Night three of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago concluded in the traditional manner, with the party’s vice presidential nominee giving an acceptance speech before a crowd of excited delegates.
As the night’s events were progressing, however, uncommitted delegates dedicated to pushing the party toward supporting a ceasefire in Gaza and placing an arms embargo against Israel for its genocidal attacks on Palestinians that have lasted since the start of October, held a sit-in protest just outside the United Center, where the DNC — including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s speech — was happening inside.
Much of the speech by Walz, who was selected by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate earlier this month, focused on his autobiography, an understandable approach given that one in five Americans do not know enough about the Minnesota governor to form an opinion about him yet. Walz gave an explanation of who he was, where he grew up, and what his values have been throughout his life, explaining that, from a young age, he was always taught to look out for and help neighbors, regardless of differences.
“That family down the road — they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love like you do, but they’re your neighbors,” Walz said. “And you look out for them, and they look out for you. Everybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.”
Walz discussed his 24 years in the Army National Guard, his dedication to teaching and coaching and his political background, including running and winning in a “red” congressional district seat in southern Minnesota and later serving as governor of that state, the job he currently holds. He lauded his administration’s investments in the middle class, including cutting taxes for that segment of wage earners, passing paid family and medical leave, cutting the cost of prescriptions and providing free breakfasts and lunches to school kids in the state.
“While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours,” Walz said, referring to the far right coordinated movement to ban books in schools and libraries across the country, particularly those that have a focus on nonwhite and/or LGBTQ themes.
Walz also discussed his commitment to reproductive freedoms, including signing the first post-Dobbs abortion rights bill into law and recounting his family’s personal story about trying to conceive their two children.
“If you’ve never experienced the hell that is infertility, I guarantee you know somebody who has. … It took Gwen and I years. But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was finally born, we named her Hope,” he said, after which, he pointed to his three children, calling them his “entire world” and telling them he loved them. The emotional moment was capped off with his kids tearfully responding to the governor onstage.
Walz said that the freedom to reproductive care is something Republicans don’t understand because they have a different definition of that term. Said Walz:
When Republicans use that word, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office. Corporations, free to pollute the air and water. And banks, free to take advantage of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love.
Walz even took time in his speech to call Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) “weird” — a meme that Walz himself sparked for the pair that went viral on the internet. Walz called out Trump’s agenda as one only serving the rich and doing “nothing for our neighbors in need.”
“Is it weird? Absolutely,” Walz said to cheers. “But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous.”
Walz noted that both Trump and Vance have tried to play down their connections to Project 2025, a far right manifesto crafted by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups intended to guide the next Republican president. The document, which was created in part by at least 140 individuals who formerly worked for Trump, contains provisions to rescind protections for LGBTQ individuals, further deteriorate reproductive rights, abolish the Department of Education, remove the federal civil service in order to ensure employees are loyal to Trump, and has links to white nationalistic ideals, with at least five of its authors espousing those viewpoints in the past.
“They’ve spent a lot of time pretending they know nothing about it,” Walz said. “But look, I coached high school football long enough to know, and trust me on this, when somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”
Walz also promoted the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.
“Kamala Harris is gonna stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life that you want to lead,” Walz said, invigorating his audience by ending his speech with a football analogy:
It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team. Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced. And Kamala Harris is ready.
Notably absent from Walz’s speech was any real substance on foreign policy — including discussion of the genocide happening against Palestinians in Gaza, which uncommitted delegates and their allies have been trying to discuss for days at DNC. Indeed, most of the night, if not the week, has ignored the issue, and where it has been mentioned, Israel’s role in the genocide has been glossed over.
Uncommitted delegates in support of Palestinian liberation and an end to the genocide have requested that the DNC allow a Palestinian speaker take the podium in the United Center, to discuss a permanent ceasefire and an embargo for weapons from the U.S. to Israel, which the U.S. is legally obligated to do.
“We are learning that Israeli hostages’ families will be speaking from the main stage. We strongly support that decision and also strongly hope that we will also be hearing from Palestinians who’ve endured the largest civilian death toll since 1948,” read a statement from the Uncommitted National Movement account on X.
That statement continued:
Excluding a Palestinian speaker betrays the party’s commitment in our platform to valuing Israelis and Palestinian lives equally. Vice President Harris must unite this party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians.
A group of uncommitted delegates, joined by interfaith leaders and their allies, staged a sit-in just outside the convention hall on Wednesday night, saying they wouldn’t remove themselves from that spot until their demands for a Palestinian speaker were met.
“It is unacceptable for a Palestinian person to not be accepted on stage,” said Abbas Alawieh, uncommitted delegate from Michigan and one of the movement’s leaders.
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