Genocide denial. Anti-Muslim bigotry. A twin brother voting to the right of nearly 75 Republicans. Florida deserves better. Fortunately, we have Angie Nixon.
Hi. GovTrack here. Please don't fabricate things we didn't say. "Voting to the right of 75 MAGA Republicans." did not come from our website. The chart you screenshotted from our website is an analysis of sponsorship/cosponsorship of legislation, i.e. who cosponsors whose bills, not votes.
I am a Floridian and was considering support for Alexander Vindman, but after hearing him dance around what is happening in Gaza, I will not support him. Laxity?? What Israel is doing in Gaza, the settlements, and in Lebanon cannot be excused.as mere “laxity” It must be called out by everyone, but anyone who would ask to represent us for what it is — genocide! I will be voting for Angie Dixon and would encourage others here in Florida to do the same!
Sir, in that portion of your post regarding genocide you have conflated two things. Yes, credible human rights organizations have declared Israel’s actions in Gaza to be genocide, but that is not a legal determination (the crime of genocide has a legal definition, distinct from other war crimes and crimes against humanity). However, as Col. Vindman pointed out, genocide is a legal determination that comes with certain obligations on other law-abiding nations (including our own). That legal determination has not been made (at least not yet) by the UN, the ICC, or the ICJ. No doubt that was why Vindman was cautious as to not specifically calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. The ICJ in January 2024 ruled that it is plausible that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide, and ordered Israel to prevent all genocidal acts, prevent and punish incitement, and submit a progress report to the Court. The main trial, which will determine whether or not Israel has violated the Genocide Convention, is still in it’s preliminary stages as the ICJ awaits formal legal memorandums from both parties, including 18 nations’ submissions of their interpretations of the Genocide Convention.
The ICC warrants for Netanyahu and certain others of the Israeli leadership are for Crimes against Humanity and certain war crimes; they are not for genocide. These are all heinous, but again under the Genocide Convention a determination of genocide imposes legal obligations on all signatories to the Convention, including the U.S. , even if it is not the state committing the genocide (the Duty to Prevent even if not directly involved in the conflict; the Duty to Punish; the Prohibition of Complicity to ensure they do not aid, abet, or otherwise facilitate genocidal acts.)
And in your critique of the voting record of Col. Vindman’s brother, Congressman Vindman, you neglected to include the information that the Congressman voted with the Democratic Party majority 91% of the time, opposing the party majority in only 7 out of 553 recorded votes.
As for Col. Vindman’s remarks that there is a strain within the Muslim community that descends into antisemitism, the ADL and other watchdog groups have noted several (this is, by no means a besmirching of all Muslims or even a majority, nor even all members of the groups named belo, but it does exist to some degree);
Sabiquin: led by Imam Abdul Alim Musa in D.C. and Imam Abdul Malik advocates for a global Islamic state. Its leaders regularly speak on campuses where, per ADL watchdogs, they compare Jewish people to Nazis, praised Hamas and Hezbollah (both of which are classified as terrorist organizations), and advanced antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): while CAIR operates primarily as a a prominent Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, several of its national and regional leaders have faced scrutiny for antisemitic rhetoric. According to ADL monitoring reports, National Executive Director Nihad Awad, LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, and San Francisco Director Zahra Bilhoo have infused criticism of Zionism with classic antisemitic tropes - alleging that “Zionist donors” covertly fund and control US law enforcement, media, and Islamophobic networks.
American Muslims for Palestine - Watchdogs identify AMP’s anti-Israel mobilization frequently uses rhetoric crossing into antisemitism. Its leadership has frequently been criticized for promoting tropes about undue Jewish influence, praising violent attacks against Israelis, and calling for broad boycotts specifically targeting mainstream Jewish community organizations.
The level of disinformation in your post indicates to me that facts don't actually matter.
I've learned that people who justify genocide the way you have are unfortunately not serious about human rights or international law, and there is nothing that can be said to them to convince them otherwise. Good luck.
