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This week, a team of United Nations experts that visited Israel last month to investigate claims of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 Hamas raids said that it had found reasonable grounds to conclude that such violence did in fact occur. This comes after months of denial and minimization from many on the left. While the deniers are unlikely to be chastened by the U.N.teams statement, the new report is a powerful reminder of the atrocities that began the current war in Israel and Gaza and of widespread progressive hypocrisy on the subject.

Reports of rapes during the raids, particularly at the Nova music festival where numerous people were murdered and kidnapped, emerged right away. Disturbing images from the raids a young womans nearly naked body displayed like a trophy on the back of a truck, another woman being shoved into a car with her pants visibly stained with blood were also strongly suggestive of sexual violence. Yet people who talked about this on social media even self-identified social justice activists and Palestinian rights advocates quickly found themselves accused of using racist tropes of brown men raping white women.

Some, such as podcaster Briahna Joy Gray, carped on the lack of forensic evidence and criticized the Israelis for failing to collect rape kits from dead bodies even though the burning and mutilation of many bodies made evidence collection impossible.

When The New York Times published a lengthy report on Dec. 28based on interviews with survivors, first responders and others, concluding that Hamas terrorists had engaged in systematic sexual violence, a chorus of pro-Palestinian commentators and outlets quickly tried to discredit the story. They seized on the fact that the sister and brother-in-law of a victim prominently featured in it, Gal Abdush, felt manipulated by the Times and insisted that Abdush, who was killed with a gunshot, had not been raped.

But these critics omitted the fact that Abdushs mother strongly felt it was important to publicize the apparent rape. Nor did they acknowledge that family members, especially in a conservative subculture where rape may still carry a stigma, would have had strong motives to deny it.

In fact, even if one discounts eyewitness accounts as unreliable, the circumstantial evidence of rape chronicled by credible news outlets, such as visual records of womens bodies found exposed below the waist,is grim and strong. And such crimes are hardly inconsistent with other, amply documented acts of terror committed by Hamas that day, such as burning bound victims or killing parents in front of young children.

As for the supposedly racist trope of sexual violence by brown men, the use of rape to terrorize a population has also been widely discussed in the context of Russias war in Ukraine, with no racial aspect.

Whether the Israeli military response against Hamas has shown insufficient effort to spare civilians and crossed the line into retaliation is a separate question that deserves attention and concern. Reports submitted to the U.N.of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees should also be investigated. But it is no less important to remember that the U.N.also acknowledged credible information about ongoing sexual violence towardIsraeli hostages still being held by Hamas.

Above all, the absurd contortions to deny the rapes must be seen as an obscenity often coming from people who claim to be champions of womens rights but who will not speak for dead women who cannot say me too.

Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.

Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.

By Cathy Young

Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.

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Progressives are wrong on Hamas rape denials - Newsday

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I love talking politics. But when I sit down to watch the State of the Union tonight, there will be one thing going through my head: This could have been an email.For years, thats how the State of the Union worked. Well, not an email. It was a letter. Thats how Thomas Jefferson delivered his constitutionally mandated update. But in 1913, Woodrow Wilson delivered his remarks in person, and for better or for worse, the tradition has stuck.

In recent years, this event has become known less for the policy priorities it articulates than for the memes it inspires. Remember when a GOP congressman interrupted Barack Obama and called him a liar? Remember when Nancy Pelosi ripped up Donald Trumps speech? Last year, it was Marjorie Taylor Greene who made newsfor crowing at Biden in a dramatic white coat.

Ive been wondering what it will be like to be in the room this evening, bracing myself for this years outbursts. So, I called up someone who will be, and I asked if she looks forward to it or dreads it. Maybe a little of both, said Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington state. Shes also the leader of Congress progressive caucus. I really looked forward to it when we had all three chambers, because I knew it was going to be a preview of all the incredible things that we were going to try to get done.

This year, as much as Joe Biden might want to put on a display of force, hes facing stiff headwinds on Capitol Hill. In an election year, hes facing stiff headwinds at the ballot box, too.If you look at the polling, part of the presidents problem is that he seems to be losing young people, progressivesexactly the kind of people in Jayapals caucus.So ahead of tonight shes been working behind the scenes to shape what Biden has to say.

