Will the new Democrats in Congress remake the party of genocide and war?

Will the new Democrats in Congress remake the party of genocide and war? 

Submitted by Joe Gill on Thu, 11/12/2026 - 10:16 After 40 years of neoliberal dogma from the DC Democrats, a new crop of Mamdani-inspired socialists are challenging the duopoly's pro-Israel, pro-corporate consensus Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed at the US Capitol on 9 November 2026 in Washington, DC (Finn Gomez/Getty Images) Off

Old dogs can’t learn new tricks. In the case of Antony Blinken, the former US secretary of state, a career supporting Israeli interests culminated in his absolute fidelity to the apartheid regime during its genocide in Gaza, which began and continued during his tenure at the State Department.

Now, three years on and nearly two years out of office, this "true friend of Israel", with his softly spoken diplomatic demeanour, continues to see only legitimate self-defence in the mass slaughter of civilian men, women and children that Israel continues to inflict on Palestinians. 

In 11 visits to Israel during its onslaught, he never did less than assure the Netanyahu regime that the mass killing could continue with full US backing.

With the passage of time, did Blinken permit a little self-reflection on his unstinting support for Israel’s killing machine at every key moment during the genocide?

Not at all.

At a Jewish Federations of North America event on 8 November, Blinken was practising his defence against war crimes charges at a future international court hearing.

He said: "There was a certain amount of disregard, a certain amount of disdain for the wellbeing of Palestinians. But that is vastly different – vastly different – from an intent to do them harm, from an intent to eliminate them. The target was Hamas, and horrifically too many people were caught in the middle of that..."

Amid the euphoria about the 'Blue wave' that overthrew Republican majorities, let’s remember: this is the US Democrats, the other party of war and genocide

In future, prosecutors and judges can weigh this feeble defence against the vast evidence, and consensus of genocide scholars and human rights organisations, that this was an intentional campaign of extermination and crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, Blinken’s president Joe Biden was on a visit to Dublin, once a welcoming place for US politicians of Irish descent. Not so this time – young students at Dublin’s Trinity College had prepared a not-so friendly reception for the man who signed off on vast supplies of 2,000lb bombs to drop on besieged Palestinians. Only on the day he left office did the bombing stop, temporarily as it turned out. 

"Blood, blood, blood on your hands," the students chanted, as some tried to get close enough to throw milk at the ageing genocidaire. Who knows whether Biden even understood why the Irish students were so furious about a son of Ireland who enabled a modern-day version of the Great Irish Famine in Gaza.

Blue wave

Amid the euphoria about the "Blue wave" that overthrew Republican majorities in Senate and Congress, let’s remember: this is the US Democrats, the other party of war and genocide.

Following the seismic midterm elections, it would be comforting to think the discredited centrist Democrats in Congress are heading towards the exit along with Biden. 

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In fact, despite a million-plus petition demanding that Aipac-funded House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries step aside, he remains favourite to stay in post for the 2027 congressional session. 

This is the Jeffries who led a chant of "Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel for ever!” at a rally while Israel was carrying out an earlier slaughter in Gaza in 2014 – the New York congressman got the crowd roaring as he chanted: "Israel should not be made to apologise for its strength. You know why? Because the only thing that neighbours respect in a tough neighbourhood is strength…" before going on to justify every Israeli massacre from 1948 to 2008.

Alexandra Ocasio Cortez (AOC), one of the 2018 Squad of progressives, has said she will back him, despite his support for the genocide and opposition to Medicare for All. This is the same AOC who admits that the current Democratic leadership bullied her after she was elected, but she is now playing the game of Washington politics.

Schumer’s position as Senate majority leader is less secure, with more Democrats stepping forward to demand change at the top. They want action on the agenda for working-class Americans, and he is not the man to do it.

Once-in-a-century change

This is a once-in-a-century change, and it is just starting. After the sweeping victories of populist candidates not favoured by the Democratic leadership in seats as diverse as Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Los Angeles, it felt like a tsunami of (solidly reformist) socialism erupting across the nation.

In Mississippi, in the most historic of all races, Scott Colom ran on fighting for healthcare, raising the minimum wage and rejecting Aipac money, and went on to become the first Black candidate to win the governor race since 1875, when post-Civil War Black voting rights were crushed by a wave of white terror.

Back then, armed mobs attacked Black communities during the 1875 election campaign, with around 50 Black citizens murdered. Mississippi Goddam, as Nina Simone sung.

After Trump’s decade-long attempt to turn back the clock, the old shibboleths of US politics – support for full-blooded capitalism and Israel – collapsed

There has been nothing like this in living memory: this is a country in which white supremacy, anticommunism and fear of the mildest forms of socialism were the national creed for much of the last century.

Suddenly, after Trump’s decade-long attempt to turn back the clock, the old shibboleths of US politics – support for full-blooded capitalism and Israel – collapsed.

And after 40 years of centrist neoliberal dogma from the DC Democrats, the new crop of Mamdani-inspired socialists took to the TV studios and press conferences with a defiant, insurgent spirit.

The class of 2026 are impatient to see concrete change that benefits millions of ordinary Americans, from Medicare for All to a higher minimum wage, and an end to the corrupt political action committee (PAC) system that has swallowed Washington. Behind them stands Bernie Sanders, the man who started this movement in 2016.

A huge battle lies ahead. The Democratic machine is part of Washington’s political oligarchy, funded by corporate lobbyists to uphold wealth and power, maintain US military supremacy, and back Israel, while terrorising its enemies the world over.

Trump's allies face the cold

Certainly those who until now have backed President Trump and relied on his support – from the AI corporations to the Gulf states and Israel – are rapidly adjusting their public posture.

The tech bros, who relished their AI-powered kill technology and supported Trumpian American supremacy, are now looking sheepish, terrified of the huge backlash against their data centres that are ravaging communities across America. Even the messianic Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, who previously proudly declared that his AI tech killed Palestinians, is now pretending to be a peace-loving progressive.

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As for Israel and US Middle East allies including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the era of unconditional aid and support is receding. Donald Trump has never been a reliable ally to anyone, and that includes America’s allies, many of whom he despises.

He was always softer on authoritarian regimes than on democracies, preferring Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to liberal Europe or Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky (whose threadbare democratic credentials are for another column). 

Trump’s embrace has a habit of vanishing when troubles come – Mohammed bin Salman was left without support when Yemen’s Houthis attacked, and Ukraine lost its Starshield satellite defence at the whim of Trump as Russian missiles rained down.

In the coming period, Trump’s support for Israel and the Arab rulers may be replaced by a more critical and conditional relationship from a Democrat-led Washington. 

For now, Israel continues to block vital aid to Gaza as babies freeze to death in avoidable flooding, while bombing the same hospitals it did three years ago, killing staff and patients alike.

But after 2028, the whole Middle East order may find itself without US protection. Then, who will be able to withstand the winds of change?

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

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