden has kept NATO together and that’s one of his best accomplishments. However, the similarities bet BIden and Trump are significant considering they are the only two choices….and his choice to whole-heartedly support the scorched earth retaliation (ethnic cleansing) in Gaza has devastated most of the world…Biden doesn’t have to have all the answers, as US Pres and not the PM of Israel, he could have conversations that are transparent and honest with the world re: the divisive and corrupt, far-right Netanyahu….a cease fire might allow the Israeli people to regroup and vote in a better leader…there are so many ways this might go and the history of trying to “kill off the terrorists” has been so unsuccessful that this rationale is dishonest or wishful thinking at best.
Biden's first speech was a strong warning to Netanyahu not to retread the catastrophic scorched earth policy.
It was a public message to the world...Biden understands that Netanyahu will listen to no one because his focus is rewriting history and creating a new legend around himself to stay in power.
Knowing this...what is the answer?
Netanyahu is a duly elected leader. Israel is a strategic US ally. Withdrawing support from Israel would be a severe blow that is unthinkable given the too-recent memories of the Holocaust. What is the answer?
No one has a good answer, and every suggestion of a peace coalition or a 2-state solution depends on far different leadership than Israel currently has.
There are no good answers...the West will likely continue to increase the pressure for humanitarian pauses, but even if Biden denounced Israel's bombings tonight, nothing will change.
This is the terrible truth...we have no leverage to stop what is happening. Biden can't force Netanyahu into a cease-fire. Israel is a sovereign nation.
All the protests might feel important, but Netanyahu isn't listening. He didn't listen when hundreds of thousands of Israelis (including reservists) took to the streets to protest against his attempts to degrade the judiciary. Short of the Israeli military collectively refusing to continue the bombings, what are the realistic proposal to end this?
That's the point...you can't reason with authoritarians...that's why you can't let them gain power in the first place.
I don't really agree with most of your points. Student debt relief was a flop because of the courts, so I'm not holding Biden to that. Still, he's barely managed to help anyone on that front.
Antitrust enforcement? His administration is allowing more and more monopolies. The only government trying to ensure that I'm not forced to shop at one of 3 Kroger subsidiaries is California. Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, US Automakers, ISPs, and finance companies are all engaging and anti-competitive practices left and right.
All your statements about Gaza (who should govern, who should pay, how to prevent a terrorist takeover) are hard to even approach when we can't do the same for ourselves. Maybe we should let them self-determine for once in the last 1000+ years. Maybe we should be more concerned about the innocent lives than trying to impose structure when we can barely keep our own country from being purely run by terrorists.
You also pack a lot into hardening democracy. Sarah pointed out that Garland (who does not need Congress to do anything) has not held the coup plotters accountable. There's plenty Biden can do without congress to protect our democracy. He hasn't. He could also have encouraged the Senate to abolish the filibuster, he didn't. Now, he's lost control.
As for white nationalism, I don't know what else to call a continuing humanitarian crisis at our southern border, the funneling of hundreds of millions of dollars into policing, and that absolute clown-show around the CA senate seat other than blatant white nationalism.
Finally, I want to unequivocally push back on the "both parties bad, why bother voting" you toss out. Sarah, in years of listening to and reading her work, has NEVER encouraged people not to vote. Her message has been consistent that voting is NOT ENOUGH. You can't vote yourself out of an autocracy. You also can't get out of it if you're not going to vote for the better option when you have a chance, just ask Gaza who haven't been able to vote since 2006.
It's difficult to follow your logic. Student loan forgiveness was blocked by SCOTUS, but Biden is to blame because? What are his options, other than the loopholes he has exploited to provide all possible relief?
If you haven't heard of Lina Khan, a protege of Elizabeth Warren, od Jonathan Kanter, chosen by Biden to lead FTC abd DOJ antitrust enforcement, I'd suggest you read the newsletter "Big", which has detailed the aggressive actions of this team in all manner of industries...reversing half a century of complete inaction. The biggest hurdle are judges unaccustomed to enforcing antitrust laws. The FTC/DOJ is currently blocking the Kriger merger, is currently suing Google, Meta, and Amazon.
I'm not proposing that the US lead a peace process in the Middle East, I explained why it's an intractable challenge. Blaming Biden because of decisions made by Netanyahu and actions by both Netanyahu's administration and Hamas terrorists is pointless.
I have no issues with blaming Garland, but assigning blame to Biden because Garland refused to act for a year is misguided. Either DOJ is independent or it's not.
