#on one hand harris hasnt given any specific policy promises on ceasefire but on the other she hasnt talked specific policy in general

[cheesey-rice]

What does the post-DNC future look like for the Uncommitted movement?

After unsuccessfully lobbying to place a representative on the Democratic National Convention stage, where does the staunchly anti-Gaza war group go from here?

By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US published 28 August 2024

Article text:

If Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman (D) had taken the stage during last week's Democratic National Convention, she would have used her time at the speaker's rostrum to call for her party to "commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur." Had she been allowed to address the convention floor, Romman, the first Palestinian American elected to public office in Georgia, would have become the first Palestinian to ever address the DNC — an honor she would have mentioned directly, according to a transcript of her planned remarks obtained by Mother Jones. 

Instead, after lengthy negotiations with party officials, the DNC chose not to allow Romman to address the crowds within Chicago's United Center, prompting the progressive Uncommitted movement that was pushing for her speech to stage a high-profile sit-in protest outside the convention space. 

The episode represented one of the few points of genuine tension during a national convention characterized largely by a sense of unity and enthusiasm for presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Moreover, it was a sign that the Uncommitted activists who withheld their support for Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries over American backing of Israel's war in Gaza remain vocally dissatisfied with the party establishment, even in the general election phase of the 2024 race. 

With November fast approaching, and the violence across Gaza showing little sign of slowing, what options and opportunities do the Uncommitted activists have moving toward Election Day? 

What did the commentators say? 

The fallout from the DNC's decision to sideline Uncommitted voices is "spreading beyond activists at the convention," Politico said, with the "potential to undo inroads made by the Harris campaign among voters who believed she would take a harder line against Israel if elected president."

"We'll roll with the punches, we're good organizers," Uncommitted movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said to CNN. One of the "loudest applause lines" in Harris' DNC speech was a call for a cease-fire and the rights of Palestinians to live with "dignity" and "self-determination," said Romman to CNN. The problem is that "saying things is important," but the Uncommitted movement wants "specific policies that will create the things we are hoping for." To that end, the group has pledged on its website to move past the DNC by "keeping our anti-war voters engaged through November to save lives, fight fascism and strengthen our democracy."

That Harris used her nomination acceptance speech "with more than 26 million watching from home, to issue a forceful call for Palestinian human rights was actually remarkable," said Rolling Stone. It could be argued that "taking up the call for Palestinian freedom and self-determination is a bigger coup than a brief speaking slot of the kind the Uncommitted delegates were seeking." While the Uncommitted movement was unable to secure a speaker, group leaders "cast their work at the convention as a success," The Guardian said. Uncommitted's impact was still undeniable, as "numerous delegates, including older Black and white delegates from as far-flung as Texas, were spotted wearing keffiyehs in clear support of the pro-Palestinian movement," The Independent said. Still, there is "little sign that the Democratic Party wants to kill the vibe shift as they hope for a Harris victory." 

What next? 

Uncommitted movement leaders have "been asking for a meeting with Vice President Harris. We formally requested that that meeting happen before September 15," Alawieh said to NPR. "She and her team know how to reach us." 

Although much of Harris' rhetoric "continue[s] to be empty," Uncommitted Washington State DNC delegate Yaz Kader said at Rolling Stone, "The positive thing is when she did talk about Gaza, the roar from the delegates in support was palpable." Nevertheless, Kader said, until Harris "can make that change" from words to action, "I'm still uncommitted."