We have been corresponding with the White House, and I hope that some of the things that were pushing for get in to the speech, she said. We always talk about the opposition agenda, which is Were better than Trump. But we also have all these things that weve already accomplished and also things that we want to do, our proposition agenda. And Im really looking forward to hearing the president inspire us.

On Thursdays episode of What Next, we spoke with the leader of the House progressive caucus about the State of the Union, 2024, and why shes (still) routing for Biden, even though his campaign is making her nervous. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mary Harris: I want to talk about exactly what you want the president to say tonight, but I want to start by asking about this thing youve been saying in interviews. Youre an unequivocal, enthusiastic supporter of Joe Biden, but youve also said very clearly that you think at this point right now, the Biden coalition has fractured.

And to me, thats notable because when Joe Biden came into office, you were very clear and gave him a lot of praise for bringing together progressives and moderates, getting them all at the same table, and really pushing through some things that made you quite optimistic about his presidency. When did you begin to see this fracturing youre talking about now? And what was the issue that made it clear the fracturing was happening?

Pramila Jayapal: There was definitely a shift in the third year of his presidency when we lost the House and when we started to move towards the presidential election. There was a change in staffing, obviously, and a lot of the strong progressives throughout the administration had done an amazing job for the first two years. We got a lot accomplished. And they left. So there were new relationships to be formed. That was part of it.

But the bigger issues emerged in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and then the corresponding posture that President Biden took towards Israel with unconditional support. And as the humanitarian crisis continued, I was early to call for a cease-fire because I saw what was happening, and I saw that Netanyahu had literally stood against a two-state solution. So I do think that was the beginning.

I am still supporting the president. And his economic agenda is important. But I also am not shy about making it clear that we cannot expect that progressives are just going to turn out because Donald Trump is worse.

We just saw the result in Michigan where 100,000 plus people turned out to vote uncommitted rather than vote for Joe Biden.

Exactly. And it was a significant vote because it was organized around what is happening in Gaza. What Ive tried to explain to the White House over and over again is that this is an issue of deep moral consequence, because people really believe at the core that it is untenable for the United States to be complicit in this war. We are the largest funder of military aid to Israel. Eighty-three percent of the bombs that have been dropped in Gaza are U.S. bombs. And yet were air-dropping 38,000 meals into Gaza when theres 500,000 people starving because Israel wont allow humanitarian aid to go through the border. So, we could lose this election over Democrats and the presidents position on what is happening in Gaza.

There needs to be a dramatic policy shift. I believe we can still win, but I think its got to come soon. And then theres got to be a very deliberate effort to respect where progressives are, to reach out to people, and to really build the kind of relationships that we had to build in the coalition for 2020. That doesnt come just by saying to people, Well, you should just vote for Joe Biden over Donald Trump. Thats not how it works.

Just this weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday civil rights attacks. When she spoke, she called for a cease-fire. Was that the beginning of the moral clarity that youre looking for? To me, it felt like the administrations soft-launching of tougher language when it comes to Israel.

Thats how I saw it, too. And she didnt just say cease-fire. She said immediate cease-fire, which was a big change. This has not happened before from the administration. It was good, strong language. Now we need to back it up with a policy shift, because rhetoric is one thing, but we are continuing to fund this aid. And I dont believe we should be providing any more offensive military aid to Israel. I believe we need to now be pushing Israel to put at the forefront aid into Gaza, reconstruction of Gaza, returning of the hostages, and most importantly, an actual plan, perhaps with new leadership from both Palestinians and Israelis, so that we can get to a long-term peace settlement for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Youve talked about this fracturing of the Democratic coalition. I wonder whether calling for a cease-fire, full-throatedly, might alienate a different corner of the Democratic coalition, different than the progressive corner. And I say that because when I went to Thanksgiving, I sat next to a relative who would deeply disagree with you on the Israel issue. Shed argue that Israel has a right to defend itself in Gaza. And shes an incredibly strong Democrat. What do you tell voters like that?

Well, I think we all agree Israel had a right to defend itself. One of the saddest things for me is that there was so much unity and support for Israel in the days and the moments after Oct. 7.

She would disagree with you on that. She would say there wasnt enough speaking out for Israeli Jews in the wake.

