Three things Democrats don’t want to talk about

Modern political conventions are often carefully orchestrated, meticulously orchestrated events. This year’s Democratic rally in Chicago was no different, despite the difficulties of going as planned and the unusual manner in which presidential candidates were chosen.

Democrats on the convention stage tried to put their best foot forward by talking about Kamala Harris’ credentials and character, her economic plans and the party’s work on issues with broad public support, such as abortion rights and health care.

But what they don’t talk about—the issues and areas they have largely tried to avoid, at least so far—says as much about their electoral strategy and weaknesses as it does about what they choose to emphasize. Here are three noteworthy omissions midway through this party extravaganza.

Four years ago, amid mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Democrats and the country engaged in a sometimes heated debate over institutional racism and how American history is presented.

While many mainstream Democrats have shunned radical calls to “defund the police,” most have engaged in discussions about how the United States can take steps to address what they see as slavery’s corrosive legacy in the nation’s businesses, classrooms and government, including Promote DEI – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The issue of transgender rights has been an active force in parts of the Democratic coalition recently — particularly amid Republican efforts to limit or ban children from receiving gender care.

Neither subject has received much attention so far on the Democratic National Convention stage. An emotional tribute to the civil rights movement began early Monday, culminating in a wheelchair-bound Jesse Jackson taking the stage with Martin Luther King Jr. marched together and campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s. But DEI and other remedies have been met with a lukewarm reception.

Shavon Arline-Bradley, president of the National Council of Black Women, said “DEI has become a dog whistle cipher” used to undermine minorities who hold power. Voter awareness campaign.

“Our country was built on opportunity for all men and all women, but we’re not hearing that right now because a lot of people don’t want to alienate certain groups who are afraid of that.”

Alienating the smallest number of potential voters has been the name of the game at this convention.

While abortion rights have been a daily focus of the convention, transgender issues — another hot social topic at the moment — have been largely ignored on national television.

Ms Arlene-Bradley warned that if issues of equity and inclusion were not talked about, problems would persist.

“We should talk about them because this party is the most inclusive and diverse party,” she said. “Show it, activate it and live by those values.”

The final Democratic National Convention of 2020 was largely virtual — held in empty halls and television studios — because of the coronavirus pandemic. When thousands of Democrats gathered in Philadelphia in 2016, the fissures within the party were laid bare.

Supporters of democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, who finished second to Hillary Clinton for the nomination that year, repeatedly disrupted proceedings and organized protests around the chamber.

The party is divided on issues such as Medicare for All, free college tuition and, more broadly, whether Democrats should rely on support from deep-pocketed donors, big business and what Sanders calls the “corporate oligarchs.”

These differences remain. Sanders gave a speech Tuesday night denouncing the corrupting influence of money in politics. But he was followed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who boasts about being a billionaire, and venture capitalist and former American Express CEO Ken Chenault. For now at least, the big tent masks clear differences in policy and opinion.

Another current area of ​​deep division within the party is U.S. military support for Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza. Thousands of protesters demonstrated outside the convention’s secure perimeter, but the bitter divisions received little attention inside the hall.

Sanders drew applause for calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while Joe Biden raised some eyebrows when he said in a speech on Monday that protesters who say too many civilians are dying “have a point.”

But it’s all a far cry from 2016, when some anti-war convention attendees booed former four-star general John Allen and former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta during their speeches.

Immigration has been a burden for Democrats since the number of undocumented crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border surged early in Biden’s presidency. Republicans blame the administration’s policies for fueling a historic increase in border incursions, while the influx of new immigrants – many of whom were transferred by conservative governors to densely populated Democratic cities – has strained public services.

The Harris campaign appears to recognize her vulnerability on the issue. One of its first television ads accuses Donald Trump of vetoing bipartisan border security legislation earlier this year and touts Ms. Harris’ record prosecuting “transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers” while serving as California’s attorney general. .

But the Harris team seems more willing to talk about immigration in a 50-second TV ad than on a stage in Chicago. There were a few lines here and there on the topic, but compared to the 2020 convention — when Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration was a major focus of attack — the silence was conspicuous.

Reports suggest that this could change on Wednesday night, with a number of speakers set to discuss the issue.

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