Susan Sarandon slams Clinton’s “unconditional” support for Israel

Actor Susan Sarandon speaks at a rally outside the US District Court in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers, in Washington, DC, on 24 August.

Riccardo Savi SIPA

Susan Sarandon has just endorsed the Green Party’s Jill Stein in next Tuesday’s US presidential election.

The Academy Award-winning actor previously backed Bernie Sanders, who lost the Democratic primary race to Hillary Clinton.

But rather than fall into line behind the Democratic nominee, Sarandon has made clear why she won’t vote for Clinton.

In a Facebook post announcing her endorsement of Stein, Sarandon lists her disagreements with Clinton over the minimum wage, opposition to legalizing marijuana, and her support for fracking and offshore drilling.

Sarandon is also backing the Standing Rock Sioux in their struggle to stop an oil pipeline being laid across their tribal land in North Dakota.

“Fear of Donald Trump is not enough for me to support Clinton, with her record of corruption,” Sarandon writes. “Now that Trump is self-destructing, I feel even those in swing states have the opportunity to vote their conscience.”

Sarandon is not the first celebrity to advocate for radical change on these and other issues.

But the Hollywood star lists one objection to Clinton that does stand out: “She supports unconditional military aid to Israel.”

Even in 2016, it is still unusual for major Hollywood stars, even those who are vocal about left-wing politics, to take on Israel.

Perhaps this is another sign that one of the big taboos in American politics is being shattered.

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Although Jill Stein is far from an ideal candidate, it is good Susan Sarandon does not support corrupt war criminal Killery. Unfortunately it would appear she has not given up entirely on "the lesser evilism - swing state" baloney. In rigged races that does not matter. Stop buying the fascist corporate state's lies. They only keep one enslaved to it. What matters is independent organizing, at the ballot box and away from it. Go Gloria La Riva go! You too Monica Moorehead and Jerry White or any socialist minded candidate. .

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As you grow older ZINJ, you'll begin to understand that the human world is very complex and that what is one thing from one perspective, appears as something, perhaps the opposite, from another. You'll see, hopefully, that breaking out of it's chains is not possible and that we must evolve, so that they will fall away from us or become useful. Struggle against the system is absolutely necessary but it must be blended with a pragmatic respect for our deeper human ethos, and strategy of productive compromise.

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You do understand that this is a tight race and Trump may win if every stop isn't pulled out to stop him. You understand also, I hope, that he really isn't very much different that GWB. He's a silver spoon half idiot with hutzpah and a conviction that he's hit a homer, even though he was born on third. He has no agenda; that will be supplied. He just wants to be President, that's all.
He might do anything, it's hard to know. One thing is certain though, the US will be back in full-on hegemonic glory, establishing it's (and Donald's) greatness at all costs. The consortium of hard right, capitalist elites and thick headed, previously privileged, white deplorables is going to continue to be pandered to and radical, left out progressives, like yourself, will once again be in your glory crying about it because we're so lucky to have the right to do so publicly.
It will be the death of progress in achieving full civil rights for African Americans, women and however many Hispanics remain after the roundup. Say goodbye to the social safety net, expanding rights to health care and good public schools.
Oh I could go on but all of that pales so compared to your right to call yourself progressive because you're enlightened enough to understand a bit about the workings of the capitalist world's hyper-power and radical enough to ignore the cost of not lending a hand to slow the beast down.
It's difficult to accept that the changes you'd like to see won't come as soon as you'd like or even soon enough for you to witness but they won't come at all if people like you don't get down off their high horse long enough to help push us out of the ditch on the road to real change. If you do the humble work of seeing to it that others are treated right, there will be change for the better.
If you don't help keep Trump and his masters (oh! he will need them) from power, you will be betraying all of those people who he will run over and a better future, it is as simple as that.

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The US just like Israel is not a democracy. Voting is a farce. If people in the US don't go beyond the mainstream media and get educated I think the empire is doomed. The real work must begin the day after the election.

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Palestinians vote for their own president.
Ever hear of Abu Mazen?
How about that Hamas was "elected" by the Pals to represent their government.
Ever hear of the 2-state solution for Israel and Pal.??
U need to read up! and not only your own biased media reports.

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Oh ok. So let me get this right. Palestinians elect their own representatives but then they are labelled as a terrorist organization because they dare to fight back against their oppressors. israel surrounds by air, land and sea the Gaza Strip so don't tell me that the Palestinians have their own voting process, therefore they are exempt from voting in Israel. You can't have it both ways. You either withdraw to the 1967 borders and allow the Palestinians sovereignty or else let them vote in Israel. If they have neither of those two options then you my dear and your terrorist IDF are an apartheid state.

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The defoulement of black Jews to the Sudan and Ethiopia prove Israel is a state defined by race. The sign as one enters the country clearly states you are entering the "Jewish State." Why are Jews of all creeds and color not included? Further, why does Israel ignore the vision of the Father of modern Zionism, and collectivist Theodor Herzl, who in his book "The New Old Country" said the country would be a "complete failure" if everyone was not included? particularly the indigenous Palestinian? The fundamental right to return to the place one was born has been denied, and is anti-democratic by any standard set.

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Where do you see that Hillary supports unconditional military aid to Israel?

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Many of us see it. She has said it. She has done it before.

Why would it be different now?

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Her most recent AIPAC speech.

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I thought that it was common knowledge that HRC's dear buddy re: Israel, Obama, just gifted that rogue nation with 38 billion US tax $$$ over a 10-year period.
I'd call that pretty unconditional, wouldn't you?

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Do you know the definition of "unconditional"?

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I WAS ON BOARD FIRST 3 BOATS TO BREAK THE SIEGE OF GAZA IN 2008, LOST MOST VISION IN RIGHT EYE BY ISRAELI STUN GRENADE DURING MAVI MARMARA ATTACK, ETC ETC SO MY CONTINUING PALESTINIAN SUPPORT IS LONG LIVED. OF CLINTON'S MANY SHORT COMINGS HER AUTOMATIC SUPPORT OF ISRAEL IS MOST EGREGIOUS. HOWEVER THE POSSIBILITY OF A TRUMP VICTORY IS SO APPALLING THAT I MUST ACCEPT HER PRO-ISRAELI STANCE AS A BITTER PRICE TO PAY IN ORDER TO OPPOSE TRUMP. AN UNHAPPY BUT NECESSARY CHOICE. THE LESSER OF EVILS... DAVID SCHERMERHORN

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The "lesser evil" cliche is so played. Never the less, of the many evils out there, Chump is a lesser one than corrupt war criminal vote rigger Wall Street bankster bag woman Killery. Her documented record is far worse than Chump's.

For me the moment of recognition of this fact came with her laughing at the CIA lynching of Muammar Gaddafi with the flippant "we came, we saw, he died" remark. If she could laugh off hundreds of years of legal protections/safeguards for the individual she could laugh off just about anything, including nuclear war.

Vote or write in Gloria La Riva for President in 2016.

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Quite so David, this is no time for" boutique" voting. Trump is a substantial threat to national and international stability.

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I highly doubt if voting for Trump or a wasted protest vote is a sensible way to deal with this problem. Remember: Bill had Rabin and Arafat shaking hands on the front lawn of the Whitehouse.

Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.