Its very difficult to speak to 100 percent of people on this issue because people do have very strong feelings. But the support for a cease-fire has continued to increase as people have seen what is happening in Gaza. I mean, 30,000 people have been killed and 21,000 of them are women and children. We have babies who are dying of starvation15 just in the last couple of days. Ive talked to a lot of my Jewish friendsin fact, Zionists who are very strongly in support of security for Israel but dont see the path that were on producing that. Even some of the hostage families are saying we need a cease-fire so we can get out the hostages. The only time weve ever had hostages released, well, largely, has been during the last temporary cease-fire.

There are Israelis and Palestinians and Americans from both diaspora communities who want to work towards peace. Maybe we cant get 100 percent, but certainly if you look at, the polling across the country, the vast majority of Americansdo believe that it is very important for us to stop the killing in Gaza, to have a cease-fire or a cessation of hostilities, and to work towards a long-term solution. [Editors note: Its the majority of Democrats who say Israels gone too far in the Gaza war. And about half of all Americans.]

Another big issue Jayapal is hoping to see Bidenand her party at largeswitch gears on is immigration. After House Republicans tanked a bipartisan immigration reform bill last month, Jayapal says its time for Democrats to remember their principles.

I have been distressed by the fact that I see some Democrats doing what Democrats have done for a long time, which is trying to out-Republican Republicans. I dont think it works. Ive worked on the issue for 20 years. It isnt the answer. What I hope the president does is bring a really inclusive message on immigration to the State of the Union and also make the case that the border is not a line that just operates on its own. The chaos at the border is driven by the fact that we have chaos in our immigration system. Our legal immigration system has not been fixed in 30 years, and we need to make the connection for Americans between those two things and make the case for the fact that Republicans continue to block us from doing the kinds of reforms that would actually bring not only security to the border but also would help our economy thrive, help our families thrive, and help our country thrive.

Its interesting to me youre talking about immigration because in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans spent a long time negotiating a deal on immigration that was shut down when Donald Trump said, We cant give Joe Biden a win. This is an election year. But a lot of progressives were really upset by the negotiating that was taking place in the Senate and the things that were coming out of that deal. But then there were other people saying, Well, this is good politics, because now we can say the Republicans shut us down. We would have come to you. We would have given you aggressive stances on the border. At one point, Joe Biden talked about shutting the border down. What do you make of that gamble?

Look, the Republicans have never wanted to fix the immigration issue. They want to leave it out there as a political tool and to drive xenophobia and racism and fear. Thats what we progressives have been saying for a long time is: Dont fall into this trap of only doing harsh enforcement. What weve seen over time is that harsh immigration policies dont work. They didnt work under Donald Trump. We all fought them. To see Democrats embracing some of those things with no conversation at all about these underlying questions of a pathway to citizenship and real reforms that would actually fix things at the border was deeply disappointing. But in the end, Republicans proved exactly what we were saying. They wouldnt even go for the bill that Mitch McConnell called the harshest immigration enforcement bill. And so they showed their true colors. Hopefully Democrats can come back together now and show people that this is what were talking about. Republicans dont want to fix this problem. Democrats do. Heres our solutions.

One of the other things the president is sure to talk about at the State of the Union is reproductive rights, because it is an issue that is incredibly important to voters right now. But Ive heard some frustrated young voters basically throw up their hands and say, It doesnt matter how I vote in November or if I vote in November, because right now, if Im in Texas, I cant get the health care I need, and Joe Biden isnt able to change that. Biden talks about passing legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade, but doing that would involve abolishing the filibuster, which I know you approve of but its something that a lot of people in the Senate have resisted. So the question becomes: Why does it matter? When youre faced with a voter like that, how do you reach them?

Look, we have to change not just the rulersthe people who are in officebut we also have to change the rules. We have rules that were stuck with, and the filibuster is one of them. Joe Biden has said that he would be supportive of reforming the filibuster so that we can codify abortion rights, so that we can codify voting rights. I think we need to get rid of it completely. But we need at least 50 votes in the Senate. And right now, we theoretically have 48. Lets try to get a majority of 51 or 52 in the Senate, and then lets change the rules.

