Kennedy is an opportunist, and probably a gullible one at that. He previously tried to sell dropping out and an endorsement to Trump. I'm guessing that Harris told him to pound sand and Trump is pretending that he'll offer a Cabinet post to Kennedy if Trump wins. Like all of Trump's promises, they're worth exactly zero, but Mr. Brain Worms may not have figured that out.

FFS people. Never call your boat or ship unsinkable. That's just asking for fate to prove you wrong.

"Police arrested a 48-year-old man suspected of killing beloved dog walker, 80-year-old Ruth Dalton."

I'm not sure whether the Stranger is intentionally omitting details about this suspect, but it's worth noting he has 8 prior felony convictions, including violent crimes. Not surprisingly, he has mental health issues. He was located because he was spotted abusing the victims dog in a park not far from the carjacking location. He stabbed the dog, which was later found dead in a recycling bin. I know the Stranger does not like the idea of incarcerating violent criminals, but this guy absolutely needs to be locked up.

"On the plus side, the people who have complicated relationships with their dads got a kick in the absolute gut over this moment."

Getting "a kick in the absolute gut" is a weird plus side, Hannah.

@3:

Maggots are an excellent source of protein. Given the dearth of such in most hotel convention breakfasts (you're generally lucky to find a lonely bowl of hard-boiled eggs amidst the ocean of pastries, muffins, bagels, and fruit chunks), maybe they thought they were doing the delegates a favor?

Why, of all the real and perceived unjust situations in the world (and there are lots of them), did the Palestinian cause become so central to far-left identity?

@6 Do you ever wonder what it means to be a "moderate" if only the "far left" is offended by genocide?

averagebob @7, please forgive me for being so nosey, but I can't quite make out the username you previously posted as. Would you mind spilling the beans?

Maybe somebody else out there knows.

Sadly, I don't need to be asking this question of the commenter @3.

As I suspected, there’s some horrible people in the protestors at the DNC

https://www.rawstory.com/nazis-at-democratic-national-convention/

@7 Being a moderate doesn’t mean you aren’t offended or bothered by what’s in Gaza, but when you’re talking about an existential election where the alternative is a man who wants to eliminate democratic government fail safes and grab power to himself at an unprecedented and likely unrecoverable level of it’s allowed to happen, a 100 year long conflict on the other side of the world that has 75 years of US foreign policy threaded into it isn’t necessarily top of mind. Actively trying to damage the candidate who actually wants a ceasefire, when the alternative supports DIRECT U.S. participation in the conflict is asinine.

Does anyone really believe that Netanyahu isn't holding on any concessions until after the election? Think just maybe Trump whispered into his ear, "hold on and I'll have your back"?

Fun fact: you can be outraged by both 10/7 and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine at the same time. Generally speaking everyone can form opinions based on their own morals and not out of spite, though of course you need to have morals first.

I don't know why a political party would allow a speaker from a faction that purposely call themselves Uncommitted in reference to that same political part.

The parent of the hostage taken by Hamas had this to say “There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East,” he said. “In a competition of pain, there are no winners.” If for some reason a pro-Palestinian is given time on stage for a statement I doubt they would include anything similar, as that would be recognizing what happened on 10/7.

@1 "FFS people. Never call your boat or ship unsinkable. That's just asking for fate to prove you wrong."
LOVE IT!!!! This is soooo true.
I was listening to John Lennon yesterday. Rrrrreally miss him.

Look, I'd love to have a Palestinian speaker on the convention floor too. I also know that the first rule of conventions is to do no harm*, and I'm willing to accept that the Harris campaign has a better look at the polls and the overall state of the campaign to know whether a Palestinian speaker would do more harm than good.

And for the love of God (whatever name you call them), could the furthest fringes of the pro-Palestinian protestors please stop making the rest look like cartoon villains? Maggots on the breakfast tables isn't going to convince anyone of anything except that your cause should be ignored.

See what went down with the Vance selection and the RNC for why that's important.

@11 Being offended is more than saying you are offended while providing the weapons for it. Otherwise it's just like you aren't offended enough to stop enabling it.

Also, polling indicates that taking a strong stance on Gaza would help defeat Trump in swing states that are still up for grab.

@7 Pointing out that Israel is also committing war crimes doesn't "play down" anything; however, you putting quotes around genocide shows that you want to play down what's happening in Gaza. Why is it that conservatives always want to accuse their opponents of doing what they themselves are doing?

