Democrats take major risk by denying ‘uncommitted’ movement’s pleas to be heard at DNC – Washington Examiner
The Democratic Party faced significant backlash for excluding a Palestinian American speaker from the Democratic National Convention (DNC), a move that could impact their standing in the upcoming elections. The Uncommitted National Movement, which protests the Biden administration’s policies regarding the Gaza conflict, expressed frustration over the perceived marginalization of Palestinian voices at the convention. They highlighted the inconsistency of allowing family members of Israeli attack victims to speak while denying representation to Palestinians.
Throughout the convention, Uncommitted delegates protested and voiced their concerns, emphasizing their need for acknowledgment. The controversy gained attention from media outlets and political analysts, questioning whether this exclusion would hurt Kamala Harris’s campaign in key states with significant Arab and Muslim populations, such as Michigan. Polling data indicates that the Democratic ticket holds only a slim lead over their Republican rivals in crucial battleground states.
Members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party have been vocal in their support for the Uncommitted movement, stressing the importance of addressing the group’s demands to avoid alienating voters. The situation reflects a growing discontent among pro-Palestinian advocates who feel their perspectives are being overlooked amid the ongoing Gaza crisis. The call for Palestinian representation remains urgent, as activists continue to call for their voices to be heard at national political events.
Democrats take major risk by denying ‘uncommitted’ movement’s pleas to be heard at DNC
The Democratic Party’s decision not to allow a Palestinian American to speak at the Democratic National Convention could have major ramifications in November.
The Uncommitted National Movement expressed anger on Thursday after a Palestinian American was reportedly denied permission to speak onstage on the last evening of the DNC. The group’s publicized frustration cast a shadow over the DNC as Democrats named Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.
Leaders of the movement, which is protesting the Biden administration’s stance on the war in Gaza, have shown ire that Palestinian voices have been shut out of the celebration of the convention. Uncommitted leaders are especially upset because family members of the victims of Hamas’s attack on Israel and Republicans were allowed to address DNC attendees.
Uncommitted delegates kept their voices raised throughout the four-day convention, and on Thursday night, they entered the convention floor holding hands, vowing not to be “shut out.” Separate protests led by other groups upset over the war in Gaza were staged throughout the week.
Earlier on Thursday, CNN host Wolf Blitzer pressed a senior adviser to Harris’s campaign on the DNC’s apparent exclusion of a Palestinian American speaker.
“Is this going to potentially hurt Kamala Harris in a state like Michigan which has a significant Arab American, Muslim American population?” Blitzer questioned Ian Sam. The RealClearPolitics average of recent polls indicates Harris holds a slim lead of 2 percentage points over former President Donald Trump in the battleground state.
In February in Michigan, more than 100,000 voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary race, earning them two delegates and showing the movement’s strength. In 2020, Biden won the state by just over 150,000 votes.
“I think we’ve given them a lot of opportunities to engage in this process at the convention,” Sam deflected. His comments come as the pro-Palestinian effort has gained strength as the war in Gaza has stretched longer than 10 months and tens of thousands of Palestinians have reportedly died.
Still, a ceasefire has not been reached and pro-Palestinian lawmakers and voters have grown increasingly upset over actions not reflecting words. “Palestinians can’t eat words,” the Uncommitted movement wrote on X in response to Sam’s comments.
Members of the progressive “Squad,” including Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Summer Lee (D-PA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), have vigorously defended pro-Palestinian groups. All of them have come to the defense of the Uncommitted movement this week as well, warning fellow Democrats to take the group’s worries seriously. Some of them even joined the Uncommitted National Movement during a nearly 24-hour staged sit-in outside the DNC convention center.
“Why are you saying that Israeli children are more valuable than Palestinian children? Where is our shared humanity? Stop erasing Palestinians. We exist. We deserve to be heard,” Tlaib, the first Palestinian American elected to Congress, posted on X in support of the group’s request to be represented at the DNC.
The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from Israel by Hamas terrorists, received a standing ovation during their speech at the convention Wednesday. “This is a political convention. But needing our only son — and all of the cherished hostages — home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said Jon Polin, whose son lost part of his left arm during the Oct. 7 attack at a music festival.
“Our voices belong here at the DNC. We will not be shut out,“ the Uncommitted group posted to X late on Thursday evening as they urged the DNC to relent and allow a Palestinian to speak. ”We are winning. The hallways of the DNC are filled with discussions of Palestinian human rights.”
According to the Uncommitted movement’s website, it is “half a million anti-war voters” calling on the Democratic Party to “change course on Gaza to end the suffering and death” and “fight racism.”
The group claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “murderous” and says President Joe Biden is “funding war crimes and the mass killing of Palestinians.”
The Uncommitted movement is calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Gaza and is committed to an arms embargo against the Middle Eastern nation.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...