What the hell happened at the DNC

Nov 16, 2023

By Myah Ward, Lauren Egan and Benjamin Johansen

Presented by

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JOE BIDEN called into a DNC and campaign staff meeting today after police clashed with protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters last night.

The president and first lady JILL BIDEN “expressed appreciation to law enforcement who kept everyone inside the DNC safe last night,” the White House said. Protesters had blocked entrances of the DNC headquarters as House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES and other lawmakers gathered inside. It was a highly volatile situation, one illustrating the unrest fracturing the Democratic party amid the Israel-Hamas war.

West Wing Playbook called EVA BORGWARDT, the national spokesperson for IfNotNow, one of the organizers of last night’s protest, to discuss the matter. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What was the end goal last night?

This protest, like dozens of protests over the past month, was a multiracial, multi-faith coalition of Jewish, Palestinian and other peace activists calling on Democratic leadership to push for a ceasefire in this horrific war. There was a vigil a few blocks away. And then that vigil came to the DNC where activists had already planned to block the doors in an act of nonviolent disruption.

So you knew lawmakers would be there.

We knew Democratic leadership was in the building.

Why block the entrances?

Our representatives have been ignoring us for the past month. And so the goal was to create one exit for the building that would allow peaceful protesters to speak with our lawmakers directly because they haven’t been answering our calls.

Did you expect this type of police presence?

No, not at all. These were peaceful protesters, including rabbis and clergy with electric battery powered candles, calling to treat all human life equally. I’ve never seen a police escalation this quick and this severe in response to an act of civil disobedience.

How many were injured?

Approximately 90 protesters were injured. One protester suffered a concussion. People were kicked, kneed and punched.

Why not target Republicans who have been more hawkish and supportive of Israel’s military campaign than Biden?

I worked as a field organizer in Arizona to elect President Biden in 2020 because I know that the Republican Party doesn’t represent me, and I believed that the Democratic Party believed in peace and justice and valuing human life equally.

President Biden has the power to call for a ceasefire right now.

Are you worried about what this means for Biden next year?

I am terrified of Donald Trump and Republicans winning in 2024. As a Jewish American, I am terrified of the antisemitism and white nationalism in today’s Republican Party.

I know how important motivation and faith in the party is to turnout in November. There is an extremely low level right now as Americans watch President Biden prepare to send billions of dollars in weapons to this horrific Israeli assault on Gaza that we know will make no one safer.

Can Biden be more effective in achieving your aims by working alongside Israel, rather than making demands of its leaders?

President Biden knows exactly who this Israel government is. He needs to use the most powerful tools at his disposal to stop this war, which includes withholding U.S. support for this assault.

Are you planning any activity around the conventions? People are already making comparisons to the 1968 convention in Chicago.

We will continue to non-violently protest until we see a ceasefire.

Some political leaders have accused our movement of being divisive. But this moment is one of incredible unity: 80 percent of Democrats are calling for a ceasefire, including Jews and Palestinians with loved ones in the region. And our movement is growing.

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POTUS PUZZLER

Which president turned down offers to play professional football?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

OH. SO NOW YOU NEED HER: Voters who would support former President DONALD TRUMP over Biden, but would back Vice President KAMALA HARRIS over Trump, make up 5 percent of voters in battleground states, NYT’s CLAIRE CAIN MILLER and NATE COHN report. And those were the voters who could have given Biden the lead in the NYT/Siena poll, if they had supported him as well.

The Times called back some of these Kamala-but-Not-Joe Voters. “Some said he was too old, or they didn’t think he’d done much as president. Black voters in particular said they didn’t believe he was doing enough to help Black Americans,” the reporters write.

MONEY TREES: Harris on Thursday announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative, a push to assist women advance in sustainable sectors such as clean energy and environmental conservation, according to a White House statement. The administration is committing over $900 million from governments, private sector companies, and civil society organizations to support their economic participation in these fields.

A POLL BIDEN MIGHT LIKE: A new survey from the Jewish Electorate Institute shows 74 percent of Jewish voters approve of the president’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, NPR’s SARAH MCCAMMON reports. His proposed aid package to Israel of $14.4 billion also holds wide support at 80 percent among the respondents.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by The Messenger’s AMIE PARNES and DAN MERICA, who report that the White House remains unshaken by criticism from progressive Democrats over Biden’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Many Biden aides and Democratic allies believe it is not only the right policy stance to take, but the most politically strategic one as well. And to the delight of the White House, even “Republicans who often attack the president at every opportunity have lauded him for his response.” White House deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND and deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the piece on X.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NBC’s MIKE MEMOLI, NNAMDI EGWUONWU and EMMA BARNETT about the risks involved with a write-in campaign for Biden in New Hampshire’s primary.

