No Despair

A view of the current moment and opting out of responsibility for a politics of blamelessness

Aug 05, 2024

At the moment, the US is in a time of flux. We are overwhelmed by events that seem completely out of our control. We’re amid an unpredictable and unprecedented election while also witnessing our government fund the devastation of Gaza and the targeted killing of Palestinians in the West Bank. It is natural to see such a wave of events and respond in a way akin to a defensive crouch—a sort of “Benedict Option” for the left.1 Deciding to “turn away” from the current moment and preserve a community of purity rather than engage in a “hopeless” fight.

The demand to “opt-out” is an understandable one. Outside of the accelerationist current I’ve written about, there is a compelling argument from people across the left end of the political spectrum with a coherent moral case for such a stance. However, a desire for moral purity ignores the fact that there’s a difference between self-edification and effective action.

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With Netanyahu’s recent visit to the U.S. closely followed by acts of war in the strikes against Lebanon and the assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian soil, it is clear these deliberate provocations are meant to signal to Syria, Iran and the United States that Israel will act without regard to ally or enemy, with no national bounds being recognized as a factor in its decision making.2 The response from the current U.S. administration, officials providing anonymous quotes conveying Biden’s anger, has been familiar and unsatisfying.3

With these same beats playing out again, it’s tempting to believe that nothing will change, and the best we can do is stand aside in protest and disavow any complicity in the choices being made in our name. This response, however, would be more for our self-soothing than a caring act in the name of justice. With reporting in Palestine showing a rejection of Trump and hope for Harris being able to deliver a turn in policy, it would be selfish for people here at home to decide the situation is hopeless.4 We must commit ourselves to manifest the hopes of those in the direct line of fire. In demanding that Biden and Harris cease to supply weapons to Israel, we can push the current administration to take the substantive steps necessary to end the assault on the people of Gaza with strategic and timely action.

The question becomes how to do this with current limited influence. With the momentum Harris is showing in the polls as election day zooms ever closer, the threat to withhold votes is not as effective as when Biden was leading the ticket.5 Harris has been able to tie Trump in the polls before getting an expected bump from her vice president pick and the Democratic conventions. Aside from the polling, we can also see Trump continuing to flail without landing any message, which arrests her momentum, and his vice president pick becomes an ever-heavier anchor.6

With these fundamentals in mind, I think the current tack of the broader union movement is the best available path. Rather than holding ourselves apart from the current mood of most people and delineating our moral clarity in refusing to participate, working to gain the influence to affect decision-making within the current Harris coalition is necessary. Of course, there are already people with a leftist perspective doing so, and the agita around the decision between Shapiro and other Vice President contenders is the best proof of their current power. The lashing out at leftists from centrist writers and media figures show a coalitional conflict in which the center isn’t confident it holds the reins in decision-making alone.7

This crisis of confidence among centrists is fueled by the left and union power in both endorsing Harris while holding a hard line around ending the conflict in Gaza at the same time.89 This stance, along with the work of youth protesters and activists across the country, has pushed the Democratic Party to consider the calls for a ceasefire beyond those of the fringe and instead as a key demand from a core part of the coalition. This is why we’ve seen such vituperative pushback from the center. Regardless of how this will play out in the immediate term with the vice president pick, it is going to be impossible for the party to move forward without serious consideration towards answering the demand to end support for the conflict in Gaza. While it may not be as satisfying as a blanket denunciation, this will represent progress in the manner in which the country responds to Israel’s ongoing assault against the Palestinian people.

No Despair

A view of the current moment and opting out of responsibility for a politics of blamelessness

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