by Margaret Kimberley, published on Black Agenda Report, August 21, 2024
The allegation that only Trump threatens democracy is a useful ruse for the Democratic Party. They continue their support for genocide and ethnic cleansing and fiercely attack anyone who dares to expose them and their very undemocratic ways.
“We could have confronted at any time at that convention, but we chose specifically during President Joe Biden’s address, because he’s the one who can stop this genocide by picking up the phone and making a phone call, and he has chosen not to do that.”
Nadia Ahmad , Florida delegate to the 2024 DNC convention
On August 8, 2024, Eman Abdelhadi, a sociologist and an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, posted a seemingly uncontroversial missive on the X platform. “Oh Kamala is NOT ready for Chicago. But don’t worry; we’re ready for her.” Abdelhadi and thousands of other people are protesting the Democratic National Convention. For some reason this mild statement was offensive to the group who call themselves the KHive. They are Kamala Harris cult followers who will fight anyone who says or does anything that is out of alignment with their idolatry.
The KHive sprung into action upon seeing the post, accusing Abdelhadi of violent threats and vowing to punish her for daring to confront Kamala. “That’s a direct threat,” opined one misguided member of the mob. “The @FBI and @SecretService need to look into her. Definitely sounds like a threat,” said another who felt compelled to tag the agencies in question. While another confessed to the dirtiest deed of all, actual snitching. “I reported it/her and flagged FBI Secret Service and FBI Chicago Field office don’t play with #KHive ,” boasted a KHive fanatic known as @blckburn . She and others made good on their threats because the FBI did in fact contact Dr. Abdelhadi, who was able to secure legal representation before her interaction with that agency.
We are living in strange times when Black people tattle their hurt political feelings to the FBI in order to silence someone whose opinion they do not like. This is the same FBI that surveilled Martin Luther King and told him to commit suicide. This is the same FBI that murdered Fred Hampton. This is the same FBI whose director, J. Edgar Hoover , declared the Black Panther Party to be “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” and whose Counter Intelligence Program killed BPP members, sent others to prison, and in so doing destroyed the liberation movement. Yet here we are, in an upside down world where Black people turn to the feds because their beloved neo-liberal imperialist might face a protest.
There is a larger story here beyond the mean girl activity that is amplified by the worst impulses of social media. Black people’s allegiance to the Democratic Party has been in existence for the past 60 years, but in recent decades has taken a turn towards the authoritarian indoctrination that is generally ascribed to Donald Trump’s MAGA followers.
We are told that Trump and his supporters are all fascists and that Kamala Harris must win to defeat them and to preserve democracy. But what is more fascist than reporting someone to law enforcement because they disagree politically? That is Exhibit A in the definition of fascism and the KHivers and other Democratic Party stalwarts are ready to act out the very behavior they claim to abhor.
While Joe Biden spoke during the opening night at the convention a group of delegates who want to end the Israeli genocide managed to sneak in a banner which read, “Stop Arming Israel .” One delegate felt compelled to hit one of the protesters on the head with a sign. Others moved to cover up the banner and then began shouting, “We love Joe!” Nadia Ahmad is the Florida delegate who was struck on the head. “They’re up there talking about fascism and like hitting me on the head with ‘I love Joe’ signs. That’s not a good look,” she said in what is perhaps the biggest understatement of the convention.
The Democratic Party is the party of militarism, neo-liberalism, imperialism, and now what is perhaps the most well documented genocide in human history. They will have a faux leftist operative at the convention podium like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who claims that Kamala Harris is “working tirelessly” on a ceasefire plan when in fact Harris has said that there will be no arms embargo of Israel, which is the only effective way of ensuring that the war crimes end. That sort of double talk doesn’t fool anyone who is dedicated to ending the genocide.
Everyone who wants to end Israel’s crimes or the proxy wars against Russia and China is forced to protest. Code Pink activists interrupted a Tim Walz appearance at the Women’s Caucus. Their chant was, “Stop killing women in Gaza!” Unlike the whining Karens who snitched on a protester or who snatched away a sign, they took it straight to the man who may be the next vice president and some of them were arrested in the process.
Doing otherwise is to be complicit. Of course the KHive Karens proved that there are many willing accomplices. Liberals may claim that Genocide Joe Biden is a good man, or that Trump and his supporters are the only villains in the country while they are either in support of or in denial about the fake democracy that tells the people their needs can’t be met while the system always does the bidding of weapons manufacturers, banks, fossil fuel producers, and big pharma.
As always there are many issues which could galvanize millions of people who want change or that could upend the election. In 2024 the issue that is most likely to have a great impact is genocide in Gaza. It encompasses militarism, racism, and the use of powerful lobbies to ensure that the people here do not get what they want. Joe Biden is still president and public relations stunts aside, is still dedicated to the zionist project. Kamala Harris dissembles but at the end of the day offers nothing different.
Perhaps being the target of a snitching KHive Karen or an irate convention delegate is a badge of honor. The biggest honor goes to those who refuse to participate in grotesque crimes that have killed at least 186,000 people . The ultimate punishment though is loss of power. No one has to vote for the war criminals. Voting for genocide is the ultimate fascist act.
Featured Image: Tweet from Kamala Harris supporter, src ~X Platform
Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents . You can support her work on Patreon and also find it on the Twitter , Bluesky , and Telegram platforms. She can be reached via email at margaret dot kimberley at blackagendareport dot com.