Convention Conduct Not DFL At Its Best

Into the Bright Sunshine, a recent book by Samuel G. Freedman about Hubert Humphrey’s youth and early years in DFL politics, reminds us that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party is at its best when it stands up for all who are vulnerable: Humphrey, in particular, centered much of his early work on fighting racism and antisemitism in Minneapolis. For the vast majority of Jewish delegates and their allies, however, this year’s DFL convention was not the DFL at its best when it came to discussing the Israel-Hamas war.

We understand and deeply appreciate the need for people to be able to voice their positions and points of view and speak freely at the conventions. Vigorous debate over complex issues is the hallmark of democracy, and every delegate had the right to speak their mind.  The lack of respect and basic decency on the issue of Israel, unfortunately, went beyond the bounds of free speech and created an atmosphere in which many Jewish delegates and their allies felt intimidated and harassed.

Instances of such conduct were numerous. We had to cope with being called Nazis, having arms thrust in front of us as we tried to approach the microphone, and having people shout in our faces in an obvious effort at intimidation.  We also had to deal with the repeated shouting, wrongly,  that Israel is a white settler colony oppressing “black and brown people,”, at the raising of fists and cheering at the raising of a Free Palestine sign when delegates had been told that signs and banners would not be allowed in the convention room.  When we could have had a respectful and factual discussion about a sensitive and complex issue, we were instead subjected to deliberately provocative polemics that prevented serious dialogue.

Convention leadership missed an obvious opportunity to be the voice for civility and reason. They failed to remind delegates that our job was not to perform political theater but to participate in a democratic process, to be sensitive to the diversity of opinions and of experiences of participants in the room, and conduct ourselves with even a basic level of decorum. Their inaction enabled the tone to become aggressive, insensitive and hostile.  

Other minorities have much to be angry about. However, when people chose to be delegates, they agreed to abide by the codes of conduct and norms of the convention. When some took more than the allotted time, other delegates, including some of us, were not allowed the chance to speak. Those running the convention should have reminded disruptive delegates of the rules and, if they persisted, convention leaders should have asked security to remove them.

The DFL  is filled with people whose historical traumas have been rightly and justly acknowledged and treated with sensitivity. And yet many of the Jewish delegates and allies felt the need to leave the convention hall because they were feeling overwhelmed by the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere, and by the lack of kindness and compassion they were experiencing. What should be of particular concern to party leadership, to those who planned and conducted this convention, and to those who will plan and conduct the next convention is the fact that many of these delegates went to their hotel rooms and sobbed. Some reached out to one another to check if the others were all right or simply to say that they too were sobbing and in despair.  The DFL claims to be the party of compassion, of inclusion and of empathy and in the interests of party unity, so it is deeply troubling that delegates representing the majority view of the Jewish community, and their allies, left this convention feeling so utterly abandoned.

We are committed to working within the DFL to make sure that we protect the party’s ideals. We appreciate that DFL leadership has begun meaningful conversations with us. We look forward to continuing these conversations with DFL leadership to make sure the next convention does not tolerate such anti-Jewish behavior.

Also authored by:

Ann Bernstein
Aaron Biel
Fran Biel
Kit Bix
Yiscah Bracha
Dana Buchwald
Tyler Balbuena
Deb Calvert
Rafi Geretz
Linda Hulbert
Joe Lifland
Kent Rissman
Ghita Worcester
Randall Zats