I do blame the Democrats in the House and Senate for not pulling out every stop to fight for voting rights. Biden didn't put his weight behind this, I agree, but the decision not to hold non-stop votes on voting protections is on Schumer, but in the end, Manchin and Sinema were always 'no' votes. Schumer could have made more of a spectacle, but the votes to abolish or limit the filibuster weren't there.
Voting may not be sufficient to overcome all the obstacles, but it's the most important tool we have. I don't agree with those who say both parties are the same, the odds are against us, why bother.
People like Shawn Fain show that battles can be won...even against insurmountable odds, and billion dollar corporations.
There are thousands of grassroots efforts fighting back at every level...from school boards to libraries to state houses.
I'd please ask you to read carefully. I'm NOT blaming Biden for the student loan forgiveness failure.
The FTC is not currently blocking the Kroger merger. According to this article from 5 days ago (https://www.cpr.org/2023/11/02/grocery-workers-ask-ftc-chair-to-stop-kroger-albertsons-merger-during-denver-visit/), they are still "investigating". As far as I know, CA is the only government currently in an active lawsuit to stop the merger. As far as the suits against the tech companies go, they are definitely going after some anti-competitive practices, but these are not long-term fixes. They are temporary band-aids when our society is bleeding out. So sure...maybe Biden is doing more than any in decades. I cannot see a discernible improvement.
I'm not blaming Biden for Netanyahu's or Hamas's actions. I'm blaming him for his actions supporting Netanyaho's genocide against Palestinians.
I understand the concept of the DOJ being independent, but either the cabinet serves at the pleasure of the president or...we might as well let the opposition party appoint the AG? As Sarah pointed out in the essay, we are the only country in modern history to go this long without punishing the coup plotters.
The only additional thing I'll say about the filibuster is that we don't know what would have happened if Biden had pressured for a filibuster repeal. I'm not saying it would have worked. I'm saying it should have been tried. Democrats violate Timothy Snyder's first rule: do not obey in advance.
Finally, I don't know what you're really trying to prove at the end. I'm not certain you're reading the words I wrote rather than the words you expected me to write. I appreciate the engagement and (mostly) good faith in discussion, but I think I'm done with this thread.
Well, I did read and respond directly to your points.
Re Kroger, I should have been more precise. The FTC has refused to approve the merger (as was previously routine), gathering evidence for a final decision to sue in 2024. A California suit can only help the federal action.
You can call the actions of the FTC/DOJ Antitrust divisions bandaids or triage, but what are the options? Not to try?
Corporate capture of institutions can't be reversed in one administration. It will take years of sustained effort, and the appointment of pro-antitrust judges. The foundation is being established by these appointees. Any work furthering these efforts depends entirely upon the 2024 presidential election. People understandably want instant results, but this situation developed over decades.
Re Israel, what do you think Biden could have done? Strongly condemn Israel for its response? Ok, what would change? Netanyahu would not stop for a moment, Israel's enemies would be emboldened, and any hope of reaching Israeli citizens would be lost.
I don't disagree with the insanity of being 3 years removed from a coup attempt, with no punishment for those leading the coup. Biden controls neither DOJ nor our antiquated criminal justice system.
I think Biden's been far too cautious on different fronts, far too reticent to use the bully pulpit. It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it would have changed the perception that he wasn't engaged. It's why his poll numbers are where they are.
At the end of the day, we don't have the luxury of disengaging because of disillusionment with our status quo. The alternative is vindictive fascism under Trump and the GOP.
