CHICAGO – On the ground at what was a busy Democratic National Convention – minus Palestinian voices on stage – Mehdi was joined live inside the arena by Congresswoman Delia Ramirez to discuss issues such as immigration, representation and, yes, Palestine which weren’t always top of the agenda at the DNC.
“We have to earn your vote. A perfect example of hearing you, would be the mere idea that a Palestinian can be speaking on that stage in Chicago," Ramirez told Mehdi. That didn’t happen though. Four nights, more than five hours of speeches on each, and yet apparently no time or space for a Palestinian-American on stage. “I think it's a missed opportunity,” she added.
As the only member of Congress married to an undocumented migrant, Ramirez is more equipped than most to critique her party’s shifting stance on immigration.
“This idea that we're going to outdo Republicans on border and immigration will never work for us,” explained Ramirez, whose own parents are from Guatemala. Despite the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris being the daughter of immigrants herself, Ramirez said that won’t automatically be reflected in party policy, “The fact that she's brown, black, child of immigrants, doesn't mean the Democrats are necessarily going to come up with the policy you want, or I want, on immigration.”
Watch the full conversation above to hear why Congresswoman Ramirez thinks the Democrats should be doing better on issues like Gaza and the border, and why she believes Donald Trump is an “orange evil monster” who must be stopped.
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