We Don't Get to Look Away

What happened at the Michigan Democratic convention should trouble every Democrat who wants to win

By Kathy Manning, DMFI Board Chair

Source: Facebook — The People’s Coalition

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. I know its communities, and visit often, as I still have family and friends in the Detroit area. I graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. My parents, sisters, son, and other family members attended U of M. Even though I have lived in and represented North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives, I still feel closely connected to Michigan.

That’s why what happened at the recent Michigan Democratic Party convention is so troubling.

The booing, name-calling, and shouting down of a pro-Israel member of the U.S. Congress, a hard-working candidate for the U.S. Senate, was appalling. The Michigan Democratic Party’s decision to nominate a candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Regents who had previously expressed support for Hezbollah and amplified explicitly antisemitic posts — and the defeat of a Jewish Regent whose home had been defaced by anti-Israel activists in the middle of the night — speaks volumes about what is happening in the Michigan Democratic party. A Jewish friend of mine who attended the convention told me she and others were actually afraid for their safety. This isn’t just a values problem. It’s a political one.

Fortunately, Democrats Kristen McDonald Rivet and Elissa Slotkin did something that more elected officials should be willing to do: They called it out.

McDonald Rivet represents one of the most competitive districts in the country. From her vantage point in a Trump-won district, she understands something that can get lost in activist spaces and party conventions: how hard it is to win — and how easy it is to lose:

Senator Slotkin made clear she believes the Board of Regents nominee’s actions are unacceptable:

The consequences of this behavior are not theoretical. It is a threat to the future of our party and our country. It is driving people away from the Democratic party.

When I sat on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, I was a participant in the hearings on campus antisemitism. When I asked one of the college presidents how he could have allowed antisemitism to become normalized on his campus, he looked at me and said, “I guess I should have done more.” Let’s not be the party that allows antisemitism to become normalized. We can and must do more.

Current Climate

Last month, an antisemitic attack targeted Temple Israel — a synagogue that sits at the heart of Michigan’s Jewish community. Temple Israel is my family’s congregation. Its beloved senior rabbi performed my mother’s funeral last year. For those of us who grew up there, places like Temple Israel are anchors of community, identity, and belonging.

At a time when Jewish Americans are already facing a sharp rise in threats and harassment, an attack like this is deeply unsettling.

That’s what makes the events at the convention more than just an internal party dispute.

There is a through line — one we should be honest about — between increasingly aggressive, dehumanizing rhetoric and the environment in which acts like this become more likely.

When Jewish Democrats are being harassed, when a Jewish elected official like Jordan Acker is pushed out after sustained targeting, and when rhetoric that echoes or elevates extremist actors enters the mainstream of party processes, it sends a broader message — whether intended or not.

And that message is being received in a climate where the stakes could not be higher.

Democratic politics, especially in a state like Michigan, depend on coalition-building. That requires discipline, message clarity, and a baseline level of mutual respect among people who have strong disagreements.

Calling Out Extremism in Our Own Ranks

If Democrats are going to be credible in calling out extremism in American politics, we have to be equally clear-eyed about it within our own coalition.

That doesn’t mean policing every disagreement or shutting down civil debate. It does mean drawing bright, principled lines.

Praising terrorist organizations should be off limits. Harassing fellow Democrats because they are Jewish or pro-Israel should be condemned, not applauded. Creating an environment where people feel unsafe or unwelcome should be deemed unacceptable by all.

Those are not just differences of opinion. They must be disqualifying behaviors.

Yes, to do it is uncomfortable and it risks intra-party conflict, but it’s necessary. And not calling it out is politically self-defeating.

The Democratic Party has always been a coalition. Its strength is in its diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. But a coalition only works if there are shared standards.

Kristen McDonald Rivet put it plainly: we don’t bully, we don’t shout people down, and we don’t make people feel unsafe because of who they are. And we reject all forms of hate, including antisemitism.

That shouldn’t be controversial. It should be foundational. Because if the goal is to defeat MAGA and win sustainable majorities, we need to do better.

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