I enjoy Sarah’s writing very much because, as it did for you, it helps me sharpen and better parse my own views. Also, when it comes to authoritarianism, she is spot on about how it works. The Middle East is such a different issue. When you set a people whom the world has chosen to revile for millennia into the middle of an Islamic desert - literally - I am not sure how anyone believed this could be done peacefully, especially when that area, which had been subject to colonialism in the prior century, was just finding its own power through the creation of independent nation states. Not that the state of Israel doesn’t deserve to exist. Judaism and the right of Israelites to a re-creation of their homeland pre-dates that of other Arabic nations by millennia. Of all the Abrahamic religions, it is the oldest. So both in terms of statehood and establishment of religion, Israel was the oldest Middle East country...save Egypt...out of all those currently claimed. However, never had it ever lived in peace among its neighbors, except perhaps during the latter part of King David’s reign and Solomon’s. So only a little more than a generation of Jews had lived peacefully and safely in a nation called Israel. But what else was fair to the Jews after the horrors of the Holocaust? To continue a diaspora existence that had proven even more antisemitic unsafe to them? There were no easy answers to this situation. Except perhaps doing more diplomatic “front work” to pave the way for creation of a renewed statehood for the Jews. However, once Khomeini was allowed back into Iran in 1979, after the overthrow of the Shah, Western leaders should have known peace would never be achievable in the Middle East during his lifetime...and now perhaps beyond. It is the sad, hard fact of it. And the innocent suffer as young men are initiated into an Islamic radicalism that is their death warrant and those of their own families. Because as Khomeini practices it, Islam is a death cult, not a peaceful way of honoring God and living in the world. It reveres martyrdom (at least for everyone but the religious elite) over life. That is the real reason Gaza is in ruins today, however bad a leader Netanyahu may be. Just my humble opinion.
💯. I am over white fauxgressives rending their garments and telling us how bad Democrats are. It's bullshit, and it's destructive bullshit. There are so many important progressive voices – largely Black women - who understand the stakes and what actual progress looks like.
I really miss your voice on Gaslit Nation, but I appreciate that you are able to speak freely here. On the one hand it's essential that Trump never becomes president again, which is why many people will do what they can to support Biden - but on the other they only have two terrible choices. I am not American, but I am so disappointed that none of the amazing people who would do a much better job never are in genuine competition. It must be because the Democratic party would never allow them to get to that position. The GOP is beyond all help and I find it horrifying to think that even if Democracy prevails, one of them will one day be in power again. How can you have a two party system when one of the two choices is no longer on board with democracy? This cannot work in the long run. Only serious consequences could change the track that America is on.
Why does Israel always get a pass? What do we hold to be the basic tenets of democracy: one person, one vote; all are equal before the law; freedom of speech, thought, association, religion; separation of church and state? Israel fails on all of these. ‘The right to self-defence’ is a dog whistle, ‘you are free to go all out’, retaliation, collective punishment, and now ethnic cleansing and genocide. The only solution is a one state solution (the Two State solution was always going to be apartheid in my view) based on the principles above. Sounds crazy but I can remember when change in South Africa seemed impossible.
You always provide the best analysis softened somehow with such excellent prose.
“It is a dead horse race, and the dead horse is America, beaten and bleeding, worn from trampling and being trampled.”
“This is not a serious country, but a country in serious crisis. This is not a sovereign country, but a country under the tyranny of the minority regardless of who is in charge. We have elections, but we do not have choice.”
“Shadow clouds freed the moon until it lit our path like a spotlight.”
And Joe Biden is responsible for making himself look bad, no one else. Please keep complaining.
“Our crisis is beyond elections. You cannot vote out the mafia. You cannot wait for a referendum on ongoing mass murder. But you can look evil in the eye and stand up for those targeted. You can hope that if you are targeted, someone will do the same for you. If no one does, you still did the right thing, and that still matters.”
And, yes, “We all deserve so much better than this.”.
This is why I’m so tired of people dismissing the polls, showing elected officials must change course or they’ll lose people. Average citizens want peace, justice, and an opportunity to just be. But the people in power keep wanting to stifle that for their draconian vision of the world. Time for something new and better, indeed! Thank you.
Extremely painful and bracing. Yesterday’s election felt like a good day. But you remind me - Biden’s goddam fist bump with the monster MBS is alive in my memory, an especially traitorous gesture to whatever good things America was once about.
It was a despicable betrayal and consequential - like Bush’s claim he ‘looked into Putin’s heart’.
You write so beautifully. The directness is appreciated. I wish everyone would read what you write the clarity honesty is needed in this dishonest world. Speaking truth to power is essential these days thank you. Few have the vast knowledge and intelligence to link events and people like you do . Keep educating us so important. I feel we are in a very dark place keep shining a bright light for us again thank you!
I think the electorate bears some responsibility in all this. We've been falling for lies for decades without interrogating what the truth is. We've reality-TV-ed ourselves into voting for the loudest, most outragious, and most devious into office while essentially deciding everyone else should be voted off the island. We've made ignorance acceptable, even valued. We've demonized differences. I struggle with your essays because what is happening is so hard to digest, yet I'm grateful to be hearing it and having my eyes opened ever wider.