Sir, I certainly did NOT justify genocide and you are deliberately misinterpreting my comments and I resent your comments that I don’t care about it. I certainly do. However, for a lawyer (and I am one), you should comprehend the difference between a legal adjudication of “genocide” and its resultant triggering obligations under the Genocide Convention, vice the determinations by NGOs of genocide. Indeed, it very well yet may be adjudicated that the Netanyahu government has committed genocide; its actions are certainly heinous and I do not doubt they are war crimes.
Well, that’s disappointing. Thanks for pointing this out. Another white kkkristian nationalist. Or white privileged male who thinks they know better than everyone.
What is happening in Palestine is genocide. Period! Netanyahu to blame. If he’s with Netanyahu, he is in the wrong. Netanyahu is just another evil dictator
Democrats have a red-repub problem. Corp, conservative DINOs see an opportunity to exploit voter fears, suffering under magaT facism amd they're taking it. The Vindmans aren't the only republicans with a D after their name who vote against democracts. The congress & senate have several...Fetterman, Masto, Rosen, Pappas, Perez etc.
Folks, it more important NOW to research, select the primary candidates who represent you and your interests. So pick up the phone and get to surfing, scrolling their websites and voting records. Lives depend on your votes.
This a great article Qasim. I was more than a little surprised that Vindman is so anti-Muslim, anti-gun control and all. Maybe I shouldn't be but I haven't been following his or his twin's careers closely. I thank you for reminding me that I should do my homework even on the candidates that don't affect me directly. (I live on the opposite side of the country). The term Democrate has a much wider scope of political views than I imagined.
I just note that the most recent polling puts a Moody vs Vindman matchup at 49% to 42%. By contrast, the same polling for s Moody vs Nixon race is 51% to 38%. A Nixon candidacy appears quixotic, while a Vindman candidacy appears possible. I would like to see the Senate gavel in the hands of a Democrat in January 2027, to be able to halt Trump’s appointments and start submitting the administration to real oversight and the power of the purse. A Nixon candidacy will lose that critical seat, when Vindman may win it. Enough with the progressive purity tests - wake up to the political realities. First we must win elections to be able to make changes.
And that's with absurd money and name recognition already given to Vindman and denied to Nixon. It's the old playbook that we need a center right democrat to appeal to the GOP base and get their voters, while ignoring the left and the Democratic base. It's a losing strategy. It doesn't work.
Vindman already has national name recognition. Nixon is a local Florida politician who simply doesn’t. It isn’t a case of her being “denied” such. The circumstances are that she just isn’t really in a position to have received it - probably not even state-wide, certainly not nationally. For better or worse, name recognition is vitally important both in fundraising (including drawing small dollar donations from out of state donors) and voting. Nixon just doesn’t have it, however admirable her record or policies may be.
Purity tests within the party have killed us in past elections. The Perfect is the enemy of the Good Enough to Win. I’m old enough to remember the Nader candidacy. And enough Bernie Bros were so angry that he wasn’t the candidate that they stayed home or voted third party, and we lost that election.
In Florida, which is now MAGA central, the tent has to be big enough that people who don’t usually think to vote for a Democrat may do so now. It isn’t NYC, or San Francisco, or Chicago.
I think it’s possible that Vindman’s higher polling number is due to greater name recognition, & the backing of the DNC, & not much more. With financial support & more exposure, Nixon could move up.
I just don’t see the prospect for sufficiently greater name recognition, not before the election. Again, she’s a very local Florida politician, representing a district in the Florida House. Outside of a county, how well known is she throughout the rest of Florida? Vindman walks on the stage already having national name recognition and throughout Florida, without a dollar having to be spent acquiring that. In addition, he’s an Army veteran - which plays well with centrist and slightly right of center audiences - and he has a history of publicly standing up to Trump at personal risk. Objectively he is the prospective candidate with the better chance for a Democrat to win the Senate seat from the Republicans.
