As the Democratic National Convention wraps, we are left with an odd sense of a vacuum in the political realm. This is not a result of having nothing to talk about but that the pageant taking place this past week distracted from some core realities within the Democrat environment. Usually, after a convention, the candidates are expected to hit the road in earnest and court the press for airtime – but with the Harris-Walz campaign, the mood is, “You going to finally get started now?”
So far, all they have managed in one month has been controlled rallies, entirely staged “impromptu” tour stops, and nothing in the form of press interaction. This lack of media availability has been completely excused away by the very same press corps, with some accepting the theory that not speaking to the press is a cagey political gambit. But there is another way the media is assisting the Harris campaign and the Democrats in general with a lack of reporting – it avoids the antisemitic reality within the party.
Consider first how there were protest groups and skirmishes with the local police, including fencing placed at the arena and then the reinforcement of the barricades, and this was barely touched on in the press. We saw little about the pro-Palestine throngs this week despite the ready-made visuals and the inherent drama that the media normally salivate over. Collectively, the press did not want to sully the image of the Party’s party, and it was also a way to sidestep the controversy percolating within the Democrats.
But as the convention was moving forward, this thorny reality kept rearing up. On Night 1, Biden delivered his angry screed of a speech, and one comment binged on the radar of many. He referenced the protesters on site and delivered a line that you know the media would have jumped on had Trump uttered it: “Those protesters out in the streets, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” That is a direct echo of the fraudulent Charlottesville misquote the press (and Biden in the very same speech) love to try pinning on Trump, yet there was nary a journalist brave enough to make the point that Biden was appeasing that faction.
Then came the news that a voting bloc would be walking away from Kamala. The group Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced it was disbanding and would no longer support the ticket. This was because they were denied having a speaker at the convention, a sign that they felt they had influence within the party.
In her acceptance speech Thursday night, Kamala Harris addressed the war between Israel and Hamas…sort of. While she certainly mentioned it, her message was one of blanket non-committal in the region. She essentially said she supports everyone. Yes, when running a campaign, you want to draw as many voters as possible, but this also means Harris ends up courting those perpetuating antisemitism so as not to drive anyone away.
This problem was also seen in the selection process of Kamala’s running mate. As her list was being drawn up, many were looking at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as the best-looking choice, but then he was passed over. Many speculated this was due to the fact that his being Jewish would cause concerns with some Democrats. This is not a right-wing conspiracy to be dismissed; it was a discussion seen in the press.
Then, the curious move to make Tim Walz her pick created more confusion. He was a lightly regarded politician, and unlike Shapiro — who was seen as a way to sway his swing state — Walz comes from a state that is dependably Democrat. But his is also a state with a significant Muslim sector (Ilhan Omar hails from Minneapolis), so he could have been chosen to mollify that group, as well as that in the Eastern portion of Michigan that has been a troubling focus for the party.
Antisemitism has been welling up in this country for years now, but there was a discernable spike last fall when the terror attack in Israel took place and a faction of support for Palestinians developed. It has only grown since, and so has the animosity deriving from this movement – yet there has been a notable lack of condemnation from the press. There has been a decision to downplay the blatant examples of intolerance for Jewish people, all because of how it would reflect on the party.
Beginning last October, an early sign of this intolerance was seen when photographs of the kidnapped Israelis were being posted. Soon, there were instances of opposition to this as people were recorded tearing down these notices in anger, a clear sign of animosity to the plight of the Jewish victims. Think back to those moments and recall that we saw these mostly on social media; while the press might have reported on these occurrences at times, it was not with any true energy, and those carried none of the condemnation from the pundit class.
Soon, protests and marches sprung up in support of Palestinians, and rapidly, these turned to anti-Israel messaging. Still, the media were largely muted, even as clear signs of antisemitism were evident. Then, the campus protest encampments began mushrooming across the country, and the press was more likely to be heard defending these actions. When these progressed to outward hostilities towards Jews – either in hostile speeches, acts of violence, or organized banishment from portions of the campus – the media became complicit in their lack of condemnation.
It is clear the press does not want to highlight this reality for how it will reflect negatively on President Biden (at least at the time) and the Democratic Party at large. We know this based on the way the topic of antisemitism was a regular item seen during the Donald Trump years. Any cherry-picked example of antisemitic activity would be highlighted and then framed against the Trump administration allegedly fostering this intolerance.
When Robert Bowers killed 11 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it was said this was a result of Trump allowing this kind of hate to fester during his term. The press said this when there was one key connection to Trump: Bowers declared he committed the attack because he hated that Trump was supposedly under the control of the Jews.
The focus on Trump had to ignore some glaring realities, such as his firm support for Israel while in office. Another factor always ignored – his immediate family is Jewish! His daughter, grandchildren, and son-in-law are all members of the faith. If there is any connection to Trump and antisemitism, it would be a result of the press. The constant drumbeat of calling Trump a Nazi and “literally Hitler” is the very type of divisive rhetoric the press pretends to be concerned about, yet perpetuates on the regular.
It exposes the propaganda propagated in the press. The constant desire to paint Trump as antagonistic to Jews means they need to turn away from the glaring evidence of Biden and the Democrats ushering in this era of rampant intolerance. As a result, the party is not saddled with this reality; antisemitism has taken root in the Democrats, and it is affecting their policy and governance.
That neither the Democrats nor the press wants to acknowledge the reality means it will only become a heavier anchor moving forward.
