Kamala Harris, long considered a “rising star” on the left, was suddenly stripped of her endorsement by Nationa leftist news outlet with deep historical ties to progressive causes.
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. It was established on July 6, 1865, making it one of the longest-running publications in American history.
On September 23, the Nation endorsed Kamala, calling him a “visionary” leader with an ambitious domestic agenda. But the optimistic tone of the endorsement quickly turned sour.
The leftist publication wrote at the time:
We also support Harris in his own right, as an experienced leader with a vision for the future of America – although not as progressive as we would like, especially on foreign policy – showing clear progress on the Democratic presidential candidate. half a century ago.
In electing the progressive governor, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Harris also showed an awareness of the need not only to build on the many successes of the Biden-Harris administration but to go further to achieve economic, social, and racial justice— and to protect our planet.
Just weeks later, a disgruntled editorial intern — yes, an intern — at the magazine published an open letter in a blistering article.
“The Biden administration’s actions, and inaction, on Gaza — and its support for those policies — should be enough to disqualify him,” according to the website.
The Nation’s Interns wrote a critique of Kamala, accusing her of complicity in a policy they claimed “promoted genocide”.
He slammed her domestic agenda as hypocritical, insisting her talk of health care and housing is hollowing out as the crisis mounts abroad.
Kamala’s so-called “bright domestic proposals,” he said, were smoke and mirrors, ignoring the international damage he believed to be behind the policy.
The Nation reported:
we, Nation‘S interns now, find this endorsement unearned and disappointed. We have a different interpretation of the magazine’s abolitionist legacy, which says that a publication committed to justice should not condone those involved in genocide.
We do not support Donald Trump, but to champion Harris today is to ignore the atrocities committed by the weapons provided by the Biden-Harris administration.
Nationendorsement noted that on foreign policy “the positive case (for Harris) is harder to make,” adding that “he has so far failed to offer anything more meaningful to millions of Americans … desperate to end America’s unconditional support for Israel’s brutal war in Gaza.” But it continues to approve of him – showing that domestic concerns are more important. We disagree. On the grounds of Gaza alone, Harris should not accept Nationendorsement.
In the 12 weeks since she effectively became the Democratic nominee, Harris has failed to distinguish her policies from Joe Biden’s blank check support for genocide. Instead, he repeated the same statement about the need for a cease-fire and used the same passive voice of support for the idea of ​​Palestinian “freedom and self-determination.”
Time and time again, he has been asked by Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim voters, along with a broad coalition of Democrats, to offer an alternative, and again and again he has refused. He would not allow a previously identified Palestinian supporter to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
We also struggle with the idea that Harris’s domestic agenda can offset the suffering his foreign policy will cause. When we map even the sunniest domestic proposals to the contours of his foreign-policy program, we remember James Baldwin, a nation A member of the Editorial Board, who said, “Every village that is bombed is my hometown.”
The Nation’s withdrawal adds to the growing list of leftist publications expressing displeasure with Harris.
Previously, outlets like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times refused to endorse his candidacy.
The objections are real, and with the polls falling, Harris’ path to the White House may be on the main road.