A Campaign of Joy Alongside the Horrors of Genocide
Kamala Harris is trying to maintain the euphoria that emerged after Biden stepped down, but protests related to Gaza continue.
Milwaukee—Last night, fans poured out of Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, as if they were exiting a sporting match—which, in some sense, they were. One difference: Their opponent had been at the venue four weeks prior. That opponent, of course, was Donald Trump, who rolled through Fiserv for the Republican National Convention in July, days after being shot.
On Tuesday night, the arena was filled with chants and cheers and merchandise supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, both of whom appeared onstage in Milwaukee as their own convention unfolded just 100 miles south.
Beneath Marquette coach Al McGuire’s retired number, 77, Harris reminded rallygoers that there were only 77 days until the election, and that Trump was coming for their freedom. Every time Trump was mentioned, the arena filled with boos. Overall, the energy at the rally was positive and palpable. And yet, rumbles of dissent could still be heard.
Harris first addressed viewers of the Democratic National Convention via live stream—the delegates had just reaffirmed her nomination with a roll call featuring a DJ in a blue silk suit and Lil Jon leading a chant of “we’re not going back!”—before turning her attention to the Milwaukee crowd. As she did so, a row of attendees holding a banner protesting the genocide in Gaza began to shout. They were quickly escorted out, much like protesters (including a Harris delegate) inside the DNC were during Biden’s farewell speech on Monday.
And then there were those in the streets, who turned out by the thousands on Monday afternoon to not just call for a ceasefire and arms embargo, but to link the suffering in Gaza to myriad other struggles. The coalition of more than 270 organizations marched near the site of the DNC, flanked by police and bikes. When a handful of protesters breached the security perimeter, they were carried off by police in riot gear. Another protest is planned for the DNC’s final day.
There have been attempts to listen to—or, more cynically, placate—dissenters. The uncommitted movement, which drew 700,000 votes in the Democratic primaries and sent dozens of delegates to Chicago, pushed for Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Doctors Without Borders pediatrician who spoke to The Nation in May, to be given a platform at the DNC. While she participated in a panel on Monday, during which she described the horrors she’s witnessed, she has been not given access to the main stage as they wished. Delegates have also asked to meet directly with Harris—a request that has not been met.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention:
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—whose Squad has one fewer original member, thanks to AIPAC—claimed on Monday that Harris has been working tirelessly toward a ceasefire. The same day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Israel had accepted a last-ditch deal. Never mind that the United States was the sole veto for several previous UN ceasefire proposals or that Hamas is unlikely to accept the newly watered-down agreement or that Israel bombed another school in Gaza the following morning. Last night, Senator Bernie Sanders also used his time on stage to call for an end to the “horrific war” and was met by applause.
Still, as the party works to portray itself as the real party of the people, many remain critical of its tendency to stand “united under a banner of silence,” per Natasha Lennard, regarding “the most pressing moral issue of our time.” The statements that have been made by Democratic officials are often interpreted as “empty words.”
Harris, particularly since Walz joined the ticket, has made it a point to run on a platform of joy. Ahead of Tuesday’s event, that showed. In the courtyard outside the arena, a group of kids played tag beneath a sign that said “FREEDOM,” and vendors offered visitors camo Harris-Walz hats “to replace those ugly red ones.” And yet, joy and euphoria sit in stark contrast to the sheer scope of suffering in Gaza, and the dissent that has punctuated the week thus far.
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