Is Bernie Sanders a Lefty on Everything Except for Israel?

[Lodestar]

The scene at the town hall in the village of Cabot, Vermont last summer was chaotic : First came a question about Israel’s ongoing bombings in Gaza; then an interruption from audience members angry at Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Another interruption followed. And then, onstage, Senator Bernie Sanders, sleeves rolled to his elbows, shouted at a constituent to shut up.
Tens of thousands have viewed a video of the August 2014 confrontation on YouTube. Sanders has been excoriated on some left-wing blogs for the outburst, which many see as a sign of his enduring support for Israel.
But Sanders’ annoyed shut-down of the critic of Israel, and pieces of his lecture on the dangers of Hamas that followed, may mask a deeper trend in the self-described socialist’s thinking: An examination of Sanders’s record suggests that the 2014 Gaza conflict may have been a turning point, after which he has been more critical of the Israeli government.


Read more: http://forward.com/news/national/310087/is-bernie-sanders-a-lefty-except-for-israel/#ixzz3ikWofUfm


Oops...someone told me this article may not be acceptable on this website so please feel free to remove it if that is the case. Just thought it was interesting to learn what a Jewish candidate felt about these issues and quite frankly I can't imagine why Israel and our policies toward it is a matter that can or should be eliminated from the political discussion by any candidate.

[onehandle]

1. Uh-oh... nt

[6chars]

2. He is respectful of people.

That is an admirable trait. While he is supportive of Israel, he is respectful of everyone involved, and when he is critical of Israel he is still respectful in what he says. We can learn a lot from this man.

[mucifer]

3. There is an Israel/Palestine forum on DU

[Lodestar]

5. Does that mean there is no issue with this topic or is there

a designated place for only that topic? Is this topic welcome here in Good Reads? This article isn't really about Israel/Palestine so much as it is about a candidate so not sure where to put it.

[mucifer]

7. Good question. I'm not sure.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I don't think support for Israel is a right/left thing.

Most people on DU I would assume are left but if you go to the Israel/Palestine group you will find Israel supporters and detractors. This is just an example.

[Lodestar]

6. If this article is any indication, it sounds like Bernie would prefer

to not be pigeonholed on the subject, or beholding to any group left or right.
Certainly he would most likely prefer that the issue not be such a polarizing topic
and yet people seem unwilling to meet in the middle.

[aethia]

8. No one is perfect

I get tired when people say things like, "I like everything about ?????? but I won't vote for them because of ????????." No one is a perfect candidate.

[daybranch]

9. actually he is a lefty on this too

by supporting the two state solution. Go Bernie!

[TBF]

10. He wants a two-state solution as I do -

and Netanyahu definitely does NOT. Salon article where Bernie is interviewed: http://www.salon.com/2015/06/16/bernie_sanders_im_not_a_great_fan_of_benjamin_netanyahu_partner/

I think Bernie is moderate when it comes to gun control - that's the only one I can give you. Other than that he is fairly left.