I am in such a dark and gloomy place these days. And while this brilliant essay cannot lift me out of that dark and gloomy place, it at least assures me that I have precious company there. Your inspiring well of humanity and compassion, Sarah, and the depth and breadth of both your research and your capacity to SEE, enable you to say things persuasively that others, who have so much less of all those things, may try to say but often only convey in angry, ill-informed, performative bleats. Thank you for all that you do, for your companionship in the dark and the gloom, and for the light you bring to that lonely place.
Ditto x 100.
Agree!!!!
Well said, thank you, and thank you Sarah
This is a very small thing but thank you for saying that Biden falsely declared the pandemic over. A lot of people don't want to reckon with this.
It's one of the most offensive and destructive things he has done, in my opinion.
It paved the way for covid vaccines and treatments to go through the roof.
"We have the tools" lol
“Placeholder President” nails the dismay I started feeling about 6 months into the Biden presidency, when I realized none of the steps needed to protect/build democracy would be taken. Today, as an anti-occupation Jew, that dismay is now sheer disgust.
That phrase, "placeholder president", is giving omg there's a Black woman next in line white fear vibes. V creepy.
I want to not pay attention to the world collapsing before my eyes. I want to be distracted and blind but in reality I just want to be numb to the world. In the same breath I also want to pay attention so I’m not blind to the world I live in. The path we are on claws at me I’m scared about what’s to come. I feel like I’m watching a catastrophe unfolding my eyes in slow motion and am powerless to help. I hate it.
This completely encapsulates my feelings. I’m frightened all the time. God help me, I’m glad my daughters remain childless, because to raise a child in these uncertain times would be disheartening.
“A person cannot rightly claim democracy is under attack and then brag that they are working with the people trying to destroy it.” Beautiful essay Sarah! This sentence in particular stood out for me. For so long I’ve been enraged by the hypocrisy of these “reach across the aisle” comments and this sums up those frustrations perfectly.
I have very mixed feelings about this essay.
While I agree with portions of your argument, you ignore many positives that Biden has responsible for because they don't nearly fit within your chosen narrative (eg, student debt relief, vigorous antitrust enforcement...the first president in decades to do so, restarting US manufacturing, supporting unions, reenergizing NATO, etc).
Biden is flawed, but he's not a willing participant in a many-pronged conspiracy.
Netanyahu was embraced by Biden after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Even if Biden ultimately denounces Israel's scorched earth response, the tools he possesses to stop Israel are limited. Israel doesn't need US money, and Netanyahu isn't a rational figure.
For those of us not balancing complex geopolitical issues, the moral choice seems obvious, but the moral choice doesn't solve anything. What is the answer to ensuring Israel's safety and providing a safe, thriving Palestinian state? Who would fund the rebuilding of Gaza, who would govern Gaza, who would ensure that another terrorist organization fails to overturn such a government? Free Gaza is just an empty motto without a plan. No plan can survive the Netanyahu administration. These are intractable issues that Biden faces.
I'm extremely frustrated by the utter lack of progress in hardening democracy, and I agree that our institutions are rotted. But Biden started with a 50/50 Senate, 2 compromised Senate Democrats, a filibuster and a 5-seat House majority. Hardening democracy requires Congressional action.
It might feel good to proclaim that our rotted institutions should be replaced, but there are tens of thousands of hardworking people behind those institutions. Trump wants to fire them all and replace them with loyalists. That should terrify people. As to replacing institutions...replacing them with what? staffing them with who?
Your contention that both sides are equally culpable isn't supported by reality...the GOP is fully corrupted and driven to create a White Nationalist autocracy. The Democratic party has it's own corruption and compromise, but it still strives to benefit its base. If Democrats start voting in record numbers for good people in state and national elections, better leaders will be elected.
Unless you have another plan for fixing what ails this country, your message of "both parties bad, why bother voting" is counterproductive to those you purport to support and fails to create real change.
Biden has kept NATO together and that’s one of his best accomplishments. However, the similarities bet BIden and Trump are significant considering they are the only two choices….and his choice to whole-heartedly support the scorched earth retaliation (ethnic cleansing) in Gaza has devastated most of the world…Biden doesn’t have to have all the answers, as US Pres and not the PM of Israel, he could have conversations that are transparent and honest with the world re: the divisive and corrupt, far-right Netanyahu….a cease fire might allow the Israeli people to regroup and vote in a better leader…there are so many ways this might go and the history of trying to “kill off the terrorists” has been so unsuccessful that this rationale is dishonest or wishful thinking at best.
