Many people were concerned about the visual effects of the Chicago convention, some even thought it would be compared to the events of 1968. But that was not the case. The march on the DNC was organized long before Hamas attacked Israel, where it took hostages, carried out organized mass rapes, and created a formidable human shield for the hostages and the hostage takers. Nevertheless, “the organizers of the march on the DNC came together to follow the events they witnessed in 1968. are planning a “1968-style welcome.”
Pro-Palestinian activists hope for 100,000 demonstrators from across the country to protest President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza. Chaos in the streets could help Trump underscore his core message of law and order.
According to reliable reports, this expected result was off by 98,000. That’s good for the Democrats. But it was still an issue.
First of all, you have to understand this: From what I’ve heard from people I’ve spoken to this week on both sides, everyone wants the hostages to come home. It’s odd that people on both sides are blaming different people for the hostage situation. But blaming the victims has become a popular tactic in America.
And most of the protesters I’ve spoken to seem to recognize that this is an insoluble problem, even if it goes back a century or more. So there’s some realism. But the anger is real.
This opinion is not shared by voters in the suburbs of the swing states, where Hope springs from the field PAC (Website) has been knocking on doors this year (and the last 3)Volunteers spoke to 426,049 voters in 14 swing states (some with presidential elections, some with senatorial elections) and recorded their responses in our Issues Survey.
As you can see, our second question is, “What do you think is the most pressing issue facing our country right now?” We also ask about state and local issues, providing countless opportunities to weigh in on this question. We also ask, “Is there a single issue that will determine your voting behavior?”
As I said, many possibilities.
Although voters do not answer every question (which is actually rare), 388,494 voters answered the first question. Of these 388,494 voters Five of them described the occupation of the Gaza Strip as worrying..
Remember, we’re canvassing in the suburbs, the battleground areas where elections are won or lost. We’re not knocking on doors in deeply Democratic areas where the Democratic Party organizations are usually strong. We’re missing a lot of areas where you’d expect a different outcome. But we’re canvassing in the suburbs.
Here’s the thing: 628 voters mentioned Israel in this context this year. And that doesn’t include our responses from NY-03.
Or the reactions we got after Hamas attacked Israel last year (left).
2,899 voters expressed concern about the campus protests against the occupation of Gaza earlier this year. Most of these comments were unsupportive.
Now the protesters have a point: “Palestinian officials in Chicago express anger and frustration that a party fighting for freedom and democracy is not prioritizing Gaza, whose residents face ongoing Israeli bombardment.” But the party also emphasizes freedom for Ukraine or a ceasefire there. The expectation that a campaign would focus on foreign policy issues is shockingly naive. And profoundly so.
What intrigued me most is that the protesters I spoke to aren’t particularly interested in expanding support for their cause. “This is a moral position, not an electoral position,” one man told me. But after saying that, he thought a little about my questions and asked, “Why are you here?” (I paused, wanting to see what all the fuss was about.)
But my conversations supported my theory expressed in June that “Palestinian sympathizers believed they had more support” than they actually did. Hence their original estimate of 100,000 protesters this week. Or even the 20,000 predicted earlier in the week. What we are seeing is exactly what I expected after the Democratic convention in Virginia when I wrote: “I recognize the intent to disrupt the Democratic Party organization, but I also see the disinterest of voters – even in college towns like Lansing and Madison (etc.).”
The thing is, these were not controversial conversations, even after I told those who asked me that I support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. Someone tried to explain to me that Hamas does not fire rockets at Israel and that Gaza is not a threat. Someone thanked me “for visiting.”
We expect more:
The organizers say that they West Loops Union Park on the penultimate day of the convention, 21 Augustat 4:30 p.m. and get as close as possible to the United Center convention headquarters.”
But “the war that has caused divisions among Democrats remains a small but persistent presence at the convention.” Those protesters who actually engaged with me for more than a few minutes agreed that Netanyahu’s leadership is detrimental to peace in the Middle East, but one told me he thought the State of Israel was too. So there are protesters who understand that “from the river to the sea” is at least a call for ethnic cleansing or genocide.
I’m told that protesters expect campus protests to resume in the fall. But many colleges have changed their rules, which could make that difficult. And while it’s conceivable that it’s too early to draw that conclusion, I would say that support for the cause has waned — especially now that we’ve nominated Kamala Harris. As I mentioned in June, poor organization may have something to do with it…
