The Democratic Socialists of America pulled its endorsement of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York this week, accusing the progressive congresswoman of being insufficiently supportive of the Palestinian cause and efforts to end the war in Gaza…
Her approach has increasingly strained her relationship with some of the left’s most strident critics of Israel. When she rallied last month in the Bronx with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Jamaal Bowman, dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators angry over her endorsement of Mr. Biden chanted “You’re a fraud, A.O.C.”
I don’t even know if there is necessarily a price. I think on some level, people just start to realize certain issues take priority over others, especially when you’re fighting the opposing party. You have to compromise on some things. If she were out there cutting down Biden every day over Israel, it’s going to make it hard for her to get other things done. It’s also going to make it more likely that Trump wins. You have to pick your battles, rather than spending all of your political capital on a single issue that she won’t be able to have enough impact on to actually change it.
To a large extent, this problem is systemic. We have a two party system that doesn’t allow a ton of nuance. Also, politicians are involved, and politicians are always thinking about elections. I wish we could just voted on the issues themselves in our democracy.