Early this month, protesters confronted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at a Brooklyn theater, demanding that she call the Israel-Hamas war \u201ca genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next day, protesters shouting \u201cCease-fire now!\u201d and \u201cLet Gaza live!\u201d interrupted the Senate primary victory speech of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), forcing him to cut short his ebullient remarks.<\/p>\n
And before the annual State of the Union address, protesters wearing black shirts blaring \u201cBiden\u2019s legacy = genocide\u201d and carrying oversized banners locked arms to shut down a swath of Pennsylvania Avenue \u2014 forcing President Biden\u2019s motorcade to take an alternate route to the Capitol to avoid the demonstration.<\/p>\n
Ever since Hamas\u2019s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel\u2019s military response, protesters calling for an immediate cease-fire and an end to the war in Gaza have become a hallmark of Democratic events, with demonstrators confronting everyone from Biden and Vice President Harris to Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress.<\/p>\n
The sustained and ubiquitous nature of the protests have distracted from the message that Democrats are hoping to send and highlighted a key vulnerability that Democrats fear could hurt them in the November election.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe persistence of these is really striking, and that\u2019s probably why it\u2019s really making it a headache for anyone in a position of authority at this point, and it\u2019s the Democrats right now,\u201d said Dave Clark, professor of political science of Binghamton University. \u201cSo many times these things are difficult to sustain from an organizational standpoint and they drift off into nothingness, and they have not done that. They really have been sustained since the October 7th attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Particularly ominous for Biden and Democrats is not just the fact of the protesters and near-constant disruptions, but what it could portend in November: Many of the protesters have emerged from the ranks of their liberal base, including young voters. In last month\u2019s Democratic primary election in Michigan, which has a large Arab American population, more than 100,000 voters chose \u201cUncommitted\u201d \u2014 a pointed signal intended to convey they were unhappy with Biden\u2019s Israel-Hamas war policies.<\/p>\n
A March Fox News poll, for instance, asked registered voters whether they approved or disapproved of how Biden was handling the war between Israel and Hamas. Overall, among Democrats, a narrow 52 percent majority approved and 44 percent disapproved \u2014 much worse than his overall approval rating among Democrats, where 81 percent approved of how he was doing as president.<\/p>\n
And a January AP-NORC poll found 63 percent of Democrats saying the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip has \u201cgone too far,\u201d compared to 24 percent who said it has been about right and 9 percent who said Israel has not gone far enough.<\/p>\n
Some Democrats are also growing anxious about the party\u2019s convention this summer in Chicago and mass protests interfering with the four-day event. Demonstrators always gather outside Democratic and Republican conventions, but party rank-and-file have quietly expressed concern about major disruptions this year, particularly related to Israel and Gaza. The convention will have enhanced security because it is designated as a national security special event, and organizers say they are confident they can balance First Amendment activity and safety concerns.<\/p>\n
The president, a staunch supporter of Israel, supports a temporary cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages still being held by Hamas. He has also become increasingly critical of Israeli leaders for not allowing more aid into Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and hundreds of thousands more are at risk of famine.<\/p>\n
Protesters have a host of demands, including a permanent cease-fire and an end of U.S. military support to Israel. In an interview with MSNBC earlier this month, Biden said, \u201cI\u2019m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there\u2019s no red line I\u2019m going to cut off all weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Democratic Party in recent days has been taking a tougher line on the Israeli government. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) \u2014 the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States and a close ally of Israel \u2014 delivered a dramatic speech on the floor of the Senate, calling for the Israeli government to hold new elections to avoid becoming an international \u201cpariah\u201d under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing cabinet.<\/p>\n
The White House and the Biden campaign have sought to minimize disruptions at the president\u2019s public events, especially since pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Biden and Harris numerous times at a January rally focused on abortion rights in Virginia, according to five people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations.<\/p>\n
Neither the White House nor the Biden campaign have held an event with the president that is open to the general public since Biden launched his reelection effort last April, though a White House spokesman said there have been no procedural changes for events with the president since he took office.<\/p>\n
For Biden\u2019s campaign rallies, all attendees must be invited and are required to show their invitations as they enter, the five people said. The president\u2019s other campaign events have been surprise stops, largely at local restaurants, where people do not have notice. The campaign has kept the location of Biden\u2019s events tightly held.<\/p>\n
The White House has also briefed Cabinet secretaries on how to handle any disruptions they encounter while out in the country, including stressing the importance of the First Amendment, the people said.<\/p>\n
That has not fully succeeded: A protester interrupted the president during a March 9 rally in Atlanta, shouting \u201cGenocide Joe\u201d and \u201cFree Palestine,\u201d as he was quickly carried out by security. \u201cLook, thank you,\u201d Biden said. \u201cLook, I don\u2019t resent \u2014 I don\u2019t resent \u2014 I don\u2019t resent his passion. There\u2019s a lot of Palestinians who are being unfairly victimized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aides and allies of the president have praised him for keeping his cool in the face of demonstrations, especially compared to former president and presumptive 2024 nominee Donald Trump, who has often berated protesters. But while Trump has encountered sporadic climate protesters this year, he has not faced significant demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Donald Trump encourages violence against both protesters and reporters at his rallies, the President is a fierce defender of the First Amendment and believes everyone should be treated with dignity and respect,\u201d Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Biden\u2019s campaign, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
During a March 8 stop in Phoenix, Harris\u2019s motorcade passed by dozens of protesters yelling \u201cGenocide Joe\u201d and \u201cButcher Biden\u201d as they held signs that read \u201cSave Gaza\u201d and \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d Inside the event, a protester began shouting in the middle of her remarks on reproductive freedoms, but was eventually drowned out by attendees chanting, \u201cMVP! MVP!\u201d \u2014 referring to \u201cMadam Vice President\u201d \u2014 before the demonstrator was removed from the event.<\/p>\n