Biden's first speech was a strong warning to Netanyahu not to retread the catastrophic scorched earth policy.
It was a public message to the world...Biden understands that Netanyahu will listen to no one because his focus is rewriting history and creating a new legend around himself to stay in power.
Knowing this...what is the answer?
Netanyahu is a duly elected leader. Israel is a strategic US ally. Withdrawing support from Israel would be a severe blow that is unthinkable given the too-recent memories of the Holocaust. What is the answer?
No one has a good answer, and every suggestion of a peace coalition or a 2-state solution depends on far different leadership than Israel currently has.
There are no good answers...the West will likely continue to increase the pressure for humanitarian pauses, but even if Biden denounced Israel's bombings tonight, nothing will change.
This is the terrible truth...we have no leverage to stop what is happening. Biden can't force Netanyahu into a cease-fire. Israel is a sovereign nation.
All the protests might feel important, but Netanyahu isn't listening. He didn't listen when hundreds of thousands of Israelis (including reservists) took to the streets to protest against his attempts to degrade the judiciary. Short of the Israeli military collectively refusing to continue the bombings, what are the realistic proposal to end this?
That's the point...you can't reason with authoritarians...that's why you can't let them gain power in the first place.
I don't really agree with most of your points. Student debt relief was a flop because of the courts, so I'm not holding Biden to that. Still, he's barely managed to help anyone on that front.
Antitrust enforcement? His administration is allowing more and more monopolies. The only government trying to ensure that I'm not forced to shop at one of 3 Kroger subsidiaries is California. Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, US Automakers, ISPs, and finance companies are all engaging and anti-competitive practices left and right.
All your statements about Gaza (who should govern, who should pay, how to prevent a terrorist takeover) are hard to even approach when we can't do the same for ourselves. Maybe we should let them self-determine for once in the last 1000+ years. Maybe we should be more concerned about the innocent lives than trying to impose structure when we can barely keep our own country from being purely run by terrorists.
You also pack a lot into hardening democracy. Sarah pointed out that Garland (who does not need Congress to do anything) has not held the coup plotters accountable. There's plenty Biden can do without congress to protect our democracy. He hasn't. He could also have encouraged the Senate to abolish the filibuster, he didn't. Now, he's lost control.
As for white nationalism, I don't know what else to call a continuing humanitarian crisis at our southern border, the funneling of hundreds of millions of dollars into policing, and that absolute clown-show around the CA senate seat other than blatant white nationalism.
Finally, I want to unequivocally push back on the "both parties bad, why bother voting" you toss out. Sarah, in years of listening to and reading her work, has NEVER encouraged people not to vote. Her message has been consistent that voting is NOT ENOUGH. You can't vote yourself out of an autocracy. You also can't get out of it if you're not going to vote for the better option when you have a chance, just ask Gaza who haven't been able to vote since 2006.
It's difficult to follow your logic. Student loan forgiveness was blocked by SCOTUS, but Biden is to blame because? What are his options, other than the loopholes he has exploited to provide all possible relief?
If you haven't heard of Lina Khan, a protege of Elizabeth Warren, od Jonathan Kanter, chosen by Biden to lead FTC abd DOJ antitrust enforcement, I'd suggest you read the newsletter "Big", which has detailed the aggressive actions of this team in all manner of industries...reversing half a century of complete inaction. The biggest hurdle are judges unaccustomed to enforcing antitrust laws. The FTC/DOJ is currently blocking the Kriger merger, is currently suing Google, Meta, and Amazon.
I'm not proposing that the US lead a peace process in the Middle East, I explained why it's an intractable challenge. Blaming Biden because of decisions made by Netanyahu and actions by both Netanyahu's administration and Hamas terrorists is pointless.
I have no issues with blaming Garland, but assigning blame to Biden because Garland refused to act for a year is misguided. Either DOJ is independent or it's not.
I do blame the Democrats in the House and Senate for not pulling out every stop to fight for voting rights. Biden didn't put his weight behind this, I agree, but the decision not to hold non-stop votes on voting protections is on Schumer, but in the end, Manchin and Sinema were always 'no' votes. Schumer could have made more of a spectacle, but the votes to abolish or limit the filibuster weren't there.
Voting may not be sufficient to overcome all the obstacles, but it's the most important tool we have. I don't agree with those who say both parties are the same, the odds are against us, why bother.
