Also didn’t help being so adamant dismissing claims of all sexual violence on oct 7. He didn’t understand his constituents which changed slightly in redistricting, and for some reason the Bernie and AOC rallies occurred like 10 miles outside of his district which was most at risk for primary. Probably doesn’t help referring to all people with any sympathy towards Israel as being part of a Zionist regime. Probably should have focused more on domestic issues that got him elected instead of focusing heavily on foreign policy that was divisive in his district.
He doesn’t strike me as a particularly thoughtful or talented politician, but the situation in Gaza is particularly fraught. Nuance doesn’t fit into a campaign slogan, and you’d have to be better at this to thread the needle between Zionism and anti-Semitism. I’m certain he would have preferred to make the primary about domestic issues, but his opponent wanted to make it about Israel/Palestine.
I didn’t really follow the campaign, but you’d think “my opponent wants to talk about Israel and Palestine, but I want to talk about you, our community and its needs” would be an easy way to get out of that.
Maybe, but there is a significant Jewish population in New York for whom no other issues matter. So you’d have to be an excellent politician to sell that line after you’ve already used the “Z” word. Bowman is not an excellent politician. He seems like a decent human being, in over his head and unprepared to defend his positions from all sides. I wish he was better, because we need more progressives in leadership positions, and the centrists will use this to continue to sell the line that progressives can’t win elections.
Also didn’t help being so adamant dismissing claims of all sexual violence on oct 7. He didn’t understand his constituents which changed slightly in redistricting, and for some reason the Bernie and AOC rallies occurred like 10 miles outside of his district which was most at risk for primary. Probably doesn’t help referring to all people with any sympathy towards Israel as being part of a Zionist regime. Probably should have focused more on domestic issues that got him elected instead of focusing heavily on foreign policy that was divisive in his district.
He doesn’t strike me as a particularly thoughtful or talented politician, but the situation in Gaza is particularly fraught. Nuance doesn’t fit into a campaign slogan, and you’d have to be better at this to thread the needle between Zionism and anti-Semitism. I’m certain he would have preferred to make the primary about domestic issues, but his opponent wanted to make it about Israel/Palestine.
I didn’t really follow the campaign, but you’d think “my opponent wants to talk about Israel and Palestine, but I want to talk about you, our community and its needs” would be an easy way to get out of that.
Maybe, but there is a significant Jewish population in New York for whom no other issues matter. So you’d have to be an excellent politician to sell that line after you’ve already used the “Z” word. Bowman is not an excellent politician. He seems like a decent human being, in over his head and unprepared to defend his positions from all sides. I wish he was better, because we need more progressives in leadership positions, and the centrists will use this to continue to sell the line that progressives can’t win elections.