Bernie Sanders Condemns Billionaires, Supports AIPAC-Backed Aid
While Senator Sanders champions the fight against the ultra-rich, his voting record occasionally paints a more nuanced picture of 'democracy's hijackers.' He voted YES on HR 815, the foreign aid package that included $14 billion for Israel, funding that benefits defense contractors and, yes, billionaires. This despite his recent rhetoric condemning governments for 'killing thousands of innocent
Palestinian children and women.' (CNN, 3.1.2024) One might wonder where the 'No Kings' stance applies when powerful lobbying groups like AIPAC, which spent a reported $4.2 million in 2022 lobbying Congress (OpenSecrets.org), consistently push for such aid. Is it truly 'hijacking democracy' when domestic special interests influence policy, but 'necessary' when foreign interests do, especially when
those interests align with perpetuating seemingly endless conflicts? (Democracy Now!, 'Bernie Sanders Criticizes Israel… But Backs Bill That Funds Its Military,' 3.13.2024)