Khanna defends Biden’s handling of Israel-Gaza war

How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Oct 13, 2023 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker With help from Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala, Jesse Naranjo and Teresa Wiltz  POLITICO illustration/Photo by Francis Chung/POLITICO What up, Recast family!  Israel warns more than 1 million people to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of planned military offensive with the aim of eradicating Hamas. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) drops his bid to become the next House speaker. And a new indictment of embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) accuses him of being a “foreign agent” for Egypt. First, a conversation with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).   Rep. Ro Khanna has shown a remarkable penchant for getting himself noticed during his four terms in Congress. The California Democrat, who represents Silicon Valley, is not shy about letting his presidential ambitions be known. But he is also part of an up-and-coming generation of high-profile Democrats including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California who share the ambition — for now — of helping an octogenarian president with sagging approval numbers win the White House again. Khanna, who is of Indian descent, is a staunch progressive who believes he can help President Joe Biden win over some far-left voters who are eager for someone, anyone, else to run, with his age being a top concern among Democratic-leaning voters. On Capitol Hill, which remains at a standstill because House Republicans ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker without a clear succession plan, Khanna says he’s not surprised at all. “What's baffling to me is I have a better sense in the Democratic conference of [Republicans’] vote count than they do, just with the few Republican friends I have,” he tells The Recast.   Was The Recast forwarded to you by a friend? Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter here. Every week, we interview influential characters shaking up politics. Let us know whom we should profile next. Email therecast@politico.com.   He suggests that House members should be locked up in the Capitol until the lower chamber can appoint the next speaker, after Rep. Steve Scalise removed his name from consideration on Thursday. This is rich from Khanna, considering I interviewed him Friday morning… as he was on his way to the airport to fly back home to California. In a wide-ranging interview, we discuss what the U.S. involvement should be in the Israel-Gaza war. I also ask him about Cenk Uygur, the host of “The Young Turks,” an online news show, who announced this week he’s seeking the Democratic nomination for president. And I get his thoughts on Laphonza Butler, the new Democratic senator from California. Khanna is backing Rep. Barbara Lee, who is campaigning for the Senate seat along with other Democratic California Reps. Adam Shiff and Katie Porter. ◆◆◆ This interview has been edited for length and clarity. THE RECAST: Let’s start with the war with Israel and Gaza. The official American death toll stands at 27 and another 14 Americans unaccounted for. We’ve seen Secretary of State Antony Blinken stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling there today. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, do you support U.S. involvement in this conflict? KHANNA: I, like so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, stand in solidarity with the people of Israel. We were out on the steps of the Capitol last night, praying for the families of the victims of people in Israel and the Americans that were killed. I am co-sponsoring the McCaul-Meeks resolution, which calls for supporting Israel in its self-defense. Members of Congress hold a candlelight vigil for Israel on Thursday outside the U.S. Capitol. | Francis Chung/POLITICO I also believe that we need to make sure that the dismantling of Hamas as a terrorist network is done in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and allows food, water, fuel, electricity to still get in to the 2 million people in Gaza. THE RECAST: When you say support for Israel, what exactly does that mean? Does that mean providing military assistance? Financial? What kind of form does that take, in your opinion? KHANNA: I want to understand from Secretary Blinken what he thinks, Secretary Austin what he thinks, would be most effective. It includes, certainly, intelligence sharing. It includes providing any military equipment that they may need to defend against Hamas terrorism. And some of our intelligence and military equipment may also help ensure minimum civilian loss of life. THE RECAST: Earlier this week I spoke with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and he suggested the president himself wasn't doing enough. He argued that if there are Americans still unaccounted for, if there are still Americans believed to be hostages, then we should be doing everything in our power to bring them home. How do you feel in that regard? WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) arrives for a House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies and Innovation hearing about artificial intelligence on Capitol Hill July 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on barriers that prevent the Department of Defense from adopting and deploying A.I. effectively and the risks from adversarial A.I. