Despite widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump, his administration, and many of his policies, new polling suggests Democrats are struggling to turn that frustration into a clear political advantage.
Democrats still have their own perception problems with a splintered base of support, which may be more solid in state and local races, but when it comes to national elections, there’s still no sure bet on Democratic politicians after what supporters call the debacle of the 2024 presidential race.
Critics point out that many Democrats are still out of touch with bread-and-butter voters. The party’s various factions, including far-left progressives and moderates, are still arguing among themselves, and there are no clear popular Democrats on the national level to lead the party forward at this point.
Enter commentator and TV host Joy Reid. She’s so fed up with Democrats’ position on Israel, for example, another hot-button issue, she’s vowing to end her support and leave the party altogether.
During a podcast interview on Thursday, June 18, with “Vanity Fair” writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, Reid lashed out at Dems and their unwavering support for Israel.
“To me, I, going forward, cannot vote for a Democrat who does not pledge to end this relationship [with Israel],” Reid said, according to Mediate.
“This relationship needs to end,” the former MSNBC host demanded. “This is a nuclear-armed expansionist power. They don’t need our money, and they definitely won’t get my vote.”
Reid criticized what she described as the Democratic Party’s unwavering commitment to Tel Aviv, arguing that the party, like Republicans, remains “married” to Israel, no matter what they do, no matter how many people they kill.”
Social media went sideways with plenty of people supporting Reid’s views and others not so much.
A Threads user pointed out, “This is how we wound up with Trump and an R majority of Congress.”
Another agreed, “She is correct. Corporate Dems are too far gone.”
Of course, any disagreement or difference of opinion on Israel and its actions almost always ends in loud cries of “anti-Semite,” and accusations of Jewish bigotry from the pro-Israel lobby, and the same is true on social media.
This commenter directly attacked Reid, “She has a well-documented history of antisemitism and homophobia. Good riddance.”
This poster piled on, “She is a raging antisemite.”
But others pointed out that Reid’s views on Dems and threats to vote independent or not vote at all could help MAGA retain control of the presidency and Congress.
“Joy is smarter than this. It’s unrealistic and not happening.”
Threads user Toni Galea Klich put it this way, “Jfc. All these purity tests it’s unbelievable that we’re gonna be stuck with Maga because of people like her.”
Reid, a former “lifelong Democrat,” which she called herself during a 2016 interview, is not alone in her anger over the Gaza genocide.
A survey earlier this year by the Pew Research Center showed 80 percent of Democratic voters have a negative view of Israel, especially among younger voters, up 27 percent from 2022.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched a brutal campaign of destruction on Gaza so out of proportion to the initial attack that the United Nations and other human rights groups labeled it a “genocide.”
News outlets and other groups have put the number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s war of retribution at more than 75,000, with as many as 200,000 injured and thousands more unaccounted for.
The UN cited mass killings by the Israeli military, the deliberate use of starvation, and the ongoing targeting of children, among other violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention, for labeling the annihilation of Gaza a “genocide.”
Another example of just how heated the rhetoric on Israel and the decimation of Gaza has become, a New York coffee shop just barred a Jewish Democratic lawmaker for his pro-Israel views and trashed him on social media, labeling him a “genocide enabler” after he stopped by the shop last week.
The shop wrote on its Instagram account Sunday, June 21, “Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”
The post continued, “See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund — we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyway). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful tax-exempt American lobbying group, aggressively advocates for pro-Israel policies and often targets politicians who express opposing views. The organization spends millions of dollars on political campaigns to defeat lawmakers who question U.S. support for Israel.
Goldman appeared on CNN Monday, June 22, calling the coffee shop’s action “real sad” and telling host Laura Coates that it’s an example of the “sad state” of the world, Mediate reported.
“What is going on in the Middle East is horrific. And the idea of accusing someone whom you don’t know of supporting a genocide — I mean, it’s crazy,” the Congressman insisted. “Now, I may disagree as to whether or not there’s a genocide, but come on. We’re better than this.”
Goldman went on to explain his views on Netanyahu and Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinians are similar to those of Americans who don’t support Trump, that you can love your country and not necessarily like its leaders.
However, his explanation apparently did not help. Voters unseated Goldman and two other New York House Democrats who support Israel in Tuesday’s primary election. Their opponents were all endorsed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who called AIPAC “monsters.”
