In Chicago, left wing pro-Hamas anti-Jew agitators are just getting warmed up to bring chaos to the Democratic National Convention. From the moment Israel went on the offensive against Islamist terrorists in the Gaza Strip – a response to the deadly rampage Hamas brought to the Jewish state in October of last year – terrorist sympathizers here in the US have been waging a campaign of political intimidation against certain elected Democrats and, specifically, the Biden administration. Some people are asking the question, why are these troublemakers going after their own party and a president they supported, rather than Republicans? The answer is surprisingly uncomplicated.
With few exceptions, elected Republicans have always been staunch supporters of Israel. One could be forgiven for thinking it strange that these progressive activists are not targeting the GOP – but to do so would serve no purpose. They have no influence over the Republican Party, and all the chanting, threats, and vandalism in the world is not going to alter Republicans’ views of the latest Middle East conflict.
The Democratic Party establishment, by contrast, is very nervous about this particular wing, which wields outsized influence and is able to quickly and efficiently mobilize an army of rabble-rousers.
Right after the October 7, 2023, Hamas incursions into Israel that claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people, Joe Biden was unequivocal in his support for America's only reliable ally in the Middle East. When Israel struck back, the US experienced a wave of anti-Semitism, stoked by the extreme left. Within just a few months, Biden began to waver. Fast-forward to the presidential primaries and the incumbent began to realize that his already slim chances of being reelected could be obliterated altogether. If the pro-Hamas progressive mob and a large enough number of Arab American voters turned their backs on him, Biden was all but certain to come up short against his Republican challenger, Donald Trump.
To Save Votes, Democrats Bow to the Mob
Even after Democrat heavyweights staged their wine bar putsch and replaced Biden with Kamala Harris on the 2024 presidential ticket, pressure from the anti-Israel lobby remained. Indeed, many of the extreme left’s foot soldiers – the pawns and useful idiots out on the streets – may even have been emboldened by Biden's ouster, perhaps believing the campaign they were waging against him caused his downfall.
Kamala Harris's ascension to the status of presidential candidate triggered a somewhat bizarre wave of euphoria among Democrats. When that wave breaks, however – as it inevitably will – the Democratic Party's new nominee will likely find herself faring almost as poorly against Trump as her boss was. Certainly, she can't risk losing the votes of everyone on the left who considers the Palestinians nothing more than victims of Israeli aggression. And so, at the convention in Chicago and beyond, the far left will apply maximum pressure on Harris and top congressional Democrats.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on August 19 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “accepted” a US ceasefire plan. Hamas is yet to agree to terms. Even if dreams of a ceasefire become reality, Harris will be unable to breathe a sigh of relief. The leftist anti-Israel movement will not be content with a mere cessation of the current hostilities. No one should be harboring illusions that these activists will be satisfied by anything less than America abandoning Israel to fend for itself against Iran and its terrorist proxies.
Right up to Election Day, Kamala Harris and Democrats hoping to keep their seats in Congress will have the anti-Israel mob breathing down their necks. Fearful of losing votes, Harris will likely try to appease the agitators by distancing herself further and further from the Israeli government. The possible consequences of such a shift in American foreign policy are catastrophic. Harris is, after all, still the vice president, and Joe Biden, many suspect, is no longer making the decisions at the White House.
Is it even conceivable that, to keep the extremists happy and shore up Harris' chances of winning the November election, the administration would turn its back entirely on Israel, at such a dangerous time for the region? If the American people have learned anything over the past five or six years, it is that, unfortunately, anything that was once thought inconceivable can now become a reality almost overnight.