The reality is the filibuster is a Jim Crow legacy rule that stops us from doing so many things that not just young voters but voters across this country want. We have to show young people the path, because theyre so tired of hearing us say that were going to do all these things but not talking to them about how were going to do them. If we explain to people that we need at least a 51-, 52-vote majority in the Senate, and that we are going to demand of our senators that they get rid of the filibuster so that we can do all these things, that is a pathway. But weve got to lay it out for people. We cant just say, Trust us, were going to get it done, because theyve trusted us and we havent explained to them that the rules dont allow it.

Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday.

Weve talked a bit about this fractured Democratic coalition that you feel like youre staring at right now. When will you know that coalition is coming back together again?

Its really a feeling of momentum on the ground. I am a very intuitive person in politics. Back in 2016 when everyone thought that Hillary Clinton was going to win, I was pretty alone in saying Trump is using xenophobia, racism, sexism, and I think hes going to win.

Hes using the greatest hits?

Yeah. And Im a woman of color. I know exactly what this looks like. So, I predicted that he was going to win. And unfortunately, I was right. This time around, and Ive shared this with the White House, I am seeing that fracturing on the ground, the same kind of thing that I was feeling in 2016. I couldnt feel the energy of our progressive base.

Democrats for too long have focused on a swing voter that they define as the independent white suburban woman. She is extremely important. We need her. But what we forget is that the biggest base of swing voters are young people, people of color, progressives who have to be respected and brought into the process because they wont swing to Donald Trump, but they will swing out to the sidelines and not vote at all if they dont feel like theyre being heard, listened to, and brought into the coalition in an active, deliberate way.

Youre saying a very terrifying thing in such a calm way.

Well, yeah, it is terrifying. I think Donald Trump is terrifying. I lived through that first term. I was elected the same night that Donald Trump was elected. And I remember speaking at my first event as a congresswoman-elect the morning after in front of weeping people at our city hall and trying to hold things together for peopleto give hope and to allow people to feel like their voices still mattered.

But Im also hopeful because I dont think that things are set by polls months out from the election. I do feel that the momentum and the work we have to do organizing and the policy shifts that have to happenthe White House has to understand how important the progressive base is. I feel like they really got it in the first two years. They really got it in 2020 when we had the Biden-Sanders unity task forces. And Joe Biden made a real effort to reach out to all different parts of the coalition. We need that again. And we need the importance, the dedication, the respect, and the policy changes.

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Pramila Jayapal State of the Union preview: Joe Biden needs to speak to progressives. - Slate

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Schiffs big win sinks powerhouse progressives  MSNBC

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Schiffs big win sinks powerhouse progressives - MSNBC

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Show Notes:

TRANSCRIPT

Priyanka Aribindi: Its Thursday, March 7th. Im Priyanka Aribindi.

Juanita Tolliver: And Im Juanita Tolliver and this is What a Day where were officially strapping in for the reboot of the 2020 presidential election.

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah, I am usually not a fan of the reboots. We are just going to have to make sure that this one ends the exact same way the last one did.

Juanita Tolliver: The same ending would be good minus, you know, that little bit of uh insurrection on January 6th? You know, we can go without that part.

Priyanka Aribindi: Right you are. That is the update I will accept. [music break] On todays show, Nikki Haley and Dean Phillips suspended their presidential runs. Plus, scientists apparently learned nothing from Jurassic Park because they say that they are getting closer to reviving the extinct wooly mammoth.

Juanita Tolliver: But first, tonight, President Biden delivers his third state of the Union address ahead of this Novembers presidential election. And his audience isnt well, exactly all in on his vision for the country. Itll include the Republicans who are trying to impeach him through his son, Hunter. Axios reports that Republican House speaker Mike Johnson asked GOP members to maintain decorum, but its almost like he doesnt know whos in his conference. Like, have you seen these people? Have you met

Priyanka Aribindi: Laughable.

Juanita Tolliver: these people?

Priyanka Aribindi: Truly laughable.

Juanita Tolliver: The state of the Union is a huge platform with enormous stakes.

[clip of Cody Keenan] Because its the one time where you get a big audience and you can take like, however fractured the country is, or however frustrated people are, how confusing things are. You can tell a story that tries to get everyone kind of on the same page. Youre setting a course for the country.

Priyanka Aribindi: That was former Obama speechwriter Cody Keenan, who recently joined Inside 2024. That is the exclusive series for friends of the pod. Part of the challenge for Biden tonight is to show people that he has still got the energy for the job. And as Keenan says, he also has to convince the public that hes the right choice.