People like Shawn Fain show that battles can be won...even against insurmountable odds, and billion dollar corporations.
There are thousands of grassroots efforts fighting back at every level...from school boards to libraries to state houses.
I'd please ask you to read carefully. I'm NOT blaming Biden for the student loan forgiveness failure.
The FTC is not currently blocking the Kroger merger. According to this article from 5 days ago (https://www.cpr.org/2023/11/02/grocery-workers-ask-ftc-chair-to-stop-kroger-albertsons-merger-during-denver-visit/), they are still "investigating". As far as I know, CA is the only government currently in an active lawsuit to stop the merger. As far as the suits against the tech companies go, they are definitely going after some anti-competitive practices, but these are not long-term fixes. They are temporary band-aids when our society is bleeding out. So sure...maybe Biden is doing more than any in decades. I cannot see a discernible improvement.
I'm not blaming Biden for Netanyahu's or Hamas's actions. I'm blaming him for his actions supporting Netanyaho's genocide against Palestinians.
I understand the concept of the DOJ being independent, but either the cabinet serves at the pleasure of the president or...we might as well let the opposition party appoint the AG? As Sarah pointed out in the essay, we are the only country in modern history to go this long without punishing the coup plotters.
The only additional thing I'll say about the filibuster is that we don't know what would have happened if Biden had pressured for a filibuster repeal. I'm not saying it would have worked. I'm saying it should have been tried. Democrats violate Timothy Snyder's first rule: do not obey in advance.
Finally, I don't know what you're really trying to prove at the end. I'm not certain you're reading the words I wrote rather than the words you expected me to write. I appreciate the engagement and (mostly) good faith in discussion, but I think I'm done with this thread.
Well, I did read and respond directly to your points.
Re Kroger, I should have been more precise. The FTC has refused to approve the merger (as was previously routine), gathering evidence for a final decision to sue in 2024. A California suit can only help the federal action.
You can call the actions of the FTC/DOJ Antitrust divisions bandaids or triage, but what are the options? Not to try?
Corporate capture of institutions can't be reversed in one administration. It will take years of sustained effort, and the appointment of pro-antitrust judges. The foundation is being established by these appointees. Any work furthering these efforts depends entirely upon the 2024 presidential election. People understandably want instant results, but this situation developed over decades.
Re Israel, what do you think Biden could have done? Strongly condemn Israel for its response? Ok, what would change? Netanyahu would not stop for a moment, Israel's enemies would be emboldened, and any hope of reaching Israeli citizens would be lost.
I don't disagree with the insanity of being 3 years removed from a coup attempt, with no punishment for those leading the coup. Biden controls neither DOJ nor our antiquated criminal justice system.
I think Biden's been far too cautious on different fronts, far too reticent to use the bully pulpit. It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it would have changed the perception that he wasn't engaged. It's why his poll numbers are where they are.
At the end of the day, we don't have the luxury of disengaging because of disillusionment with our status quo. The alternative is vindictive fascism under Trump and the GOP.
I wish you well.
I enjoy Sarah’s writing very much because, as it did for you, it helps me sharpen and better parse my own views. Also, when it comes to authoritarianism, she is spot on about how it works. The Middle East is such a different issue. When you set a people whom the world has chosen to revile for millennia into the middle of an Islamic desert - literally - I am not sure how anyone believed this could be done peacefully, especially when that area, which had been subject to colonialism in the prior century, was just finding its own power through the creation of independent nation states. Not that the state of Israel doesn’t deserve to exist. Judaism and the right of Israelites to a re-creation of their homeland pre-dates that of other Arabic nations by millennia. Of all the Abrahamic religions, it is the oldest. So both in terms of statehood and establishment of religion, Israel was the oldest Middle East country...save Egypt...out of all those currently claimed. However, never had it ever lived in peace among its neighbors, except perhaps during the latter part of King David’s reign and Solomon’s. So only a little more than a generation of Jews had lived peacefully and safely in a nation called Israel. But what else was fair to the Jews after the horrors of the Holocaust? To continue a diaspora existence that had proven even more antisemitic unsafe to them? There were no easy answers to this situation. Except perhaps doing more diplomatic “front work” to pave the way for creation of a renewed statehood for the Jews. However, once Khomeini was allowed back into Iran in 1979, after the overthrow of the Shah, Western leaders should have known peace would never be achievable in the Middle East during his lifetime...and now perhaps beyond. It is the sad, hard fact of it. And the innocent suffer as young men are initiated into an Islamic radicalism that is their death warrant and those of their own families. Because as Khomeini practices it, Islam is a death cult, not a peaceful way of honoring God and living in the world. It reveres martyrdom (at least for everyone but the religious elite) over life. That is the real reason Gaza is in ruins today, however bad a leader Netanyahu may be. Just my humble opinion.