And yes, I remember he was very brave & valiant standing up against trump & being one of the persons testifying against him in the first impeachment; & I appreciate that sacrifice. Why didn’t he stay in or near his home state to run for something?
Everything you said is true, but we will never succeed in getting the policies we want & need by “settling” with centrist Democrats; that is not where young people are. I will not be sending any money to any candidate who takes aipac & who jumps the aisle to vote with Rs on the really important bills
Thank you for this information. I don’t live in Florida, but I have two Senators hete in PA. Fetterman was addled by the stroke and won’t resign. McCormick is a carpetbagger from Connecticut who stays quiet and kisses up to donnie👹
As a retired ICU nurse who cared for many stroke patients over the decades, I agree that Fetterman’s personality seemed to change. Strokes can do that.
This has been an eye-opener for me. Especially given that I was one of the very first of his subscribers along with the fact that he also for reasons unknown to me recommends my Newsletter.
I am troubled by this, but not surprised really given how when it became apparent within my writings that I am a true pure None, the Vindman family is strongly rooted in Atlantic region protestant Christian doctrines and theologies, I received silence from that point onward.
Now I am glad I have not made any contributions to his campaign.
Setting all these things aside, he is an exemplary military officer, and his honesty in bringing Trump's wrongdoing to light was probably one of the most important matters to take place in the past ten years; that being said I think it is safe to say his time has come and gone.
As for the DNC machine, I no longer have any confidence in that organization.
white Vote Blue Dems (electeds, candidates, and electeds) persist because none dare examine how they uphold white supremacy culture. It will be the end of this party.
Hi. GovTrack here. Please don't fabricate things we didn't say. "Voting to the right of 75 MAGA Republicans." did not come from our website. The chart you screenshotted from our website is an analysis of sponsorship/cosponsorship of legislation, i.e. who cosponsors whose bills, not votes.
People work for who pays them. And we don't pay corporate Dems so they don't work for us.
Thank you for exploding the “hero bubble” in which I had Alexander Vindman (& by association his brother). His world view is thoroughly MAGA tinged.
I am a Floridian and was considering support for Alexander Vindman, but after hearing him dance around what is happening in Gaza, I will not support him. Laxity?? What Israel is doing in Gaza, the settlements, and in Lebanon cannot be excused.as mere “laxity” It must be called out by everyone, but anyone who would ask to represent us for what it is — genocide! I will be voting for Angie Dixon and would encourage others here in Florida to do the same!
Thank you for this! I just got back to states after nearly 4 years in London and I did not know much of this — I vote in Florida
Sir, in that portion of your post regarding genocide you have conflated two things. Yes, credible human rights organizations have declared Israel’s actions in Gaza to be genocide, but that is not a legal determination (the crime of genocide has a legal definition, distinct from other war crimes and crimes against humanity). However, as Col. Vindman pointed out, genocide is a legal determination that comes with certain obligations on other law-abiding nations (including our own). That legal determination has not been made (at least not yet) by the UN, the ICC, or the ICJ. No doubt that was why Vindman was cautious as to not specifically calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. The ICJ in January 2024 ruled that it is plausible that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide, and ordered Israel to prevent all genocidal acts, prevent and punish incitement, and submit a progress report to the Court. The main trial, which will determine whether or not Israel has violated the Genocide Convention, is still in it’s preliminary stages as the ICJ awaits formal legal memorandums from both parties, including 18 nations’ submissions of their interpretations of the Genocide Convention.
The ICC warrants for Netanyahu and certain others of the Israeli leadership are for Crimes against Humanity and certain war crimes; they are not for genocide. These are all heinous, but again under the Genocide Convention a determination of genocide imposes legal obligations on all signatories to the Convention, including the U.S. , even if it is not the state committing the genocide (the Duty to Prevent even if not directly involved in the conflict; the Duty to Punish; the Prohibition of Complicity to ensure they do not aid, abet, or otherwise facilitate genocidal acts.)
