If Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president in November, progressives are hoping they will be able to fill national security positions in the White House, Politico reported.
The goal of progressives is to steer the White House in a different direction on issues like Israel, according to Politico. Activists already have drafted lists of people for Harris to hire at the National Security Council and the Defense Department, Politico reported.
Progressives struggled to gain influence in President Joe Biden's administration, as he drew his hires from familiar people who worked under President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton, Politico said.
"We haven't had the opportunity to build as big of a bench of people with this high-level experience," said Matthew Duss, a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told Politico. "I'm hoping the vice president and her team will commit to helping us build that bench, because these are going to be the people who eventually can develop and execute and implement a foreign policy that is actually fit for this moment."
Progressives said they hope Harris would fill open positions with people with new ideas on the Israel-Hamas war and America's relationship with China. Progressives mainly support a less militarized foreign policy more invested in diplomacy and human rights.
"I favor a 'clean sweep' — we badly need some new thinking in U.S. foreign policy," said Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank, which advocates for a more restrained U.S. foreign policy.
The Biden administration has earned mixed marks from progressives, Politico said. While he earned plaudits for withdrawing from Afghanistan and supporting Ukraine, progressives have not been happy with his handling of the humanitarian issues in Gaza, Politico reported. Progressives hope Harris will be an advocate for human rights for Palestinians.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were expected to depart, even if Biden was reelected, giving Harris several big roles to fill, Politico reported.
"If she surrounds herself with newbies — no matter how smart and passionate — there will be overwhelming uncertainty, insecurities, blame-gaming and toxicity among the nat-sec team," a former national security official in the Obama administration told Politico.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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