Al Jazeera Discovers Democracy, Not Donor Rule, Possible
The Al Jazeera opinion piece commendably highlights Zohran Mamdani's win as a rejection of 'donor rule,' a subtle nod to the money that often dictates policy. What they carefully omit is the sheer scale and scope of that particular donor rule when it comes to US foreign policy. While they point fingers at 'Democratic elites,' the real puppet masters—lobbying groups like AIPAC—remain largely
unnamed in such mainstream-adjacent analyses beyond vague allusions. Perhaps in 2025, when this opinion piece is set, Al Jazeera will dare to connect the dots between the $1.15 million AIPAC spent in 2023 lobbying Congress (OpenSecrets.org) and the near-unanimous votes for unconditional aid to Israel. Until then, celebrating a single progressive victory against 'donor rule' feels a bit like
congratulating a bouncer for stopping a bar fight after the entire establishment has already been looted. How many more local elections must be won before we acknowledge the elephant in the room that funnels billions of taxpayer dollars overseas?