The trio write that some Democrats “fear that the exercise can only fail, either with Biden falling short of the kind of convincing win an incumbent should expect or with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, the main Democratic challenger whose name is on the ballot, scoring an outright victory on primary day.”

TEACH THEM HOW TO DOUGIE: Entranced in GWEN STEFANI’s “Hey Baby,” first gentleman DOUG EMHOFF showed off his moves Wednesday night at the APEC summit reception in San Francisco. Stefani took the stage while Kamala Harris, Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and first lady Jill Biden were off to the side, leaving Emhoff out to dry.

We commend the second gentleman for not giving in to the peer pressure. We’re just not sure if “Dancing with the Stars” awaits.

A message from Center Forward:

The Federal Reserve’s new proposed capital rules would have unintended consequences – hurting hard-working Americans, raising costs, and harming American competitiveness. Nearly every industry borrows money, and businesses will pass on higher costs to consumers. Increasing mortgage, credit card and student loan payments – even heating and energy bills. That’s the last thing we need right now. Tell the Fed: Protect our economy.

THE BUREAUCRATS

PERSONNEL MOVES: MARISSA PISARICK has returned to the EPA to be an attorney-adviser. She most recently was detailed to the Office of General Counsel at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

RAHM WILL RAHM: U.S. Ambassador to Japan RAHM EMANUEL goaded XI JINPING on Thursday, saying that the Chinese president is in need of American financial resources because of mistakes he made back home.

“Emanuel said it was striking that Xi skipped a reception of APEC leaders in San Francisco in favor of a dinner where he urged leading US companies to invest. He got a standing ovation from CEOs who ‘literally have their R&D, their intellectual property, stolen from them,’ Emanuel said,” according to Bloomberg’s IAIN MARLOW and ANNMARIE HORDERN.

A message from Center Forward:

Agenda Setting

PANDA DIPLOMACY: President Xi signaled that China could soon send pandas to the U.S., AP’s DIDI TANG reports. But before Washingtonians get too excited, it seems like the pandas would go to California, not the National Zoo in D.C.

“I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said Wednesday during a dinner with business leaders that followed his meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the APEC summit. He added that he heard the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to welcoming pandas back.”

BOOTS KINDA ON THE GROUND: A top United States military official will travel Friday to Israel to meet with senior Israeli defense officials, Axios’ BARAK RAVID reports. The commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. MICHAEL KURILLA, will discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the growing hostilities on the Israel-Lebanon border.

What We're Reading

Terror On Repeat (WaPo’s Silvia Foster-Frau, N. Kirkpatrick and Arelis R. Hernández)

The Bush-Obama Blueprint That Gives Biden Hope for ‘24 (NYT’s Adam Nagourney)

Q&A with Mitch Landrieu: Why doesn’t Biden get credit for his achievements? (WaPo’s Jonathan Capehart)

A message from Center Forward:

If the Federal Reserve further tightens access to credit and weakens financial markets, our economy won’t have a soft landing.

It’s hard to get ahead — or even keep afloat — in this economy. The last thing we need is for the Federal Reserve to adopt new, overreaching capital rules that will further tighten access to credit and hurt financial markets. Making it even more expensive for a family to buy a house, send their kids to college and save for retirement. Even harder for small and mid-size businesses to get the loans they need to expand and innovate. Increasing the cost of life insurance, plane tickets, home energy bills, and shipping. Increasing prices and reducing employment.

Tell the Fed: Protect our economy

The Oppo Book

ELISE GOUT, policy adviser in the Office of Clean Energy, made headlines long before she entered the White House. While studying at Columbia University, Gout was the captain of the school’s fencing team in 2019, when it won the NCAA championship! Gout, a native of California, would also travel to Austria and Sweden in high school to compete internationally, and according to her Columbia fencing profile, ranked quite high in national standings (Full disclosure: We don’t know a whole lot about fencing).

After winning the chip in 2019, the team was invited to the White House, and hoped to deliver a letter to then-President Trump expressing their concerns over the administration’s gender equity policies. However, Secret Service agents discouraged them from handing the letter to Trump, so an aide promised to deliver it to the president. No word on if he got it.

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

GERALD FORD, while at the University of Michigan, played for the Wolverines football team, helping them win back-to-back titles in 1932 and 1933. Ford would receive offers from both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. He turned them down for an assistant football coaching job with Yale University, where he would also attend law school.

A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it!

Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.

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