And in your critique of the voting record of Col. Vindman’s brother, Congressman Vindman, you neglected to include the information that the Congressman voted with the Democratic Party majority 91% of the time, opposing the party majority in only 7 out of 553 recorded votes.
As for Col. Vindman’s remarks that there is a strain within the Muslim community that descends into antisemitism, the ADL and other watchdog groups have noted several (this is, by no means a besmirching of all Muslims or even a majority, nor even all members of the groups named belo, but it does exist to some degree);
Sabiquin: led by Imam Abdul Alim Musa in D.C. and Imam Abdul Malik advocates for a global Islamic state. Its leaders regularly speak on campuses where, per ADL watchdogs, they compare Jewish people to Nazis, praised Hamas and Hezbollah (both of which are classified as terrorist organizations), and advanced antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): while CAIR operates primarily as a a prominent Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, several of its national and regional leaders have faced scrutiny for antisemitic rhetoric. According to ADL monitoring reports, National Executive Director Nihad Awad, LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, and San Francisco Director Zahra Bilhoo have infused criticism of Zionism with classic antisemitic tropes - alleging that “Zionist donors” covertly fund and control US law enforcement, media, and Islamophobic networks.
American Muslims for Palestine - Watchdogs identify AMP’s anti-Israel mobilization frequently uses rhetoric crossing into antisemitism. Its leadership has frequently been criticized for promoting tropes about undue Jewish influence, praising violent attacks against Israelis, and calling for broad boycotts specifically targeting mainstream Jewish community organizations.
The level of disinformation in your post indicates to me that facts don't actually matter.
I've learned that people who justify genocide the way you have are unfortunately not serious about human rights or international law, and there is nothing that can be said to them to convince them otherwise. Good luck.
Sir, I certainly did NOT justify genocide and you are deliberately misinterpreting my comments and I resent your comments that I don’t care about it. I certainly do. However, for a lawyer (and I am one), you should comprehend the difference between a legal adjudication of “genocide” and its resultant triggering obligations under the Genocide Convention, vice the determinations by NGOs of genocide. Indeed, it very well yet may be adjudicated that the Netanyahu government has committed genocide; its actions are certainly heinous and I do not doubt they are war crimes.
Well, that’s disappointing. Thanks for pointing this out. Another white kkkristian nationalist. Or white privileged male who thinks they know better than everyone.
What is happening in Palestine is genocide. Period! Netanyahu to blame. If he’s with Netanyahu, he is in the wrong. Netanyahu is just another evil dictator
It's mind numbing that people like Vindman are seeking such a high office while proudly being so wrong.
Angie Nixon is pure fire and a sweetheart. She's been through a lot already fighting against the hate and DeSantis. Vote her in Florida!
Democrats have a red-repub problem. Corp, conservative DINOs see an opportunity to exploit voter fears, suffering under magaT facism amd they're taking it. The Vindmans aren't the only republicans with a D after their name who vote against democracts. The congress & senate have several...Fetterman, Masto, Rosen, Pappas, Perez etc.
Folks, it more important NOW to research, select the primary candidates who represent you and your interests. So pick up the phone and get to surfing, scrolling their websites and voting records. Lives depend on your votes.
Exactly!!!!
Florida is lost no matter who runs.
I don’t believe that, & we will never turn any of these Repub led states around if we just shrug & write them off.
This a great article Qasim. I was more than a little surprised that Vindman is so anti-Muslim, anti-gun control and all. Maybe I shouldn't be but I haven't been following his or his twin's careers closely. I thank you for reminding me that I should do my homework even on the candidates that don't affect me directly. (I live on the opposite side of the country). The term Democrate has a much wider scope of political views than I imagined.
I just note that the most recent polling puts a Moody vs Vindman matchup at 49% to 42%. By contrast, the same polling for s Moody vs Nixon race is 51% to 38%. A Nixon candidacy appears quixotic, while a Vindman candidacy appears possible. I would like to see the Senate gavel in the hands of a Democrat in January 2027, to be able to halt Trump’s appointments and start submitting the administration to real oversight and the power of the purse. A Nixon candidacy will lose that critical seat, when Vindman may win it. Enough with the progressive purity tests - wake up to the political realities. First we must win elections to be able to make changes.