I appreciate your thoughtful perspective.
💯. I am over white fauxgressives rending their garments and telling us how bad Democrats are. It's bullshit, and it's destructive bullshit. There are so many important progressive voices – largely Black women - who understand the stakes and what actual progress looks like.
the truth hurts.
I really miss your voice on Gaslit Nation, but I appreciate that you are able to speak freely here. On the one hand it's essential that Trump never becomes president again, which is why many people will do what they can to support Biden - but on the other they only have two terrible choices. I am not American, but I am so disappointed that none of the amazing people who would do a much better job never are in genuine competition. It must be because the Democratic party would never allow them to get to that position. The GOP is beyond all help and I find it horrifying to think that even if Democracy prevails, one of them will one day be in power again. How can you have a two party system when one of the two choices is no longer on board with democracy? This cannot work in the long run. Only serious consequences could change the track that America is on.
Excellent essay, Sarah. I've been a fan for quite some time and am looking forward to many more beautifully written pieces such as this. Thanks!
“Like most Americans I can’t make policy, but can only hope to survive it” That is the plight that most Americans are living. Well said Sarah.
Sarah unleashed. Great essay, thank you
Why does Israel always get a pass? What do we hold to be the basic tenets of democracy: one person, one vote; all are equal before the law; freedom of speech, thought, association, religion; separation of church and state? Israel fails on all of these. ‘The right to self-defence’ is a dog whistle, ‘you are free to go all out’, retaliation, collective punishment, and now ethnic cleansing and genocide. The only solution is a one state solution (the Two State solution was always going to be apartheid in my view) based on the principles above. Sounds crazy but I can remember when change in South Africa seemed impossible.
Yes! Bring it, Sarah.
You always provide the best analysis softened somehow with such excellent prose.
“It is a dead horse race, and the dead horse is America, beaten and bleeding, worn from trampling and being trampled.”
“This is not a serious country, but a country in serious crisis. This is not a sovereign country, but a country under the tyranny of the minority regardless of who is in charge. We have elections, but we do not have choice.”
“Shadow clouds freed the moon until it lit our path like a spotlight.”
And Joe Biden is responsible for making himself look bad, no one else. Please keep complaining.
“Our crisis is beyond elections. You cannot vote out the mafia. You cannot wait for a referendum on ongoing mass murder. But you can look evil in the eye and stand up for those targeted. You can hope that if you are targeted, someone will do the same for you. If no one does, you still did the right thing, and that still matters.”
And, yes, “We all deserve so much better than this.”.
This is why I’m so tired of people dismissing the polls, showing elected officials must change course or they’ll lose people. Average citizens want peace, justice, and an opportunity to just be. But the people in power keep wanting to stifle that for their draconian vision of the world. Time for something new and better, indeed! Thank you.
“The most prescient, investigative journalist and political commentary of their time, was an anthropologist....”
Words that very well might be written about you long we are gone. I’m grateful to be here to see it, Ms Sarah. Thank you.
Extremely painful and bracing. Yesterday’s election felt like a good day. But you remind me - Biden’s goddam fist bump with the monster MBS is alive in my memory, an especially traitorous gesture to whatever good things America was once about.
It was a despicable betrayal and consequential - like Bush’s claim he ‘looked into Putin’s heart’.
I Despair.
You write so beautifully. The directness is appreciated. I wish everyone would read what you write the clarity honesty is needed in this dishonest world. Speaking truth to power is essential these days thank you. Few have the vast knowledge and intelligence to link events and people like you do . Keep educating us so important. I feel we are in a very dark place keep shining a bright light for us again thank you!
I think the electorate bears some responsibility in all this. We've been falling for lies for decades without interrogating what the truth is. We've reality-TV-ed ourselves into voting for the loudest, most outragious, and most devious into office while essentially deciding everyone else should be voted off the island. We've made ignorance acceptable, even valued. We've demonized differences. I struggle with your essays because what is happening is so hard to digest, yet I'm grateful to be hearing it and having my eyes opened ever wider.
Ugh -- *outrageous*