The “Abandon Harris” Movement Had an Impact
Image by Colin Lloyd.
For the Kamala Harris campaign, I had progressive friends from different organizations using clashing strategies to reach their goals.
You’ve probably seen videos of Kamala “I’m speaking!” Harris shutting down my pro-Palestinian gang, which crashed her rally, demanding her administration stop backing the Israeli genocide in Palestine.
Also in attendance were my militant union sisters and brothers—who have a proven record of raising hell and winning strikes—proudly wearing their red Nurses for Kamala tee-shirts. (I call them “union thugs” with affection).
They are good people who support the Palestinians and oppose the genocide. Our National Nurses United union quietly signed a joint union letter calling for a US arms embargo on Israel.
The Abandon Harris campaign vowed to defeat Harris if the administration didn’t force a ceasefire on Israel.
My other anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voices for Peace wouldn’t go near an election event or an anti-genocide third party for fear of losing its charity 501(c)3 status. (We need to talk about how 501(c)3 and government/corporate funding straitjackets and coopts movements).
So, what electoral leverage did unions, most social justice organizations, even anti-racist anarchists! and our left media use beyond simply voting like a radical to end the genocide or push working-class issues that the Democrats abandoned decades ago, (such as passing a living minimum wage, stopping corporations from inflating prices, or taking steps to reverse growing wealth inequality)?
Nothing.
Why did we resort to magical-thinking that simply getting out the vote for a genocidal party to beat Trump was adequate, or deny how unhealthy it was?
Some Harris voters told me they were following the 1930’s examples of socialists voting liberal to defeat fascists. History may repeat itself to some degree, but any strategy must include an analysis with more subtlety and nuance than that simple formulation reflects. What are the similarities between Trumpism and classic fascism, and what are the differences? How does a genocide that is in no small part an extension of liberal US foreign policy affect our analysis and strategy? (By the way, the Spanish fascists started the civil war after losing the election, and ruled for three decades).
Our enemies, from the billionaires, the military-industrial-complex to the pro-Israel forces, start like we do, with “hopes and dreams”. Then they do whatever they can get away with ensuring the candidates and the economic players are their tool. That’s vision and strategy.
It just so happened that American Muslims showed us what dreams, courage, and a powerful election strategy looks like. I volunteered in Pennsylvania with the audacious Muslim-led Abandon Harris campaign announcing they would mobilize their base in battleground states to ‘abandon Harris’ (and vote Jill Stine/Green Party) if the administration does not impose an Israeli ceasefire for Gaza.
Their strategy after their demands weren’t met, was to “punch the Democrats in the face”.
Their conservative leader Imam Tom Facchine explained, “(We told the Biden Harris administration) you need to have a permanent ceasefire by this deadline. If you do not do it, there will be political consequences. You will not be in political office come November. We learned that making a demand, making a threat, and delivering on that threat, works.
As of this writing, the tight vote difference in battleground states indicate the Abandon Harris punishment campaign significantly contributed to Harris’s loss. And, yes, these mofos proudly own their responsibility in defeating Harris.
Facchine defends their role in defeating Sen. Bob Casey (D, PA). “People might tell us, ‘Well you guys didn’t do anything. You just replaced one Zionist with another. Maybe he’s going to be worse’. That’s not the point. The point is that you made an example out of somebody, and now you send a message to everybody, and you exercise the punishment as often as you have to until everybody gets the message”.
Facchine explains, “This formula is a working formula in order to keep them moving and keep us on the offence.”
Or we can present a reward message to our allies and the candidates. Imagine what might have resulted if our healthcare unions warned the Democrats after Israel attacked every Gaza health facility and killed over 500 Palestinian health workers, “We’ll mobilize to get you elected only if you stop the Israeli genocide”.
The point is to realize we do have power and pride during elections, develop a vision of what we can do with it, and not to be dogmatic about any particular tactic, strategy, organization, or party.
I know the goal for most of you reading this wasn’t simply defeating Trump and settling for the neoliberal, war-mongering Democrats. Not only are we living in a period of accelerating and compounding crises, but the forces of our empire distort who might be our allies and who might be our enemies—regardless of their party or organizational label.
My organizer friend Nadine Bloch with Beautiful Trouble and I disagreed about voting for vs. defeating Harris. But we both agree that regardless, the movement needs to build our numbers and our power. We both agree that the lack of protests and pressure on the Democrats during the election by our allies in progressive organizations and unions was a mistake. We both agree that there is still a lot of opportunity and sufficient freedom to organize and protest.
Nadine states, “Out of every 10 people you see at the supermarket only about 3 would have voted for Trump and some for fed-up-with-the-system reasons. We are still the majority. Together we are more powerful than greed or fear”.
Exercising our political muscles during and in-between election campaigns builds strength. If you fear Trump, then don’t couch-potato with the Democrat establishment’s dis-empowering propaganda. Stand up, organize with others, and get in solidarity shape quickly.
We can rebuild our mojo, and, of course, develop the vision, courage, and power to have our values and policies guide our country. The next “most important election of our lifetime” comes ’round again real soon.
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