The next day, as she prepared for remarks at a campaign event at a local high school in North Las Vegas, an aide handed Harris a notecard with bullet points on what to say if she encountered more Gaza war protesters. She looked it over before taking the stage \u2014 where she was again interrupted by a protester.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, everyone has a chance to speak,\u201d Harris said, as the protester was swiftly removed. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
The protesters are even directing their ire at progressive Democrats, including some like Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Ocasio-Cortez, both of whom signed an October resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, a few hundred protesters rallied outside of the MadSoul Music and Arts Festival, hosted by Frost in Orlando, as they demanded an end to U.S. aid to Israel and called for a \u201cfree Palestine.\u201d Frost took the stage at the festival \u2014 which included remarks from young liberal Democrats \u2014 to address protesters directly, noting that he is also alarmed by Israel\u2019s actions and is calling for a cease-fire.<\/p>\n
Last fall, activists occupied the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), another progressive lawmaker who at the time had not signed onto the cease-fire resolution, but did so shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n
Khanna, who met with the protesters, said he respected them for being \u201cpassionate about a moral point of view.\u201d And before the Michigan primary last month \u2014 where the Israel-Hamas war was a key source of tension within the Democratic base \u2014 he served as an emissary for the Biden campaign, traveling to that state to meet with Arab American leaders, students and fellow progressives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a wake-up call to the Democratic Party if elected officials are fearful to go on college campuses,\u201d Khanna said. \u201cWe need to be out on college campuses, and the reality is we are the party that\u2019s in power. The last thing young people want to hear is, \u2018Well, the other guy is worse.\u2019 That doesn\u2019t do anything to inspire young people. They want to hear about how we\u2019re going to have a more just foreign policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other Democrats similarly say they respect activism and freedom of speech, and thus welcome what they view as healthy debate \u2014 even if protesters sometimes distract from the intended message of an event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t something I tend to see as scary,\u201d Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the Democratic process.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cActivists who are part of the big Democratic Party coalition are looking to speak to and to reach out to leaders who they believe are going to listen to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite protesters calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, Biden and many other Democrats are, on the whole, more aligned with the position of the pro-Palestinian protesters than Trump and his fellow Republicans are. In a recent interview on Fox News, Trump said Israel has to \u201cfinish the problem\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n
But appealing to the party in power is only natural, said Democrats and experts who study protests.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe Biden is currently serving as the President of the United States of America. Not only does he occupy the most powerful office in the world, he is arguably the man that is most capable of changing outcomes in Palestine behind Benjamin Netanyahu himself,\u201d Vincent Bevins, author of \u201cIf We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution,\u201d wrote in response to email questions. . He added: \u201cIf you believe that the United States is helping an ally to carry out atrocities and war crimes, I think it is easy to understand why you would target the commander in chief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim Messina, who ran Barack Obama\u2019s 2012 reelection campaign, said every incumbent president faces protests and said former president George W. Bush arguably dealt with the largest demonstrations during his 2004 reelection campaign by anti-Iraq war groups, and he went on to win. He added that Biden\u2019s operation does not need to start ramping up to large-scale events at this point in the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t make sense to have big rallies,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have big rallies when you want to turn people out, get people to volunteer.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, the campaign has held at least 60 in-person events with as many surrogates across battleground states. And in the run-up to the Michigan primary, a number of high-profile Democratic officials \u2014 including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Biden campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu \u2014 appeared in the state, as well as some officials who disagreed with Biden on the outlines of a cease-fire.<\/p>\n
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), a Jewish lawmaker who has called for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, visited the University of Michigan for the Biden campaign shortly before that state\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were prepared for anything,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cBut it was actually a very in-depth and respectful conversation where the young people really wanted advice on how to talk to their friends who were skeptical of voting for Biden \u2026 I actually think it\u2019s a good thing that there are so many people who believe that coming out and making their voices heard is likely to get policy to change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The war in Gaza is not the only issue that has attracted demonstrators and activists. Climate change protesters, too, have regularly interrupted both Democratic and Republican events this campaign cycle. Earlier this month, a climate protester confronted Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) at Harvard University, where he was speaking to a study group.<\/p>\n
Stevie O\u2019Hanlon, communications director for the Sunrise Movement, a group of young people advocating for action on climate change, said her group has intentionally protested both Democrats and Republicans.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne goal is to make climate change an urgent issue in the 2024 election, and to push politicians of all parties to talk about it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd climate, as well as abortion, is one issue where Democrats do really well compared to Republicans, but the reality is we need to raise the bar for all politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
But others warn that the disruptions also could have real political costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge is that the more protesters are in the news and in the public view, it makes the president look ineffective,\u201d Clark said. \u201cEven if his policies are indeed effective, it creates the appearance that they\u2019re not because some of his own partisans and supporters are the ones complaining about his policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabrina Rodriguez in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada and Emily Guskin in Washington contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Early this month, protesters confronted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at a Brooklyn theater, demanding that she call the Israel-Hamas war \u201ca genocide.\u201d The next day, protesters shouting \u201cCease-fire now!\u201d and \u201cLet Gaza live!\u201d interrupted the Senate primary victory speech of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), forcing him to cut short his ebullient remarks. And before the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}