Chris Rabb, Hasan Piker, and the Uncomfortable Practice of Liberal Democracy

TLDR: Chris Rabb has been criticized for campaign with Hasan Piker. I understand why people, and especially Jewish people are uncomfortable with the stridency in the debate over Israel and Palestine. I argue however that living with discomfort and working with people who we agree with on some issues and disagree with on others is part of life in a functioning liberal democracy. So is engaging in debates with them. I draw the line at work with racists, sexists, bigots, and antisemites. While some of the things Piker has said come up to that line they don’t cross it.  Most importantly, he is not an anti-semite. The Whole Story it is a lot harder to be a liberal progressive Jew than it used to be. Disputes over the Israel-Palestine conflict can be very uncomfortable for us. But we need to deal with our discomfort about Israel / Palestine in other… Continue reading

Chris Rabb is the kind of US Representative We Need To Deal with the Crisis of Our Times.

THESE ARE NOT NORMAL TIMES. AND THAT’S WHY WE NEED TO ELECT CHRIS RABB TLDR; This country is in a deep crisis. We need bold leaders in the Democratic Party with a different vision for the future. No freshman member of Congress with no seniority is going to play a major legislative role. But AOC showed us that a new member with a talent for publica advocacy and connections to progressive advocacy groups can help move the country in the right direction. Sharif Street is the best of the establishment. But establishment policies and political practices can’t save us. Chris Rabb promises to be a very different kind of leader who will join with other progressive to give us the best chance to save our republic. THE WHOLE STORY I’ve said a few times that I like and respect Sharif Street very much. In any normal year, I could support… Continue reading