Chicago – Vice On Thursday night, President Kamala Harris—the daughter of immigrants who grew up on the plains of Oakland—accepted the Democratic nomination for president at the United Center. For the fervent liberals who were thrilled by Harris’s sudden rise to the top of the ticket a month ago, Thursday night’s convention festivities were perhaps a bit of a letdown: speeches aimed directly at Republican voters, crowds of Democrats waving miniature American flags, and Harris declaring her intention to “ensure that America always has the most powerful and lethal fighting force in the world.”
The Harris campaign seemed to be clearly trying to increase the volume of “strong,” “tough,” and “patriotic” in those word clouds that depict how voters view the candidate. It was making the expected shift toward the general election, seeking to win the support of the small and elusive swath of voters who rely on swing states and do not belong to a single party.
But amid the evening’s nationalist spectacle — which included an appearance by former CIA Director Leon Panetta, who recalled the day he ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden and promised Harris that he would be a “tough, calm commander in chief” — one of the strongest reactions from the crowd came when Harris spoke about ending the war: the conflict in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the past 10 months.
“Let me be clear: I will always defend 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 face the horror that the terrorist organization Hamas inflicted on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. We have lost so many innocent lives. Desperate, hungry people have fled in search of safety, time and time again. The scale of the suffering is heartbreaking,” she continued. [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 realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.”
The crowd roared in approval, a response in line with polls indicating that more than three-quarters of Democratic voters — and 61 percent of voters of any party — support a permanent cease-fire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza.
The fact that Harris used this moment, with more than 26 million people watching from home, to make a powerful plea for Palestinian human rights was indeed remarkable: As one former DNC official noted earlier this week, the word Palestine has only been mentioned twice at any DNC in the past 40 years. There’s an argument to be made that Harris’s embrace of the call for Palestinian freedom and self-determination is a bigger coup than the brief speaking opportunity the uncommitted delegates were seeking.
In a statement Friday, Abbas Alawiya, a co-founder of the non-conformist National Movement, said the Harris campaign's decision not to allow its spokesperson was a “clear mistake” and a “missed opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Alawiya added that the demand was “part of a larger strategy to save lives and help save our democracy. This pressure ultimately allowed us to communicate to millions of people about the hypocrisy within our party, and allowed us to raise our common-sense demands for a gun ban, equal rights, and freedom for all.”
The dispute illustrates the difficult balance Harris must strike between now and November to preserve the fragile coalition while at the same time inviting more members into the tent.
Yaz Kader, an unpledged delegate from Washington state, spent Wednesday night sleeping outside the United Center as part of a sit-in protesting the party’s decision not to allow a Palestinian-American or health care worker to speak at the convention. He said he was more impressed by the crowd’s reactions to Harris’s remarks than by the words themselves.
“She keeps saying she works hard and around the clock. I’m not sure what she means… These words still ring hollow,” Kader said. “The positive thing is that when she spoke about Gaza, the roar of support from the delegates was palpable. It was palpable. [that roar] “I felt like it was for me.”
He expressed hope that Harris and the Biden administration would heed calls to stop arms sales to Israel. “I hope Vice President Harris can make that change. I'm still not committed,” he said.
As delegates, journalists and politicians filed out of the convention center on Thursday evening, they were greeted by a small group of protesters who seemed to have made up their minds: They held signs reading “Dump Harris 24” and “Kamala the Killer: DA NAugust G“All for our votes.”
At Billy Goat’s, outside the security perimeter, jaded Democrats still wearing neckties and neon fedoras, holding Kamala signs and miniature flags, were eating cheeseburgers late into the night. An older white woman with a keffiyeh draped over her shoulders watched the crowd. “I have to get out of here, I’ve had my fill of these people,” she said, then turned and walked out the door. As she was leaving, two more delegates entered.