“The DNC refused to allow any Palestinian-Americans to speak about Israel’s bombardment and killing of 40,000 people in Gaza.”

And rightfully so. I can think of any number of other ‘special interest groups’ with larger constituencies who don’t have speaking roles at the Convention.

“Despite the popularity of the demand for a ceasefire…”

For a ceasefire? Yes - that’s popular - almost universally so, and has been called for by numerous speakers at the Convention.

But what the attention-seeking ‘uncommitted’ nuts want is not by any generally-accepted definition ‘popular,’ no matter how loud they yell.

@6: because the Far Left requires a cause du jour to define itself as a vanguard movement. The cause itself varies year by year, but the basic dynamic remains constant: it justifies a purity politics where they can accuse the insufficiently-left of being monsters , cast themselves as noble, and utterly fail to advance their own nominal policy priorities.

Lynch's boat and that waterspout didn't really "cross paths." It was sitting at anchor, sort of like a trailer park.

@18 No, by putting "genocide" in quotes they are rightfully calling out the strategy being used by Hamas and the far left to minimize Hamas atrocities (both against Jews and their own people) and recast Israel as the villain is this conflict. The far left of course is happy to accommodate Hamas and amplify their propaganda.

HAMAS COMMITTED GENOCIDE
or at Least a Nasty Act of Terrorism
the fucking VERB in the Past Fuckimg Tense

Israel
commits
it Every Day.

EVERY FUCKING DAY

&
We,
the Peolple
are Funding THAT

plus
paying
a Foreign
Influencer
to Influence
a Political Party

to swing the Vote to
PRO-Israel to help
bibi stay in Office

he may be a nut & a yahoo
but he's Playing US
like a god damn
motherfucking
Fiddle.

screech
Screech
SCREECH

all these kids in gaza that don't get obliterated are going to grow up and do hamas 2 electric boogaloo. we're going to have to keep 3d printing them missiles bois

@23: So, your own very personal, double-secret definition of “genocide,” which you demand everyone use, despite your repeated refusals to say what it is, actually does include the killing of Jews, for being Jews, on land the killers have declared they will cleanse of Jews. (Although your definition apparently requires a lengthy ‘explanatory’ caveat afterwards.)

Now, given how the now-leader of Hamas, Sinwar, has instructed his fellow leaders that Hamas fully desires a large civilian death toll in Gaza, and therefore has Hamas attack both the IDF and Israel (note present tense) from behind human shields in Gaza, does that make Hamas complicit in the “genocide” of which you accuse Israel?

The Democrats choosing not to allow any Palestinian American to speak (and they were given a long list of options, from currently elected American politicians who are Palestinian American, to health care workers in America who have spent time in Gaza caring for the wounded, to any number of Palestinian Americans working in any number of industries) proves they are just like the Republicans. Silence any voice you don't like.

Hundreds of billions of American taxpayer dollars have been and continue to be used to arm and fund Israel, to aid and abet their ethnic cleansing of Palestine and assist in their war crimes that violate both United States law and International law. There are large numbers of people in this country who actually care about this (remember South America, there were lots of people in this country who cared about the apartheid state in SA, just as they care about the apartheid state in Palestine that has turned into a killing field because Israel has decided they simply want to wipe 2.3 million people off the face of the earth and TAKE the parts of Palestine they weren't "given" by Britain (not Britain's to give in the first place).

The DNC is riding high on its cult of personality. That's what our government is - a cult of personality owned by billionaires and psychopaths and no amount of joy and laughter and positive rhetoric will ever make up for the fact that Democrats have done nothing while Biden was in power (oh wait he still is) to:

give women back their human rights (supposedly protected under the Constitution yet taken from them)

given everyone in the country not white back their human and civil rights (supposedly protected under the Constitution yet taken from them)

put Donald Trump in prison for all of his crimes, prosecute every other traitor (143 still collecting paycheck as members of Congress), and make certain DJT could never, ever, EVER come anywhere near the White House again (he's running for president again FFS)

ensure that the slaughter of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement and other white supremacist murderers in this country will be stopped by any means necessary

or to help all of the people in the United States who are truly suffering - barely able to survive on wages that are not enough to pay for the "cost of living" (consider that phrase, especially given no person on earth chose to be here, they were brought into this world with no say) - who are homeless or almost homeless - who are hungry - who are sick and have no health care - the list is truly endless

Democrats are riding high on the kool aid they have been drinking at the DNC. They've done nothing to ensure Trump can't do what he did in January 2021 (or worse). They've done nothing to stem the burning of the Constitution by the not at all supreme court (3 justices put in place by Donald Trump).

