Critics Out for Shapiro as Anti-Israel Democrats, Unions Round on the Moderate Pennsylvania Governor

As Vice President Harris sits for interviews with the finalists to be her running mate, a broad coalition opposed to the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, has emerged from across the Democratic Party. From Speaker Pelosi to Senator Sanders, the campaign to keep Mr. Shapiro from the vice presidency has seemingly gained steam in recent days. One of the greatest concerns among some on the liberal side of the party is Mr. Shapiro’s strong support for Israel. A recent report from the Philadelphia Inquirer disclosed an opinion piece Mr. Shapiro had written when he was a 20-year-old student at the University of Rochester — an article titled “Peace Not Possible” that criticized the 1993 Oslo Accords signed by Prime Minister Rabin and Yasser Arafat.“Palestinians will not coexist peacefully,” Mr. Shapiro wrote at the time. “They do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States. They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own.”Mr. Shapiro also wrote in the piece that he had volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces while he was a student, though a spokesman clarified to the Inquirer that the governor never signed up for any military training.If selected as the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Mr. Shapiro would be only the second Jew to top an American presidential ticket. The former Connecticut senator, Joe Lieberman, was the first in 2000.Since the disclosure of that article, left-wing activists have tried to use Mr. Shapiro’s support for Israel as a cudgel against him, even though the governor has called Prime Minister Netanyahu one of the worst leaders in the history of the Jewish state. One supposed grassroots group, which calls itself “No Genocide Josh,” says Ms. Harris will lose good will with young and liberal voters if she taps the Pennsylvania governor. “Winning back the trust of disaffected voters doesn’t end with replacing the top of the ticket,” the group says. “Selecting a Vice Presidential nominee with anti-Palestinian and pro-war views will depress turnout among Muslim, Arab-American, and young voters, and greatly reduce the excitement that comes with a new nominee.”“The left must unite over the next four weeks to ensure that America doesn’t fall down the path of fascism, authoritarianism, and runaway corporatism,” they add. “It is in Harris’s and the Democrats’ best interests to listen to their base and ensure that both their new VP pick and their platform support the majority of Democrats and Americans who want social and economic justice for workers and an immediate ceasefire in Palestine.”It isn’t just anti-Israel voters who are pushing to keep Mr. Shapiro from the veep slot. Labor unions have expressed a preference for other candidates due to Mr. Shapiro’s support for a school voucher program that teachers unions criticized as a giveaway to private schools.On Sunday, the president of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, said he and his members would prefer to see Governor Beshear or Governor Walz on the ticket with Ms. Harris because of their strong support for labor. Mr. Shapiro wouldn’t be as trusted, Mr. Fain said.“Those would be our top two if we had to pick any,” Mr. Fain told CBS News on Sunday. “That’s who we believe would be best for labor and for working class people but you know, that’s her decision.”On the school vouchers, Mr. Fain said it is one of the “bigger issues” for them because it shows Mr. Shapiro isn’t as serious about supporting labor as he and his members would like. A number of elected Democrats are also pushing back against Mr. Shapiro, including a duo that have often been at odds — Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders. Ms. Pelosi has, according to the Hill, been telling allies that she would love to see Mr. Walz run on the ticket with Ms. Harris. Mr. Walz and Ms. Pelosi served together in the House for 12 years, and the Minnesota governor is the only vice presidential shortlist candidate who ever served in the body alongside the former speaker. Mr. Sanders told Minnesota Public Radio that Mr. Walz would be a good pick for Ms. Harris, saying he would be “a running mate who will speak up and take on powerful corporate interests.”One of Mr. Shapiro’s fellow Pennsylvanians also is reportedly undermining him behind the scenes. According to Politico, Senator Fetterman’s staff have conveyed to Ms. Harris’ campaign team that Mr. Shapiro would not be the best running mate for the vice president. The governor is too focused on his personal ambitions, not the goals of the whole Democratic Party, Mr. Fetterman reportedly warned. Ms. Harris is meeting with her six vice presidential finalists on Sunday before rallying with the pick at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Critics Out for Shapiro as Anti-Israel Democrats, Unions Round on the Moderate Pennsylvania Governor

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