Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said policy differences toward Israel between her and President Biden won’t stop her from supporting him in the November general election.
“Of course,” Omar said Tuesday, when asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip on “NewsNight” whether she would vote for Biden if the election were held that day, in a clip highlighted by Mediaite. “Democracy is on the line, we are facing down fascism.”
“And I personally know what my life felt like having Trump as the president of this country, and I know what it felt like for my constituents, and for people around this country and around the world,” Omar continued. “We have to do everything that we can to make sure that does not happen to our country again.”
Tankie seems to be a term that means very different things to various people. I see it as someone, typically a leftist, who makes excuses for an authoritarian government opposed to the US. In this sense, the people who disparage Palestinian protesters are actually closer to Tankie than the protesters. They make excuses for the genocidal actions of a country they like.
I suppose that would be my definition of it. Someone who makes excuses for the genocidal actions of a country they like, for whatever reason. Typically applies to leftists but not always.
Afaik it comes from the Chinese and Russian propensity to end protests with tanks. So it’s unconditional support for authoritarian regimes with communist or socialist branding.
Yeah I think you’re right. The salient point is moreso the unconditional support for authoritarian regimes. Since communism/socialism aren’t as big in Russia and China these days I think it probably fits “anti Western” countries better.
Which, there’s nothing inherently wrong with being positioned as anti West. The problem is when Tankies see it as an absolute – anything done by an anti Western power must be a good thing since they’re anti West. A Tankie doesn’t consider that those countries can be just as bad, if not worse.
There’s gotta be a name for this sorta line of thinking, where the enemy of a bad guy simply has to be a good guy. Whatever fallacy this would be forgets that the enemy of a bad guy can not only be another bad guy, but a worse bad guy. There’s certainly issues with the West, but a unipolar Russian (read: Putin) hegemony would be far, far worse.
It probably falls under either/or. Falsely assuming it must be one of two choices.
In any case, I’m glad to see you’re a reasonable person as well.
I do try. Sometimes I lose my cool though.
We all do. Plus we make assumptions and fire from the hip. It happens.