[clip of Cody Keenan] For the people out there and there are a lot who say, why should I vote? Why does it matter? Well.

Priyanka Aribindi: Right.

[clip of Cody Keenan] What do you care about? Because I guarantee you, you care about at least three things. And on those three things, I will bet you there is an enormous difference between the two candidates. And theres a way to set that all up in a way thats not partisan, not political, but that just makes it super clear. And thats the type of thing that I would expect to see.

Juanita Tolliver: Contrast, contrast, contrast. Thats exactly what President Biden is going to be trying to do with his state of the Union address. But Bidens also got to get his progressive base bought in and energized.

Priyanka Aribindi: Right.

Juanita Tolliver: And there are several key issues where activists will be listening closely to what the president says, from immigration to the war in Gaza and more. And we wanted to know what they were hoping to hear tonight.

Priyanka Aribindi: Absolutely. We started first with abortion, which is a topic that weve covered extensively for the past few years on the show. Ever since the fall of Roe in 2022, abortion advocates on the state level have been fighting to protect and maintain a persons right to choose. In the audience for Biden tonight will be Texas OBGYN, Dr. Austin Dennard. In 2022, just after Roe fell, Doctor Dennard found out that she was pregnant. But during a checkup at 11 weeks, this happened.

[clip of Dr. Austin Dennard] I was looking at the ultrasound screen and realizing that our baby had a catastrophic diagnosis of acrania or anencephaly, which is the most severe form of neural tube defect that a pregnancy can have.

Priyanka Aribindi: That is a fatal diagnosis for a fetus. And Doctor Dennard found herself needing an abortion, but because she was in Texas, she needed to travel elsewhere to get that kind of care, and she described how careful she had to be given the states criminal penalties for anyone who assisted her.

[clip of Dr. Austin Dennard] I worried about whether or not we should be buying airplane tickets on our family credit card, because does that mean that my husbands aiding and abetting me?

Juanita Tolliver: Oh my God.

[clip of Dr. Austin Dennard] I didnt want to go alone. He wanted to come with me to support but was that considered aiding and abetting? Um, we were concerned about the safety of our family, too. If someone found out that I was going out of state for an abortion, were they going to come after my family, my children, would they try to take my license away?

Juanita Tolliver: On top of getting a fatal diagnosis for her fetus, now, she had to deal with the ridiculous, harmful laws that Texas has around seeking abortion care. No one should ever have to think about this stuff.

Priyanka Aribindi: Her experience and the experience of helping her patients who struggle to get important reproductive care pushed her to become more politically active. And tonight, shell be at the state of the Union as a guest of her representative, Democratic congressman and Ted Cruzs new Senate challenger, Colin Allred. Here is what she is hoping to hear from President Biden tonight.

[clip of Dr. Austin Dennard] Were at a time now in Texas where weve just hit rock bottom. We have no access to care. We are unable to get any sort of reproductive support. Abortion care is essentially abolished in our state. I hope he spends a significant amount of time talking about reproductive care, and that there can be change on the federal level, um because really Roe was just the beginning. So hearing him talk about reproductive care and how important it is for us to have support is going to be key.

Juanita Tolliver: Key and a very relatable topic considering the number of states in this country who are trying to push forth abortion bans like weve seen inTexas.

Priyanka Aribindi: Abortion bans and these continued attacks, I imagine Alabama and latest IVF rulings there have even more people interested in this. So certainly something people will be watching for.

Juanita Tolliver: Another issue progressives are watching is the war in Gaza. You may remember that the Listen to Michigan campaign was wildly successful on Michigans primary day. More than 100,000 voters cast uncommitted ballots as a way to pressure the Biden administration to take action to prevent more deaths in Gaza. Layla Elabed is the campaign manager for Listen to Michigan. Shes a Palestinian-American and longtime community organizer. She also happens to be the sister of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. She spoke about what it was like seeing the campaign exceed their original goal of 10,000 votes.

[clip of Layla Elabed] Just seeing that number rise up more and more throughout the night. I mean, it felt really exciting. It felt really surreal and it felt really, really emotional especially, its making me emotional now. [laugh]

Juanita Tolliver: And the movement gained more momentum this week. On Super Tuesday, the uncommitted campaign pulled in 19% of the Democratic vote in Minnesota, earning 11 delegates at the Democratic National Convention and a similar movement to vote no preference got 13% of Democratic votes in North Carolina on Tuesday and 9% of the vote in Massachusetts. Elabed says that she hopes that tonight, Biden will at least acknowledge the uncommitted movement and the strong numbers of these protest votes. But she also wants him to take it a step further.

