Many Israeli and American political commentators seem to believe that the Biden administration’s support for Israel following October 7 risks alienating the Democratic party’s progressive base. There is little doubt that a vocal segment of the American far left is incensed with the White House over the issue. But does this slice of the population hold anything akin to electoral clout? Seth Mandel doesn’t think so, notwithstanding the fact that a congressman told a journalist off the record that the Israel-Hamas war “is a disaster politically.”
Plenty of polling shows a segment of the Democratic party to be unhappy with Biden’s handling of the war, but those surveys do not suggest that turning on Israel would make sense from an electoral standpoint. . . . Additionally, support for the Palestinians has dropped three points among respondents ages eighteen to thirty-four, precisely the demographic supposedly ready to toss Biden overboard over Gaza.
Lastly, many of those who disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war believe he ought to support Israel even more strongly. Gallup found about 40 percent thought that what the U.S. has done so far to back Israel in the war is “not enough.”
Biden isn’t endangering his reelection by supporting Israel. Instead, members of his party appear to wish the president was in more trouble than he is.
Read more on Commentary: https://www.commentary.org/seth-mandel/democrats-should-stop-panicking-over-bidens-israel-support/