CHICAGO – Vice President Kamala Harris – the daughter of immigrants who grew up in the Oakland Flatlands – accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night at the United Center. For the soft-hearted, coconut-pill-fueled liberals who rejoiced at Harris’s surprise rise to the top of the ballot a month ago, Thursday night’s convention festivities were perhaps a little disappointing: speeches aimed directly at Republican voters, throngs of Democrats waving small American flags, and Harris declaring her intention to “make sure America always has the strongest, most lethal military force in the world.”
Harris’s campaign, it seemed, was clearly trying to increase the font size of the words “strong,” “tough” and “patriotic” in the word clouds that describe how voters see the candidate, making a predictable shift toward the general election and trying to win support from the small and elusive portion of the electorate that lives in both swing states and is not firmly committed to any party.
But amid the evening’s chauvinistic spectacle – which included an appearance by former CIA director Leon Panetta, who recalled the day he ordered the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden and promised that Harris would be “a tough, level-headed commander in chief” – one of the most violent reactions from the crowd came when Harris spoke of ending a war: the conflict in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the past ten months.
“Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Harris said. “The people of Israel must never again be confronted with the horrors that the terrorist organization Hamas inflicted on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”
She continued: “At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives have been lost. Desperate, hungry people continue to flee safety. The scale of the suffering is heartbreaking. President (Joe) Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.”
The crowd roared in approval, a reaction that is consistent with polls showing more than three-quarters of Democratic voters – and 61 percent of voters across all parties – support a permanent ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence in Gaza.
That Harris used this moment in front of over 26 million viewers to make a strong plea for Palestinian human rights was indeed remarkable: As a former DNC official said earlier this week, the word Palestine has only been mentioned twice at a Democratic convention in the last 40 years. And one can argue that Harris’ self-declared call for Palestinian freedom and self-determination was a bigger coup than a brief speech, as the uncommitted delegates were aiming for.
In a statement on Friday, Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement, said Harris’ campaign’s decision not to allow a speaker was a “clear mistake” and a “missed opportunity.”
At the same time, Alawieh added that the demand was “part of a larger strategy to save lives and save our democracy.” “This move ultimately allowed us to inform millions of people about the hypocrisy in our party and to raise our reasonable demands for an arms embargo, for equality and freedom for all.”
The dispute illustrates the difficult balance that Harris will have to find between now and November in order to preserve the existing, fragile coalition and at the same time bring even more forces on board.
Yaz Kader, an unaffiliated delegate from Washington state, slept outside the United Center on Wednesday night to participate in a sit-in against the party’s decision not to allow a Palestinian American or health care worker to speak at the convention. He said the crowd’s reaction to Harris’ words struck him more than the words themselves.
“She keeps saying she works hard and around the clock. I’m not sure what that means… Those words continue to be empty,” Kader said. “The positive thing is when she spoke about Gaza, the roar of the delegates expressing their support was palpable. It was palpable. And (that roar) felt like it was for me.”
He hoped that Harris – and the Biden administration – would comply with the demands to stop arms deliveries to Israel. “I hope that Vice President Harris can bring about this change,” he said. “I am still undecided.”
As the delegates, journalists and politicians gradually left the convention center on Thursday evening, they were greeted by a small group of protesters who had apparently made up their minds: They held signs reading “Leave Harris ’24” and “Killer Kamala: DO Not CWe thank you for our votes.”
At the Billy Goat Tavern, just outside the security perimeter, bedraggled Democrats, still wearing their lanyards and bright fedoras and carrying souvenir KAMALA signs and miniature flags, ate late-night cheeseburgers. An elderly white woman with a keffiyeh slung over her shoulders surveyed the crowd. “I have to get out of here, I’m getting dirty around these people,” she said, turning and walking out the door. As she left, two more delegates walked in.
