cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/33487836
By MEE staff
Published date: 21 July 2025 21:11 BSTThe New York lawmaker voted against an amendment by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene last week that sought to block $500m in Congress’ annual defence spending bill for Israel’s Iron Dome programme.
Fellow Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar [as well as Democrats Al Green of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky - PL] had supported Taylor Greene’s amendment, which eventually lost in a 422-6 vote.
In a post on X on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Greene’s amendment did “nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza”.
AOC’s post:
So, this is a dumb explanation. It’s like saying you would never support giving a knight a sword, just armor and a sheild. The armor and sheild are what let’s him mow down peasants on the battlefield with impunity, you can’t separate them out.
That being said, this is getting fucking ridiculous. The amendment was never going to pass (it got 6 votes), so this was entirely symbolic. Beyond that, she voted against the defense spending bill it was attached to, so in end, she didn’t support arms to anyone. She’s also one of the strongest voices on Gaza in congress (an admittedly low bar); she’s been voting against sending arms to Israel since before October 7th, she usually votes, “present,” on Iron Dome funding, and she’s called what’s happening in Gaza a genocide on the House floor. I can count on one hand the number of U.S. politicians willing to say, “genocide,” when talking about Israel. Behind Omar and Talib, she’s probably the most reliable pro-Palestinian Representative.
I’m assuming that she had some reason for voting against the amendment, and I assume it has to do with optics. Maybe she she thought siding with MTG would hurt her, maybe she thought voting against the Iron Dome would make her vulnerable to AIPAC attacks. It sucks, but Bowman and Bush both lost their seats to AIPAC money. The reality is you have to play politics sometimes, and if that means not making a symbolic vote for a doomed amendment, that’s not the worst compromise to make.
I’m not sure I understand this argument. Everything is essentially money. If America gives them funding for the Iron Dome, that leaves Israel with more money to buy offensive weapons.
Exactly. Remember this when people claim we can turn the Democratic party with progessive candidates. The progressive candidates are the ones always turned by the Dems, not the other way around. It’s their MO.
AOC is a beautifully blooming neoliberal, and it’s time for all to stop worshipping her. She had proven over and over again that she’ll vote for neo-liberal interests above all and justify it by wrapping it with a bow of humanity.
Think of all the American lives that could be saved with that money before you justify spending on the iron dome to protect foreigners from the consequences of committing Genocide. AOC is not your friend.
Do you even know how to read? Read her actual response. This amendment does NOTHING to stop aid to Israel.
I think you maybe misread it. It does nothing to stop offensive weapons. It does cut off “defensive” weapons.
I dont agree with her assumption that defensive weapons are fine but offensieve weapons are what needs to stop. Defensive weaponsallow Israel to act with impunity. They are part of the problem. If we are supplying Israel with defensive weapons and we are all just ok with that, we should supply lebanon, Iran, Palestine, Egypt, and syira with defenesive weapons too, if they are such peaceful and righteous things? And why is it on the US taxpayer to pay for these? We aren’t Israel’s daddy and we dont owe them anything. Let them buy their own. They have free college, free health care, etc, and we dont.
Here it is again: AOC’s post:
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza. Of course I voted against it.
What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.
I have long stated that I do not believe that adding to the death count of innocent victims to this war is constructive to its end. That is a simple and clear difference of opinion that has long been established.
I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza.
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Which mod removed this comment and why?
Probably for civility, because it told me to “f off Ivan”
I’m not offended that they told me to f off, but I’m deeply frustrated that I keep getting accused of being a Russian propagandist or a MAGAT when criticizing liberals instead of engaging with what I’m saying.
I’m not a republican, I’m a socialist Palestinian.
I think supporting Hamas might be the reasoning. Also fuck Isreal too. I didn’t want to even dip my toe in that old conflict , yet here i go… full STOP no more funding to isreal, a real cease fire . Sue Isreal for the rebuilding of Palestine minus Hamas
The modlog is public I believe
There are two types of people who use the term neo liberal, people spreading Russian propaganda, and people who consume it
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The term for the predominant political and economic theory implemented by American and European powers since the 1980s is just Russian propaganda now?
What the hell else is supposed to be used instead?
I have another comment saying the same exact thing as above, but I took the time to respond more eloquently, and it has the complete opposite reaction.
Clearly my message wasn’t communicated will in the comment, but holy moly it’s frustrating how they constantly jump to “you’re a Russian bot” for legitimate criticism of their own side.
