The Pro-Palestinian Protest Fizzles in Chicago

Plus four other things to watch for at the Democratic convention

(Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

The Democratic National Convention begins today in Chicago; it promises a flurry of prime-time speeches, a formal nominating process (which has already been decided), and celebrity guest appearances. All eyes Monday were on a pro-Palestinian protest about half a mile away from the convention site. But there were few fireworks and far fewer attendees than anticipated. Here is a dispatch from that scene as well as four other things you should keep an eye out for as the week progresses.

1) Protesters

There are quite a few demonstrations going on outside the arena perimeter and all around Chicago. But they do not appear particularly well organized or all that mighty.

For starters, the protesters are calling for a grab-bag of progressive desiderata, some of which have nothing at all to do with the Middle East. The black, white, green, and red coloring on the main banner may be the only thing that brought them all together.

An official with the protest organizers told me the estimated attendance was 15,000 people. However, it did not appear to be anywhere near that large. By our eyes there appeared to be a thousand demonstrators (maybe a bit more if we’re being generous) gathered in Chicago’s Union Park. Many packaged signs meant to be distributed to attendees were left on the ground, unused. Some blew away in the wind.

There was a main stage. And then, across the park, various groups held their own mini-protests with varying demands, many of which had nothing to do with the Israel-Hamas war. One group called for amnesty for all undocumented immigrants. They weren’t far from the “US out of everywhere” contingent. Elderly socialists handing out their homemade zines. The Democratic Socialists of America were there, too, along with Code Pink.

Other protesters were a little less, uh, generic:

The target of the demonstrators was the Biden-Harris administration. In fact, the only mention of Donald Trump that I saw was a large sign held by two women that said “Project 2025” on one side and “Trump and JD Vance are weird” on the other. (The full message was a bit hard to read, as the sign was made of cloth and the message was spray-painted on, leading to some significant bleeding.)

But the larger messaging was complicated by the fact that the protest appeared to be a loose gathering of different groups with various left-wing grievances. Homemade signs covered the gamut of progressive issues, while slogans on the pre-made signs distributed to the rally-goers mostly stuck to Palestinian liberation and similar messages, such as “No arms embargo, no vote.” No one wanted to talk to the press. (I got sunburned for nothing.)

Many of the gathered sign-wavers and chant-cheerers seemed more preoccupied with looking like protesters than with actually protesting. For example, I observed one man working the crowd instructing them that if they raised their fist in protest, to make sure it was their left fist.

The phrase “Democratic Convention in Chicago” immediately brings to mind images of protesters and police doing battle in the streets in 1968. Any skirmishes this year, no matter how small, will inevitably invite those comparisons.

Now, to forecast some drama: Do not underestimate the ability of protesters and hecklers to make it into the arena. While security is tight, the United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, can seat more than 20,000 attendees. Chances are decent that at least one person eager to interrupt one of the headline speeches makes it in.

2) Biden will formally pass the torch.

President Joe Biden is the headline speaker for the first night of festivities. Since he bowed out of the 2024 race, Democrats have found a new appreciation for a president they’ve admired for his policy achievements but resented for his lack of energy and inability to drive home a message.

Part of Biden’s presidency will end tonight: His speech will mark the moment he stops being the leader of the Democratic party and Vice President Kamala Harris assumes that responsibility. Had Biden insisted on staying in the race, the mood at the convention would have been muted if not outright stygian. Instead, the crowd is likely to greet Biden with massive, loving cheers and laud him as a Cincinnatian figure for relinquishing power for the good of the country.

3) Democrats will be unified.

A party that was in shambles six weeks ago seems to be firing on all cylinders thanks to the renewed enthusiasm that Harris has brought to the race. Swing-state Democrats are now eager to appear alongside her at rallies and events.

Democrats also have mostly unified around a relatively vague political message focused on the future. Harris has altered a lot of positions over her career—perhaps the rigors of being vice president nudged her away from her far-left platform from 2019, or perhaps serving as VP has forced her to embrace different politics. But policy fuzziness can have its advantages with undecided voters looking to project their preferences onto someone who, frankly, just seems like a better person than her competitor.

4) But some Democrats will be missing.

Not every Democrat will be present in Chicago. Some of the most vulnerable members of the House and Senate are foregoing the festivities, opting to campaign back home.

Vulnerable frontline House Democrats like Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) won’t be there, nor will Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). Each runs the risk of losing to their Republican challengers in November. Even Harris’s electrified coattails (grassroots fundraising, volunteers, and new voter registrations are all off the charts) haven’t made them feel comfortable enough to spend a week in Chicago. And who doesn’t love Chicago in the summer?

5) Celebs

Both political parties hold their allied celebrities dear. And no offense to the Republican party, whose most famous supporters include Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammer, but the Democrats have a lot more star power. Each night of the convention will feature a celebrity host, including Tony Goldwyn, Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, and Ana Navarro.¹ Kerry Washington also hosted one night of the 2020 Democratic convention, along with Eva Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

There will be many more celebrities in the audience and milling around the venue. What they actually add to the Democrats’ political fortunes—beyond hosting fundraisers—is still unclear.

No I In Teamster

—Sam Stein

Tonight’s lineup of speakers at the Democratic convention will include a number of prominent union officials. Among them: Shawn Fain (UAW), Liz Shuler (AFL-CIO), April Verrett (SEIU), Lee Saunders (AFSCME), Brent Booker (LIUNA), and Kenneth Cooper (IBEW).

Notably absent from that list is Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters, who addressed the Republican convention last month. Call it a snub, because that’s what it is—but of O’Brien, not his union. Convention organizers, we’re told, will be inviting rank-and-file Teamster retirees to speak from the stage in O’Brien’s place in an attempt to reverse the impression that the Teamster boss was representing the view of his union’s members when he chose to address Donald Trump’s crowd.

1. One of these things is not like the others.