Democratic lawmakers and major union call for Palestinian DNC speaker
Democratic lawmakers and major union call for Palestinian DNC speaker
Democratic lawmakers and major union call for Palestinian DNC speaker
Uncommitted delegates have been staging a sit-in outside the Democratic National Convention hall after being informed last night that a Palestinian American would not get be given a speaking slot in the event.
In response, a number of progressive lawmakers and officials, as well the United Auto Workers, have called on the Harris campaign and DNC officials to reverse the decision.
Several progressive lawmakers have issued public statements of support for a Palestinian speaker on the final night of the convention, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Summer Lee, D-Pa.; Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Greg Casar, D-Tex.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also endorsed the idea today, as did Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison — who was the first Muslim elected to Congress before running for his current job — and actors and activists Mandy Patinkin and Mark Ruffalo.
“We’re not here to cause trouble, nobody is trying to sneak in or anything. We won delegates. We negotiated with the campaign. We did everything we were supposed to and we can't even get a symbolic gesture," Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American who was one the proposed speakers, said through tears Wednesday night.
I'm surprised they wouldn't just find someone to do a speech compatible with the ambiguously pro-peace stance of the Harris campaign while also focusing on how much worse Trump would be. It'd be a hard thing to pull off if Biden were the nominee, but Harris can be a blank slate. And she probably actually will be less pigheadedly pro-Israel than Biden.
"This is a horrible war and we need to do More(TM) to end it. Trump and the Christian nationalists would be happy supporting explicit genocide and annexation." That's the whole argument, get someone to say it in language of empathy and hope.
That's basically what the person they offered to speak said they wanted to say. It would build up Kamala and denigrate Trump like everyone else speaking. But they wouldn't have it for some strange reason.
Idk. Harris has been part of the ticket that’s been giving billions of dollars in weapons and letting Netanyahu spit in their faces when they ask him to ease off on the killing at least for a little while.
I used to be more opposed to things like the “uncommitted” vote than I am now. I do still think Trump will be way worse. But honestly, just seeing a still photo of Rashida Tlaib’s face at a Michigan event was enough to make me realize. They’ve got a right to be 0-tolerance furious and disgusted with all this “lesser evil” bullshit while their families are dying and watching their children suffer and starve, and the US government under Biden is bankrolling the whole operation. I don’t see how any Palestinian could speak at a DNC event right now without (a) selling out their home and their family in a laughably pathetic Uncle Tom fashion, or else (b) condemning the entire event from top to bottom, whatever the white people want to get up and say about how important a cease fire is.
Harris doesn't have shit for influence with Biden. She was treated as the dumping ground for bad issues and never given any of their successes.
And the Uncommitted movement is all about making the Democrats better. There are plenty of people in it who want the Democrats to both win and simultaneously be better on Israel, and with Harris there's a chance to chart a new course.
Was that an antisemitic joke??? /s