[clip of Layla Elabed] I would hope that at the state of the Union, President Biden would no longer take the stance that risks our democracy, but take the stance of what is right morally and ethically, and be on the right side of history and call for the end of our military aid for Netanyahu to carry out his war crimes and to demand that we have a permanent and immediate cease fire now to save as many lives as possible.

Juanita Tolliver: Yeah, it seems like half measures arent going to appeal to the Listen to Michigan or other voters who voted uncommitted.

Priyanka Aribindi: Definitely. Another issue that has become very important to so much of the electorate is immigration. In a Gallup poll released last week, Americans actually said that it was the top issue facing the country, and immigrants themselves face some of the biggest stakes here. Here is Bruna Sollod, a recipient of DACA or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. That is the Obama era program that protects undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children.

[clip of Bruna Sollod] Theres a very real chance that DACA could go away. Thats the reality that were facing when you have right wing attacks on programs that are so important to so many people.

Priyanka Aribindi: Sollod is the political director at the immigrant rights group United We Dream Action. Right now the legality of DACA is stuck in the courts. And last September, a federal judge in Texas ruled it unlawful. That decision is being appealed, and eventually the case could make its way to the Supreme Court. In the short term, Sollod is looking for President Biden to implement administrative policies that would help immigrants continue to support themselves here.

[clip of Bruna Sollod] There are things the Biden administration can do. Administrative policies to ensure that people are getting their work permits. A delay in a work permit can mean people are fired. Thats a very real thing that DACA recipients deal with when their renewals dont come in in time, a lot of their companies have to let them go. And so what does that look like when you dont have a job and cant pay your bills, cant support your loved ones. So there are administrative things that the administration can do to be supporting immigrants.

Priyanka Aribindi: But she also says that when she hears the president speak tonight, she doesnt want him to get roped in to talking about immigration in the way that Republicans have painted it, as just this crisis at the border.

[clip of Bruna Sollod] We know that oftentimes presidents who are running will go to the middle. Theyll try to go out after those voters. Especially when you think about President Biden, Im sure hes thinking about what who are the Never Trumpers, right? Like, are there folks that would vote for Biden? And so I think his strategy sometimes hes like, okay, well, I can look tough on immigration. The reality is that he actually needs to speak to the progressive voters on the left, the voters who time and time again over the last few years, whether it was 2018, 2020, 2022, turned out for Democrats based on a progressive agenda that actually excited people. Those were the same people that turned out and took to the streets when the Muslim ban came out under Trump, when DACA was being taken away by Trump, there were a lot of allies, a lot of voters who came out in support of pro-immigrant policies. And so for him to just focus on the border or to just use, again, talking points from the Trump administration, it doesnt work for the voters, the multiracial class of voters that he actually needs to turn out in November and needs to win.

Juanita Tolliver: Hey, dont forget about the ones who brung you, right? Like, I think that

Priyanka Aribindi: Totally.

Juanita Tolliver: was the tone of this entire segment. So I appreciate her for saying that. One last issue that we heard from activists on, student loans and the economy. President Biden promised to cancel the debt of millions. The Supreme Court blocked plans to make it universal, but Biden has canceled nearly $140 billion in student loans. And Braxton Brewington from the nonprofit Debt Collective said the president should tout that tonight.

[clip of Braxton Brewington] President Biden has really started to clean up the mass of student debt, public service loan forgiveness, income driven repayment. These types of programs that were not working under the Trump administration and were being held up even under the Obama administration.

Juanita Tolliver: But Brewington hopes that the president says that hes not done, and that hell continue to fight to end student debt despite obstacles from the court. On top of student debt, however, Brewington said that its important that Biden speaks to how America has become unaffordable for so many and that he pledges to address that.

[clip of Braxton Brewington] The truth is the economy doesnt work for working people. Wages are stagnant and way too low. We have a health care, housing and education system that riddles people with mountains of debt before they are able to do things like start a small business, or start a family or get a home. And so it would be great to hear an affirmation of the economy not working for working people. And then people are gaslit into thinking that this economy is great, when truly people are working 2 or 3 jobs to get ahead. People arent going to want to hear that.

