NEWFANE-There is a massive conversation happening right now among Democratic voters of conscience - people who oppose Israeli bombardment of Gaza using U.S.-made weapons - about whether to vote for Kamala Harris for president.
While Harris's rhetoric - which at least conveys empathy for Palestinian suffering - shows perhaps some daylight between her and Joe Biden, the substance of any policy difference remains to be seen.
For voters of conscience, this is a critical moment to push her administration toward not only a ceasefire but also an arms embargo.
One of the best tools we have in the voting process is to promise not to vote for her unless she accepts these minimal demands. This is leverage.
As author Sim Kern put it on an Instagram video: "A lot of y'all have no idea how to negotiate, do you! You don't buy the car and then try to negotiate on price! You buy yourself some lunch and wait for the car salesman to call you, pleading to make a deal. Once you buy the car it's too late!"
The most prominent organized campaign to apply this pressure is Not Another Bomb. Born out of the Uncommitted Movement - which, I'm sure you all remember from back during the Democratic primaries - Not Another Bomb registered and mobilized around a million voters to vote "uncommitted" in key swing states.
They made national headlines, sending a clear message: Without this coalition dedicated to a ceasefire (and now an arms embargo), the Democratic presidential ticket stands to lose to Donald Trump in November.
Look, we know the dangers of another Trump presidency. No one who supports Palestinians wants him in office.
I'm not saying don't vote Democratic. I'm saying, let's try and negotiate our demands in this brief window while we have some leverage, applying pressure, especially during the Democratic National Convention.
We aren't doing this alone - this is part of a well-organized national effort. Jewish Voice for Peace occupied the Capitol leading up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shameful address before Congress with the messages: "Jews say stop arming Israel" and "Ceasefire Now." I stand with them.
I want to believe in the progressive possibilities of the Harris/Walz team. Yet after witnessing countless horrors and a livestreamed genocide funded by our ruling class, I cannot in good conscience vote for them without something tangible: an arms embargo on the state of Israel for its myriad violations of international laws and human rights.
Ramsey Demeter
Newfane
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