My Fellow American Jews: Kamala Harris' Democratic Party Is No Party for Us | Opinion
The Democrat Party's failure to address the rising tide of antisemitism within its ranks has reached a dangerous tipping point, and Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris' actions are emboldening those who hate Jews.
Since the October 7 massacre, countless radicals within the Democrats' base have taken to the streets. They use Hamas's attack as their rallying cry. They wave the flags of terror organizations on our streets, chant "Death to America" on our soil, and block Jewish students from academic facilities on our college campuses.
Through silence at times and blatant pandering at others, Kamala Harris is choosing to be led by these people. Meanwhile, her flip-flopping on positions across the board is giving the nation whiplash. Suddenly, Harris wants to accept zero responsibility for the border failures under her watch. She is making believe she isn't on video pushing a fracking ban, and is ridiculously trying to recast President Trump's proposed elimination of tax on tips as her own.
One area Harris refuses to change course on is her pandering to far-Left Jew haters in her party. After successfully executing her palace coup, ousting the sitting President at the top of the Democrat ticket, and disenfranchising 14 million Democrat voters in the process, Harris could have sent a resounding message to her party faithful that she will no longer tolerate the Hamas sympathizers in their ranks. Instead, every action she has taken since becoming the presumptive Democrat nominee has sent a chilling reminder to Jewish voters across the country that we are not safe under Democrat rule.
I know who I'm going to vote for.
Days after she took over her party's nomination, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a Joint Address to Congress. Instead of doing her duty and presiding over the Senate Chambers, she chose to visit with a college sorority.
The next day, she privately met with Netanyahu. Immediately after the meeting, she turned up the heat on Bibi, calling on Israel to accept the flawed ceasefire offer on the table—one Hamas had not even agreed to yet. Harris claims this deal would be best for Israeli security. In reality, it does not ensure the elimination of Hamas, forces Israel to give up all their leverage by withdrawing from Gaza, and does not even ensure the return of all the remaining hostages, including Americans.
While all of this was going on, "protesters" at Union Station were destroying public property, including American flags. She was nowhere to be found. It took her 24 hours of stalling to barely address that these terrorist sympathizers were parading around our nation's Capitol. Maybe this is because it is the same type of "protesting" she helped support with a bail fund for those arrested for trying to burn down Minneapolis during the 2020 "Summer of Love."
She subsequently passed over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for the vice presidential nomination, viewed by many as a consequence of his Jewish faith. Since he's a Jew, and that is unpopular with her radical base, she instead chose far-Left politician Tim Walz, who sat on his hands for days while rioters were burning Minneapolis to the ground.
Walz's record aligns disturbingly well with this antisemitic faction. He has openly praised Imam Asad Zaman, who not only refused to condemn Hamas' October 7th attack but also promoted Adolf Hitler's ideology. Walz referred to Zaman as a "master teacher." He has also expressed support for Ilhan Omar, stating that on difficult days, the thought of her being in Congress makes him smile.
Harris picking Walz as her running mate was a nod to the same violent mob that has now turned their fire against Jewish Americans. And let's not forget how, as vice president, Kamala Harris launched the country's first ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia less than one month after October 7, regardless of the fact that it was antisemitism that widely ensued. She is strongly opposed to using the term "radical Islamic terrorism" but doesn't bat an eye when Jews are threatened on her watch.
VP Harris joined Joe Biden in paying billions of dollars in ransom payments to Iran, stifling American energy production to buy from the Mullahs, and emboldening the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxies to commit the largest single-day attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Millions of American Jews do not feel safe under the current administration. This November, many of us understand that our safety and security will come from the power of our vote.
As the threat of a wider regional conflict looms in the Middle East, Americans longingly look back to just four years ago when we had a president ending wars, not starting new ones. President Donald Trump moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, signed the Taylor Force Act to stop U.S. taxpayer aid from getting funneled to Hamas, and formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
America had a president who signed an executive order combating antisemitism on college campuses, left Iran crippled under a maximum pressure campaign, and launched the Abraham Accords—a feat no one thought was possible.
As Jewish Americans face increasing threats both at home and abroad, it's clear that the current administration is unwilling or unable to provide the protection we need. This November, we must vote to restore safety, strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, and put America First by electing leaders who truly stand with us, like Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
Harris has shown that she does not have the courage and ability to lead effectively in this critical moment.
Lee Zeldin is a former New York Congressman (NY-1, 2015-2023) and 2022 Gubernatorial Nominee. He is a board member of America First Works.