Pennsylvania representative on DNC, Israel-Hamas War and VP Harris’ historic nomination
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Representative Summer Lee (D-PA) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Israel-Hamas War, and Vice President Kamala Harris' platform.
During the interview, Brennan asked why Democratic leaders resisted bringing "anyone rom the Uncommitted Movement or Palestinian-American to take the stage," and if it was a "self-inflicted wound," to which Lee replied saying:
"I think that there has been, and I think that if you really look at this, long before October 7, it was almost taboo to talk about Palestinians, to talk about the experiences that they have and that they continue to have in our politics. And I think that this was a continuation of it. To put on stage, first of all, I think it's important that we recognize that even the way we talk about the movement is in a way that sometimes is a little wide, it's broad. It doesn't always take into account what folks are arguing about. I think that whether it's the Black lives movement or the movement for Palestinian rights, there's always this rush to say that their movement, the ways that they protest, the tactics, the strategies, are inconvenient, and I think that that's just the way that we've done it. Especially when we're nervous about a presidential election that we all know is incredibly important. Defeating Trump is the top concern, but we can do that, and we can also give space, create space for people, voices that are marginalized. We missed an opportunity to do that here, and in doing so, what we are essentially saying is that every Palestinian thinks the exact same way, that all folks who are protesting, who are voicing their concerns are one group and not individuals, not all folks who are coming with different perspectives. I think that there was room and space to say that. There was room in the Democratic Party for that particular perspective as well."
Brennan and Lee then talked about Vice President Harris' historic nomination, with the latter saying:
"I think that it speaks for itself. You know, I think that there is, you know, zero chance that folks all across America do not recognize that she would be the first Black woman, the first South Asian woman in person, to be not just our party's nominee, but hopefully our president. So to talk about it, it's almost a filler. I think that what's- I think that what they're doing and what they should be doing is talking about the issues. Talking about the things that not are not just unique to women, Black women, Asian women, but actually the things that make her qualified for the job, her resume, the policies that that bring Democrats to vote, you know on November 5, those are the things we need to focus on, we all know there's history here.
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Lee, click here.