Democrats truly believe they deserve power because Trump is truly one of the most repugnant and vile people on the face of the earth. They truly believe that it doesn't matter if they do nothing, they will be handed power because they are not Republicans.

It's hubris.
It's blind.
It's stupid.

And if things don't go their way, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

@26 no, I don’t “remember South America, there were lots of people in this country who cared about the apartheid state in SA” - which country in South America are you referring to?

xina- you might try to put things into the context of how American Government works. They cannot get legislation passed without going through the House of Representatives, and the Republicans in control of that body have indicated, repeatedly, they are fine with nothing happening. As for the Supreme Court, you can share the blame for that with all those who said there was no difference between Clinton and Trump. Clinton judges would certainly not have voted to overturn Roe. And without a governing majority in both Houses, no legislation overturning that ruling will advance.

@26- I do recall lots of Americans caring deeply about apartheid. And pressuring the SA government where they could. But what I DON’T remember is those people deciding that ending apartheid was so, so important that they would rather hand the US to a fascist and likely end our democracy if they didn’t get their way. See the difference?

The speech Harris/Walz refused to even read; what the Palestinian-Americans wanted to say at the DNC:

My name is Ruwa Romman, and I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic National Convention. My story begins in a small village near Jerusalem, called Suba, where my dad’s family is from. My mom’s roots trace back to Al Khalil, or Hebron. My parents, born in Jordan, brought us to Georgia when I was eight, where I now live with my wonderful husband and our sweet pets.

Growing up, my grandfather and I shared a special bond. He was my partner in mischief—whether it was sneaking me sweets from the bodega or slipping a $20 into my pocket with that familiar wink and smile. He was my rock, but he passed away a few years ago, never seeing Suba or any part of Palestine again. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

This past year has been especially hard. As we’ve been moral witnesses to the massacres in Gaza, I’ve thought of him, wondering if this was the pain he knew too well. When we watched Palestinians displaced from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other I wanted to ask him how he found the strength to walk all those miles decades ago and leave everything behind.

But in this pain, I’ve also witnessed something profound—a beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety. That’s why we are here—members of this Democratic Party committed to equal rights and dignity for all. What we do here echoes around the world.

They’ll say this is how it’s always been, that nothing can change. But remember Fannie Lou Hamer—shunned for her courage, yet she paved the way for an integrated Democratic Party. Her legacy lives on, and it’s her example we follow.

But we can’t do it alone. This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our party’s greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but it’s time we flex that strength.

Let’s commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur. Let’s fight for the policies long overdue—from restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza. To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can—yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not for endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us, like my grandfather taught me, together.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-speech-uncommitted-movement-harris-walz-ruwan-romman/

@27 typo, lack of sleep/caffeine SOUTH AFRICA

@28 I understand how the government works. Biden, however, has bypassed Congress at least 3 times to arm and fund Israel. All other arming and funding was approved by Congress.

As for 2016 I certainly did not believe in any way that there was no difference between Clinton and Trump. As a former New Yorker I found it absolutely inconceivable that Trump could ever win. I underestimated the deep seated hatred of women and the still very deep roots of white supremacist terrorism alive in this country. Comey is responsible for destroying Clinton (who sat in front of Congress for 11 hours answering questions and was found to have done nothing wrong).

This country voted Trump in because of misogyny and white supremacist rage at having President Barack Obama serve two terms and be one of the best presidents this country has ever had (and no I don't think he was perfect, there is a LOT that was problematic in his administration). It started when Obama was first elected and Mitch McConnell stated the only agenda Republicans had was to make Obama a one term president.

The Tea Party became the MAGAts and here we are. I voted for Clinton. I don't want to vote for Harris. I would never have voted for Biden for a 2nd term. If Trump were literally anyone else, he would be in prison, on death row. If this country cared about democracy like it claims to, 143 seditionists/traitors still collecting paychecks in Congress would also be in prison. Trump is not the problem, though he IS a problem. 75 million people voted for him in 2020. SEVENTY-FIVE MILLION PEOPLE VOTED FOR THAT TWICE IMPEACHED SHIT BAG WHO IS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR AND TRAITOR AND PIECE OF SHIT.