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah, definitely something he will be needing to address because there are a lot of differing feelings about numbers and figures that we see versus how people feel in the real world.

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Progressives Explain What They Want Out Of Biden's Big Speech - Crooked

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News + PoliticsDeclaring the end of progressive San Francisco is a bit premature

Only 20 percent of the votes have been counted. And we have heard this story before.

The San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Standard have both declared that this is no longer a progressive city.

That seems a bit premature to me.

The early results from last nights election do, indeed, mostly favor the wing of the Democratic Party that calls itself moderate but is actually, on economic issues, pretty conservative. (I call neoliberals conservatives.)

Ballot measures supported by the mayor that do things like give the police more authority to spy on us all and require drug screening for welfare recipients are passing easily.

The conservatives are heading for control of the Democratic County Central Committee.

But lets hold on a moment here before we pronounce a dramatic shift in local politics.

These results are based on a turnout of 20.9 percent. Four out of every five registered voters have not had their votes counted. There are, as of Wednesday, more ballots still outstanding (110,000) than have been counted so far.

And according to all the maps I have seen, the early ballots, the ones they count first, are overwhelmingly from the most conservative parts of the city.

Look at the data: 22.5 percent of the Democratic votes have been counted. But almost 29 percent of the Republican votes are in. One out of every ten votes counted so far was cast by a Republicans, who represent 7.4 percent of the registered voters.

The early returns always skew conservative, since the more conservative voters tend to turn their ballots in early.

Im not suggesting that the final results will change dramaticallybut only a few hundred votes separate the winners and losers in the DCCC, and its likely that at least a few more progressives will make the cut.

In the end, though, we will have a fairly conservative outcomelargely because of who voted. The Chron noted that in an update this afternoon. The Department of Elections will release more results Thursday at 4pm.

As I said last night, many of the conservative voters turn out anyway, and the mayors attacks on the poor and promotion of the police brought out more of those voters. And the billionaire money made a huge difference, particularly in the DCCC race.

The biggest problem for the progressives, particularly younger voters, was the lack of anything at the top of the ticket to inspire them to vote.

People on the left in San Francisco, by and large, are not happy with Joe Biden. So, either as a protest or as a matter of disinterest, some of then stayed home.

Check out this chart, from the Department of Elections. Turnout is highest when theres something at the top of the ticketand that is also when progressives do best.

In November, if theres a candidate progressives can support running for mayor, theres a good chance that the presidential race and the mayors race will bring out enough voters on the left to make a big difference in the supes races and on ballot measures.

The impact of the tech workers who have moved to town in the past ten years is becoming real. At first, they werent voting; now, apparently, they are. We all knew this was going to happen; as longtime activist Calvin Welch likes to say, who lives here, votes here, and as displacement forces out the working class and communities of color, the city gets more conservative. The Yimby pro-market approach to issues like housing, and the pro-police approach to social problems, has become more appealing to the wealthier residents.

Maybe wave after wave of gentrification will ultimately usher in a neoliberal majority on the Board of Supes and a more conservative body politic.

But Ive been around a long time. In the 1980s, the city was run almost entirely by economic (and often social) conservatives like Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who had more than six call-up votes on an at-large board. Frank Jordan, a former police chief, was elected mayor in 1991. In the later 1990s, Mayor Willie Brown controlled the supes and his pro-developer politics dominated the city. The left was always in the minority and on the ropes.

Gavin Newsom get elected mayor by attacking poor people with a ballot measure called Care not Cash, which passed with a clear majority.

The DCCC used to be controlled by the old Brown-Burton Machine, which made sure that progressive Harry Britt, the heir to Harvey Milks supervisorial seat, lost a generational, defining Congressional race to machine candidate Nancy Pelosi.

Conservative election outcomes are not new. Neoliberal mayors have run San Francisco for much of past half century.

But recent years have shown a remarkable uprising of progressive candidates and causes. The young, organized, diverse left in this city is as strong as Ive seen it.

So after all this time, Im not ready to write the obituary for the progressive city.

Read more:
Declaring the end of progressive San Francisco is a bit premature - 48 hills - 48 Hills

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