Our Revolution on the Democratic “Mood Shift” on Gaza and the Crisis of Credibility
Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese Comments as a Record Number of Senate Democrats Back Sanders’ Resolution to Block Bomb Sales to Israel—Exposing the Hollow Rhetoric and Performantive Politics of Those Who Condemn Famine but Still Fund Genocide, While the Base Leads a Moral and Political Realignment
Washington, DC — Yesterday, in a watershed moment for U.S. foreign policy, a majority of Senate Democrats voted to block offensive weapons shipments to Israel, backing Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolution to halt an $18 billion arms sale and signaling a long-overdue shift away from blank-check support for the Netanyahu government’s brutal war in Gaza.
By a vote of 27-72, the resolution failed—blocked by every Republican present and 17 Democrats. But 26 Democratic Senators joined Sanders in voting yes, marking the first time a majority of the Senate Democratic caucus has voted to stop arming Israel in the midst of its ongoing assault on Palestinian civilians.
This is a turning point. But it’s also a moment of reckoning for those who continue to speak out of both sides of their mouth.
Senators Jon Ossoff, Jack Reed, and Sheldon Whitehouse flipped their votes after previously supporting a similar resolution—an unconscionable move as the death toll from famine and bombing continues to climb. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Cory Booker—both of whom have accepted significant funding from AIPAC and pro-Israel lobby groups—voted to block arms sales despite their past records defending military aid to Israel.
“These votes don’t erase the fact that AIPAC and its billionaire donors have had a stranglehold on Democratic foreign policy for years,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution. “That grip is finally starting to break—but the damage to trust in the Democratic Party and our democracy is real. Base voters see the influence of money, and they’re sick of it.”
Even with these contradictions, the momentum is shifting. Despite AIPAC’s millions in attack ads and threats, high-profile Democrats like Schumer and Booker could not ignore the moral urgency and public outrage any longer. They are not leading—they are catching up.
Polling shows just how out of step the political class has been:
- 78% of NYC Democratic primary voters believe Israel is committing genocide (Data for Progress)
- 46% believe Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war
- A majority support restricting U.S. weapons to Israel
Only 8% of Democrats nationwide approve of Israel’s military campaign (Gallup)
###
Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots independent political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.