Every Republican in Congress is to blame. Every Democrat in Congress is to blame.

Harris is making all of the same promises (vote for us and you'll get your rights back!!!) when Biden's amdinistration, with Harris as VP, kept none of its promises it made to all of the Americans (mostly Black, mostly poor, and mostly female) they promised to help if elected.

And all of the rights that have been gutted by SCOTUS have happened under Biden's watch.

His Zionism is a betrayal to the American people (using their taxpayer dollars to aid and abet, arm and fund Israel, in violation of United States law and International law).

The Democrats believe they are better than the Republicans. They are not. They are simply different, evil in a different way, for different reasons. Power corrupts all and there is not one person in power in this country that isn't corrupt. Not one.

@24,

Sadly, yup. And even if Israel were to somehow miraculously succeed in eradicating Hamas, Hezbollah or some other faction of nut job extremist will immediately step in to fill the void of nut job extremism created in their wake. It freaking sucks to admit, but the region just simply shouldn't be inhabited as humans quite obviously can't be trusted to peacefully co-exist. Shit, we can just barely do so here in the US on a tract of land encompassing over 3 million square miles.

@32 Biden has no authority to overrule a Supreme Court decision. None. The next President will be either Harris or Trump. That is the system you and I live under. I absolutely disagree with you lumping both parties together. Your cynicism has blinded you.

@32 No he doesn't, but he does have other powers. He did nothing. Trump shouldn't even be on the ballot. If a felon in prison can't vote then a convicted felon can't run for president. It's not rocket science. Pretending that this isn't problematic, that the Democrats are not SERIOUSLY PROBLEMATIC, is gaslighting.

Yeah, I hope Harris wins. Trump will do everything he can, with the help of everyone willing to help him, to do what he did last time. And we're going to have to live through it all over again. And again and again and again and again and it's never gonna fucking end. Long after Trump is dead and dumped in a landfill, his MAGAt cult will continue the bullshit he put in place because the other party isn't interested in actually reigning in power, they just want to make sure THEY are the ones that have it.

We don't agree, that's obvious. I am, however, no longer blind, the problem is now I can actually see. And what has been seen cannot be unseen. I refused to see it for a long time. No more. Never again.

@22 "The poll, which was conducted among 1,265 possible voters over the span of a week in April, found that almost four in 10 likely voters, as well as more than half of all Democrats, believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. "

Either that's a lot of far left people and who knew Hamas was so popular in the US... or you are full of shit. We all know which one it is.

https://www.jpost.com/us-elections/article-800603

@25 "human shields"

Haaretz Investigation: Israeli Army Uses Palestinian Civilians to Inspect Potentially Booby-trapped Tunnels in Gaza

'Our lives are more important than their lives': Gazans not suspected of terrorism are detained and sent as human shields to search tunnels and houses before IDF soldiers enter, with the full knowledge of senior Israeli officers, several sources say; IDF claims this practice is forbidden
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-08-13/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-uses-gazan-civilians-as-human-shields-to-inspect-potentially-booby-trapped-tunnels/00000191-4c84-d7fd-a7f5-7db6b99e0000

Stranger should sue the city for violating open meetings act. City council's pet attorneys may see no ethical issues but it is definitely there and 3rd party attorneys plus judges will see it

@25

"So, your own very personal, double-
secret definition of “genocide,”
which you demand
everyone use"

once, again,
Wormtongue,
your Vile Projections*
turn you into a Liar, yet. once. again.

lie
Harder,
wormmy. you'll be
even More Convincing

*thanks,
Catalina!

Orcanado: Sicily will be a great movie!

@40: Thanks for validating my point.

Everyone else in the world can match Hamas’ actions on 10/7 and after with the Genocide Convention’s definition of “genocide.” This does not require months and months and months of equivocation, nor does it require juvenile attacks upon anyone who dares ask, nor does it require attachment of a lengthy explanatory caveat.

Likewise, anyone can know of Hamas’ chronic and widespread abuse of civilians as human shields, Sinwar’s stated desire for more civilian casualties, and conclude Hamas bears most of the responsibility for Gaza’s sufferings. Your shouting your boutique version of “genocide” hasn’t changed this at all, because at the end, “Gaza Isn’t Driving Votes.”

(Other than yourself, of course — who, exactly, did you think you were fooling?)