Chris Murphy: If Biden can't please left or right on Israel, maybe that's a good thing
President Joe Biden has ignited criticism from both the left and right as he attempts to balance his response to Israel’s war in Gaza. That might be a good thing, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday.
“I think frankly, when you’re being a good leader, you are often upsetting people on the right and the left,” Murphy said Sunday during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Biden has for months faced backlash from the left for his support for Israel as the country embarked on a deadly offensive in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel’s southern border. Thousands of voters have mobilized to stage protest votes against Biden in the primary elections in states across the country. But as the civilian death toll continues to grow in Gaza and with the threat of a wide-scale invasion into Rafah, Biden has come down more forcefully on the U.S.’s main ally in the Middle East — most recently saying the U.S. would withhold some military aid to Israel, a comment that raised alarm on the right.
But taking a middle-of-the-road stance isn’t new for Biden, Murphy said. And it puts in line with much of the country.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/12/chris-murphy-left-right-biden-00157492