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | Drew Angerer/Getty Images KHANNA: Tony is a good friend. But I suggest to him, politely, that I see the president hard at work everyday with Secretary Blinken. It’s the House that hasn’t done anything. What he should be focused on is making sure we have a speaker so we can start passing some resolutions and laws to help the people of Israel. What's baffling to me is I have a better sense in the Democratic conference of [Republicans’] vote count than they do, just with the few Republican friends I have. I could have told you two days ago that Scalise wasn't going to get to 217. I’ll tell you today that [Rep. Jim] Jordan isn’t going to get to 217. I've talked to enough Republicans who aren’t going to vote for either of them, so I don’t understand how their vote counts aren’t accurate. I have said they should lock us in the Capitol until we can solve this issue and have a new speaker. What I would like to float is a suggestion to get someone who is a consensus person, someone like Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla). And many people on my side respect someone like him even though we have strong ideological disagreements. He doesn't have any ambition to have further political office and he could come as a consensus person, with two conditions: One is that we honor the funding agreement with President Biden so that there's no government shutdown until the 2024 election season is over. And two is that he stops the impeachment inquiry. KHANNA: Let's say they lose 40 percent of their caucus on that stuff on the two conditions I'm saying, but they get the Democrats. We could govern in that way. THE RECAST: Would you be willing to drop the impeachment inquiry and just focus on the funding of the government? KHANNA: [Chuckles] Look, I’m not going to negotiate with you. But, I’ve put out what I think would be a reasonable way forward. THE RECAST: Let’s pivot to President Biden. We’ve learned this week that he’s gotten a new challenger in the Democratic primary, talk show host and pundit Cenk Uygur. Certainly no one is expecting him to gain much traction, but it underscores this idea that progressive Democrats are still hungry for someone other than Biden. As a progressive Democrat, you've set your own presidential ambitions to the side and become a surrogate for this president. But why do you think there is still this clamoring for some in the Democratic Party for someone other than Biden to run on? Khanna welcomes Sanders to the stage during a campaign rally March 1, 2020, in San Jose, Calif. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images KHANNA: As a former Bernie Sanders presidential co-chair, I’m a strong supporter of this president. I’m on his advisory committee and will be doing all I can to ensure his reelection. I do think that young people want a progressive agenda. They don't want the Willow oil project approved. They want “Medicare for All,” they want free public college, they want student loan relief. They want taxes on the billionaire class. They don't want these oil export permits like C.P.2 and new fossil fuel infrastructure to be built out. And they want these progressive ideas to be out there in public debate. So to the extent people are running to advance that agenda, that's quintessentially the American process. I mean, doesn't everyone in this country grow up thinking they can run for president? So the idea that you have multiple people running doesn't surprise me. THE RECAST: Do you feel you can convince the president to embrace more of the progressive wing’s ideas and ideology? KHANNA: The president formed a unity commission in 2020; that’s one of the reasons we won — record turnout from young people. Now we're gonna need the same kind of mobilization of young people to be able to win this election in 2024. THE RECAST: Final question on California. I'm a California native, though I haven’t lived in the Los Angeles area for years. But California has a new senator. We’re still awaiting a decision from her on whether or not she is going to run herself in 2024. And I know you support Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who is campaigning for the Senate seat. Do you feel Gavin Newsom’s selection of Laphonza Butler impacts Barbara Lee’s trajectory in the race? How do you see this all playing out? KHANNA: I have great respect for Sen. Butler. I admire her work at EMILY's List. I admired her work at SEIU. And she's a historic trailblazer as an African American woman and part of the LGBTQ community. I look forward to working with her. I still am an enthusiastic supporter of Barbara Lee for the Senate. I believe her progressive record is unparalleled. She took courageous stances on many of these issues, like single-payer, like standing up to a blank check in Afghanistan, like standing up to the war in Iraq — before it was popular. She would be an incredible progressive voice of the Senate and I'm all in on her present senatorial campaign. ◆◆◆ Alright, Recast fam, we’ll leave you with some quick news items to get caught up on before we send you off with some (hopefully) weekend pick-me-ups.  Should the Department of Ed Police Student Protests? — POLITICO’s Bianca Quilantan explores the new pressure the Education Department is under to release guidelines for universities to referee student protests sparked by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Related to Bianca’s piece, here’s one from our very own Steve Shepard and Kelly Garrity that explains why Democrats are divided over Israel. DeSantis Executive Order — POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian breaks down the new executive order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis which directs the state to help ferry Americans out of Israel who were left stranded amid the conflict. Bryan Washington’s new novel, “Family Meal,” centers on two men, once best friends, whose lives collide again after a loss. It’s officially spooky season: Zack Morris, Ana Yi Puig and Isa Briones are among the cast of a new “Goosebumps” series, premiering Friday on Disney+ and Hulu. “Joan Baez I Am A Noise” looks at the Mexican American singer and activist’s career, her relationship with Bob Dylan, and her challenges with mental health and trauma. BLACKPINK's Jennie drops dance-pop track “You & Me,” complete with a slick MV. Soulful vocals overlay grungey guitar riffs on SZA and Jean Dawson’s dreamlike collab, “NO SZNS.” TikTok of the Day: Impressive   Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz Jesse Naranjo @jesselnaranjo   Follow us

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