Kamala Harris has grounded her campaign in joy and positive vibes, and she just showed this week that she’ll take on the moral purism common to the left side of the political spectrum and stand her ground as a pragmatic optimist.
This past Wednesday at a rally in Detroit, Harris was heckled by protestors who chanted: “Kamala, Kamala you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide.” They were referring to Israel’s war in Gaza.
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Mind, Harris met with the cofounders of the Uncommitted National Movement, a group that wants the U.S. government to do more to help end Israel’s war in Gaza, before her rally. She “listened to stories of people in Michigan who have had dozens of family members killed in Gaza. The leaders asked to meet with her about the embargo request, and said she had indicated that she was open to a meeting, and directed the two leaders to her staff,” the New York Times reports.
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Additionally, she refused to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress last month, despite the fact that, as vice president, she presides over the Senate. Then she met with him and pushed for a ceasefire, called the war “devastating,” and pushed for the Israeli military to withdraw entirely from Gaza. This is in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who has said that Israel’s only mistakes have been “PR” and that Israel should “finish up your war” and “get the job done.”
Despite having a good conversation with her before the rally and getting a chance to make their case to push her even further on the issue, they still heckled her as if she wasn’t even worth having a conversation with.
At first, she responded by acknowledging the hecklers and politely asking them to stop: “I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters. But I am speaking now. I am speaking now.”
But that didn’t stop them, so she went for the jugular, drawing massive applause from the audience: “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”