OPINION | With Over 2 Months Left Until the Presidential Election, It's Time to Increase the Pressure

by Gennette Cordova

Less than three months shy of election day, the topic of platform and policy proposals have begun to punctuate Vice President Kamala Harris' bid for presidency with enormous question marks. While Democrats came out strong during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on issues like reproductive rights and the need for more affordable housing, there were notable messaging missteps that have already sparked backlash against the party's stated positions. It's clear that to change the potentially disastrous course that Democrats are currently on will take much more arm-twisting from their base.

One issue where demands are intensifying for lawmakers at every level is Palestine. Despite the party's more loyal voters responding angrily to anti-genocide protesters interrupting Harris' rallies, and others expressing that what happens overseas isn't a priority for them, the calls for a ceasefire and a weapons embargo on Israel continue to swell, and the polling in key states show a clear reflection of these urgings.

According to findings from YouGov polling, among Democratic and Independent voters in swing states Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona, there is strong support for a permanent ceasefire and disapproval of unconditional aid to Israel. "At least 80% of respondents in each state supported a ceasefire, while more than 60% disapproved of unconditional military aid to Israel. Roughly a quarter of respondents in all states said the violence in Gaza — and candidates' positions on it — is important to them and will likely sway how they vote."

In Pennsylvania, 57% of 2020 Biden voters, who are now undecided, said they'd be more likely to support the Democratic nominee if that person pledged to withhold additional weapons to Israel as a result of Israel's extreme violence against Palestinians in Gaza.

Anti-genocide protesters are growing weary of the empty promises and insistences that a ceasefire deal is being pursued "tirelessly," especially as we continue to read headlines of billions of dollars worth of bomb and weapons shipments headed to Israel, to aid in its bombardment of Gaza, on the American taxpayer's dime. The frustration reached a new peak when organizers were told by the Harris camp that no Palestinian American would be allowed to speak at the DNC. This is coming as a majority of Democrats express disapproval of Israel's actions in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more children than all global conflicts in recent years combined.

This year, for Democrats, familiar issues, like inflation, gun violence, health care, climate change, racism, and addiction, also top the list of major concerns for voters. These days, the cost of essentially everything, from groceries to housing, feels especially burdensome. At the intersection of inflation, addiction, and racism lies homelessness, an issue that's of growing concern across major liberal cities nationwide, exacerbated by this year's City of Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling, which will allow cities to jail unhoused people for sleeping outside without offering them shelter. Gun deaths continue to increase, with alarming trends in youth suicide, putting a spotlight on the lack of mental health resources available to youth.

As is true with all of the issues that tend to matter most to Democrats, Black and Brown communities and those struggling the most financially are hit especially hard while having the least amount of say in the proposed solutions to the problems. And while nothing we can do in a single election (or even the next dozen) will rectify the reality that poorer, less white communities have the most minimal influence over policy decisions, we never have more power than in moments like this.

That's not something politicians will tell us. They won't encourage us to leverage our votes to secure resources and policy proposals that benefit our local communities or oppressed communities nationwide and globally. They don't empower us to understand that we have the most sway over a politician and our party during hotly contested elections. In fact, it seems for the most part that politicians will try to do the bare minimum needed to win our votes.

At every level, politicians should feel pressure to earn your vote. Write, shout, show up, protest to make them lay out their solutions for the most pressing issues — solutions that will improve the material conditions of the people around you or stop carnage paid for by your taxes. If you want Harris to defeat Donald Trump this November, you should want her to be the strongest candidate she can possibly be. This will require nudging on some issues and much more aggressive agitation for others. The more of us who stand up and say our votes will only be earned if our demands are met, the better chances we have to actually see some of the improvements we deserve.

Now is the time to use your imagination, to think beyond the low political efficacy we've been made to internalize. Months ago, it was inconceivable that someone other than Joe Biden would be the Democratic nominee for president but sustained pressure changed that. Consider, for a moment, what else pressure could do. With enough pressure, maybe more of us will have relief from the crushing cost of living; maybe more youth will have access to the mental health resources they need; maybe more people without homes will be protected from state violence.

Maybe we can stop a genocide.

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Gennette Cordova is a writer, organizer, and social impact manager. She contributes to publications like Teen Vogue and Revolt TV and runs an organization, Lorraine House, which seeks to build and uplift radical communities through art and activism.

📸 Featured Image: Protestors march from SeaTac to Golden Gardens, calling for an immediate ceasefire as well as the freedom and safety for all living between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, on May 26, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)