My dudes, both parties want you poor and working until you’re dead while they hoard all the wealth for their children.
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She’s not a neo liberal… Maybe she’ll become a liberal at worst
I believe she’s a good person, I believe she’s a true blue progressive…I just think she has terrible political instincts. It seems like she’s making backroom deals that don’t benefit her positions or even herself
I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. And I don’t think Bernie has been a good influence
We need fighters, and it’s been too long since she actually fought. I still think she’ll be part of the solution, but she’s not panning out into what I hoped she’d be
Everything you typed after this implies the opposite. It’s painful to accept that someone you admired might no longer be who you thought they were. But the sooner you let go of that attachment, the clearer things become. She is not your friend. You do not join the Democratic Party to fight it from within. You join it to become part of its machinery.
Look at her record and measure it against her rhetoric. She voted to fund the Iron Dome in 2021 and then cried on the House floor. That was not courage. That was shame. She has now voted against cutting funding to Israel’s military while bombs are falling on Gaza. She condemns genocide and then votes to fund it. That is not strategy. That is betrayal.
She avoids confrontation with her party even when that party is enabling mass death. She speaks of justice, then backs imperial budgets. She delays, reframes, and pacifies while Palestinians are being erased. Her presence is soothing for liberals and neutralizing for movements. She functions as a release valve. She gives you a reason to believe in a system that should be dismantled.
You said she might be making backroom deals that do not benefit her or her ideals. That is what co-optation looks like. It does not require corruption. It only requires surrender. It happens when staying in the room becomes more important than changing what the room represents.
It is not that she is inactive. It is that she actively helps preserve a violent status quo. That makes her dangerous in a different way. Not because she is cruel, but because she is trusted.
Being disappointed is honest. But if you continue to hold onto the belief that she is still part of the solution, you will miss what she has already become. She is no longer a fighter. She is now a barrier.
She’s not a barrier, she’s still signal boosting progressives all over. She’s just not the fighter we need, but she’s not truly compromised… At least not yet
We can’t just totally disavow people at the first mistake. She’s still on our team, even if she’s getting valid criticism and responding terribly.
I honestly wonder why she came out crying, and since then has actually been consistent on the iron dome. What did Pelosi say? What did she show her? My guess is she showed her dead Israeli children from before the iron dome. Her position is coherent, it’s just naive
And I think Bernie is the main reason she hasn’t been vocal in her criticism for Democrats. AOC has been open in that she doesn’t know what she’s doing but is trying her best…I believe she’s still is. Now she’s just getting bad/dated guidance and turning into another Bernie
And Bernie has been consistent and good his entire career… I’m confident she’ll be the same
That being said, I thought people were mostly being sexist when they said she was too young to be president… But now I just think she doesn’t have the sauce
She’s still on our side, she just can’t be the leader. And that’s disappointing
How many chances does she get? This is the second time she makes the same mistake, are you gonna still count it as one mistake the third time?
Yep.
It’s one issue, and she’s not out there declaring fealty to Israel, it’s specifically the iron dome. It’s a bad take, but I think it’s an honest one. I think she doesn’t have the stomach to do the math with civilian lives, she’s just trying to save everyone, which is understandable but naive
I feel for the Palestinians, but they’re already building camps and disappearing people in our country. The only way to actually stop this is to twist Bibi’s nuts until he allows the world to come in and enforce an end to this.
And we’re never going to do that without progressives in power anyways, so we can’t declare her lost over a less than perfect take on one issue. And she is with us on putting a stop to this
Hell, for all I know Pelosi showed her IDF plans to glass the entire strip instantly if the dome ever goes down
My real problem is how she handled the criticism. That part was weak and whiny, someone with the sauce would have owned it. She could have said “look, I hear you, but this is a hard choice and I can only do what I think is right”. She could have just taken it on the chin and waited for it to go away.
Instead she tried to weasel out of it, and that’s what losers do. And we’re all going to die if we don’t start winning, so I still want her high up in Democratic leadership. I definitely want her on the team
I just think she isn’t the hero we all rally behind, and unfortunately Mumdani can’t be president
I think too many people get caught up on having the perfect candidate and can’t see the other good things a candidate can do. She’s still leagues better than a majority of democrats
Agreed. And it’s a real problem on the left, because we actually believe in things.
We really need to take a breath, ask where are we and where do I want us to go, and ask if this person is pushing in the same general direction
It’s all about momentum