Kamala Harris and Uncommitted (Gaza)

Dean Phillips and Jason Palmer received a combined eight delegates in the presidential race. Thirty-seven delegates are uncommitted. They are a result of an effort to provide a dissenting vote regarding Gaza. 

Juan Cole of Informed Comment, a website that provides a critical look at Middle Eastern policy, offered Gov. Walz's reply as a sign there was some daylight between him and Gov. Josh Shapiro:

Yeah, look, they’re engaged. We’re really proud of Minnesota civic responsibility. We have some of the highest voter turnouts. These are voters that are deeply concerned as we all are. The situation in Gaza is intolerable. And I think trying to find a solution, a lasting two-state solution, certainly the President’s move towards humanitarian aid and asking us to get to a ceasefire, that’s what they’re asking to be heard. And that’s what they should be doing. We’ve gone through this before. And we know that now we make sure we’ve got eight months. We start bringing these folks back in. We listen to what they’re saying.

Juan Cole argues that Walz is a "typical American Democrat" on the subject. He is more pro-Israel than Cole wants but is more balanced than Josh Shapiro. The blog cites some examples of Shapiro's rhetoric that received pushback. As with a few other things, it hurt his chances for v.p.

Vice President Kamala Harris received some kudos for pushing back against a heckler during a Detroit rally. The photo is part of her "I'm talking" reply. I saw a few people on Twitter pushing back. She needed to do more than shut up hecklers. 

She did. The Harris campaign knew that they had to tread carefully, especially near Dearborn, which has many Arab-Americans. Her campaign reached out to founders of the Uncommitted movement. 

The campaign knows that the fight to win is a coalition effort. You have to invite people in as part of a big tent, listening to their concerns. They invited the co-founder to talk about the group's support of an arms embargo on Israel.  

The interview at the link includes this bit:

Uncommitted isn’t an option in November, so I won’t be asking people to vote uncommitted. But neither will I personally advocate for voting for Kamala without our demands being met.

Yes. If her test is that Harris must "differentiate herself from Trump," it's a low bar that is already met. 

Are they, like Project 2025, planning to "criminalize" Uncommitted's work? Or, do they want a "clear policy shift from Biden," which is a more open-ended demand that can be an unreachable goal? 

No candidate can please everyone. President Biden made an effort to obtain the support of those sympathetic to Palestinians. Vice President Harris not being Biden will help to some degree all by itself.

More can and should be done. Harris/Walz had a promising start. We will gain more insights about any daylight between Harris and Biden on the issues. 

It is not likely to be too notable. Democrats generally have the same basic beliefs. Harris wants to retain the support of the same voters who voted for Biden.

Nonethless, it is something to look out for, including any positions she will state on Supreme Court reform. After all, the three reforms set forth by Biden are only a start. There too it will be a careful dance.