To Fight for Social Justice, We Must Stay Together

 Remember What Our Goal Is

We Democrats should remind ourselves what our most important goal is: it is to make our society here in the United States more just and equitable. We promote policies that redistribute income from the upper class to the rest of the people, as we have done in the past. We created Social Security, Medicare and the G.I. Bill. We created Head Start and Food Stamps. In the future, if we hold together, we will be able to create a decent health care system; we will be able to have affordable childcare and affordable housing; and we will be able to have a system of post-secondary education that does not leave people with crushing debts.

In order to achieve these and other elements of a just society, we have to stay together. We have to overcome our tendency to split over issues that are not at the core of our mission. The current conflict in the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza is an example. Members of the Democratic Party trade accusations of racism. Some say that that Israel’s policies are colonialist and racist, while others say that critics of Israel are antisemites. Each side effectively says that the other side is racist.

We Will Always Have Differences of Opinion

This is understandable to a degree. Palestinians like Rashida Tlaib naturally feel sympathy for Palestinians in Palestine, and in addition, she has many Palestinians in her district. Similarly, Jews in the United States naturally feel sympathy for Jews in Israel, and politicians from districts with large, Jewish populations will reflect that sympathy. The Democratic Party has always been diverse, and its members will never agree on all issues. We certainly disagree deeply over issues connected with the conflict between Israel and Hamas and with American policy toward Israel.  

If We Want Social Justice, We Must Stay Together

In dealing with our disagreements, we should remember that those issues are not part of our core mission. Our struggle is for a more just and equitable society here at home, and we should not risk losing that fight over an issue that has little relevance to it. Unfortunately, it appears that elections may be decided over attitudes toward the war, and as a result, we may lose a chance to promote social justice in our country. We will lose the chance because voters will desert the Democratic Party.

Some voters will desert the Democratic Party because of what they see as a racist and neocolonialist policy toward Israel. Other voters will desert the party because of what they see as the antisemitism of the left. Both groups will weaken Pres. Biden’s chance of being re-elected as well as the chance of creating a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. Moreover, the latest polls tell us that if we want to reelect our president or secure a Democratic majority in Congress next year, we need more than ever to stay together. Since social justice can be advanced only by Democratic majorities, the dispute over the war in Gaza will reduce the chances of making our society more equitable.

If We Want to Save Our Democracy, We Must Stay Together

That is not all. The Republican Party is currently dominated by people who have only contempt for our democracy. They tried to overthrow our last presidential election. They are trying to fasten on us the views of a fanatical, religious minority. They have used gerrymandering to maintain control of state governments, and they have elected an extreme white Christian nationalist as speaker of the house. We cannot allow them to regain the White House.

If we want to be effective in politics, we must choose our fights. We must prioritize our goals. We will never have a political party in which we all agree on all issues, but if we want to be able to make our country more just, we have to keep our party together.  So, we have to remember what we really care about. We are the party of social justice, and driving Jews out of the Democratic Party will hurt the chances for social justice in our country. So will driving away Palestinians and our party’s left wing.

If We Want Peace, We Must Stay Together

We need to think about how we talk about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Those who support Israel can do so without accusing anyone who criticizes Israel of being antisemitic or of glorifying terrorism. Israel's supporters can avoid comparing Hamas's raid to the Holocaust.  They must accept that many people all over the world - including many Jews and many Israelis - agree that Israel and its policies bear some responsibility for the recurring violence of which the current war is only the latest example. Israel's supporters can mourn for the dead on both sides. They can condemn Hamas's terrorism while also condemning Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. In both cases, innocent people have been killed. Israel's friends can - as many Israelis do - support the Palestinians' demand for national autonomy while resisting any demand for the destruction of the State of Israel.

Those who support the Palestinian cause can do so without claiming that Israel's very existence is nothing more than an expression of white racism or European colonialism. They can avoid the hyperbole of genocide. They can condemn Israel's bombing of Gaza without glorifying Hamas's attack. They can mourn for the dead on both sides. They can support the Palestinian demand for national autonomy without insisting on the destruction of the State of Israel. Either the two-state solution or the one-state solution offers a framework for supporting the Palestinian cause. So, if we want to move toward peace and keep our party together, we must talk about real solutions of these kinds and not waste time vilifying each other. Playing the blame game is not a road to peace.

Remember what we care about! Keep our party together to win in 2024, to promote social justice in our country and to further the cause of peace in the Middle East!