And that's with absurd money and name recognition already given to Vindman and denied to Nixon. It's the old playbook that we need a center right democrat to appeal to the GOP base and get their voters, while ignoring the left and the Democratic base. It's a losing strategy. It doesn't work.
Vindman already has national name recognition. Nixon is a local Florida politician who simply doesn’t. It isn’t a case of her being “denied” such. The circumstances are that she just isn’t really in a position to have received it - probably not even state-wide, certainly not nationally. For better or worse, name recognition is vitally important both in fundraising (including drawing small dollar donations from out of state donors) and voting. Nixon just doesn’t have it, however admirable her record or policies may be.
Purity tests within the party have killed us in past elections. The Perfect is the enemy of the Good Enough to Win. I’m old enough to remember the Nader candidacy. And enough Bernie Bros were so angry that he wasn’t the candidate that they stayed home or voted third party, and we lost that election.
In Florida, which is now MAGA central, the tent has to be big enough that people who don’t usually think to vote for a Democrat may do so now. It isn’t NYC, or San Francisco, or Chicago.
I think it’s possible that Vindman’s higher polling number is due to greater name recognition, & the backing of the DNC, & not much more. With financial support & more exposure, Nixon could move up.
I just don’t see the prospect for sufficiently greater name recognition, not before the election. Again, she’s a very local Florida politician, representing a district in the Florida House. Outside of a county, how well known is she throughout the rest of Florida? Vindman walks on the stage already having national name recognition and throughout Florida, without a dollar having to be spent acquiring that. In addition, he’s an Army veteran - which plays well with centrist and slightly right of center audiences - and he has a history of publicly standing up to Trump at personal risk. Objectively he is the prospective candidate with the better chance for a Democrat to win the Senate seat from the Republicans.
And yes, I remember he was very brave & valiant standing up against trump & being one of the persons testifying against him in the first impeachment; & I appreciate that sacrifice. Why didn’t he stay in or near his home state to run for something?
Because his Home State is Virginia and we already have two wonderful and influential Democratic Senators.
Everything you said is true, but we will never succeed in getting the policies we want & need by “settling” with centrist Democrats; that is not where young people are. I will not be sending any money to any candidate who takes aipac & who jumps the aisle to vote with Rs on the really important bills
Thank you for this information. I don’t live in Florida, but I have two Senators hete in PA. Fetterman was addled by the stroke and won’t resign. McCormick is a carpetbagger from Connecticut who stays quiet and kisses up to donnie👹
As a retired ICU nurse who cared for many stroke patients over the decades, I agree that Fetterman’s personality seemed to change. Strokes can do that.
This has been an eye-opener for me. Especially given that I was one of the very first of his subscribers along with the fact that he also for reasons unknown to me recommends my Newsletter.
I am troubled by this, but not surprised really given how when it became apparent within my writings that I am a true pure None, the Vindman family is strongly rooted in Atlantic region protestant Christian doctrines and theologies, I received silence from that point onward.
Now I am glad I have not made any contributions to his campaign.
Setting all these things aside, he is an exemplary military officer, and his honesty in bringing Trump's wrongdoing to light was probably one of the most important matters to take place in the past ten years; that being said I think it is safe to say his time has come and gone.
As for the DNC machine, I no longer have any confidence in that organization.
As I said, and as you'll note, I have no qualms with his military service and don't make any here. I'm speaking strictly of his work post 2019.
I live in the dmv. Alexander Vindman called the humans calling for a ceasefire who turned out in DC in Nov 2023 "pro Hamas." His soul is a void.
That tweet is still up.
white Vote Blue Dems (electeds, candidates, and electeds) persist because none dare examine how they uphold white supremacy culture. It will be the end of this party.