VIEWPOINT | Gutsy Democrats start turning on the far Left

Column by Froma Harrop

A revolution brews in the Democratic Party, and it’s not the usual left-wing threats to sabotage moderate Democratic candidates. It’s the Democratic mainstream telling the fringe to go pound sand.

The causes change. It used to be defunding police. Now it is the war in Gaza. Irritation among moderate Democrats has been growing for some time, but this issue has them breaking free. 

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The self-liberating Democrats include John Fetterman, senator from Pennsylvania, and Ritchie Torres, congressman from the Bronx. Both have expressed strong support for Israel’s efforts to dismantle Hamas. Both shrug at the displeasure of their party’s radicals. 

Once regarded a progressive icon, Fetterman says he now doesn’t care that the left doesn’t like him. The left didn’t like Joe Biden either, and he not only beat Donald Trump in 2020; he vanquished their socialist Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries.

For the record, Fetterman doesn’t subscribe to the comic-book villain-versus-hero reading of the Gaza conflict. He stated, “Without destroying Hamas, there will be no enduring peace and a stable, two-state solution.” But he also said, “I would be the last man standing to be absolutely there on the Israeli side on this with no conditions.” 

Then there’s Torres. Half-Black, half-Latino and gay, Torres provides the fringes with a solid checklist of approved identities. He’s just too smart to hand his soul over to them. 

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