‘Vibes don’t save lives’: Minnesota uncommitted delegate wants Harris-Walz to promise cease-fire, arms embargo in Gaza

CATHY WURZER: Hotels in Chicago are booking up fast. Trying to get a credential to cover the Democratic National Convention, or enter it, even, it's, according to one party official, "a hotter ticket than a Taylor Swift concert." Delegates will gather in Chicago in less than two weeks for the party's national convention, where they'll hold a ceremonial roll call and try to keep the enthusiasm going for the Harris-Walz campaign.

But some voters and delegates on the left are still not sure of the ticket and what it would mean for people in Gaza. Several states, including Minnesota, are sending uncommitted delegates after a movement in the Democratic primaries to push for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Minnesota has 11 uncommitted delegates out of 75 total. Asma Mohammed is one of them. She's on the line right now. Asma, thanks for taking the time to talk with us.

ASMA MOHAMMED: Happy to be here.

CATHY WURZER: A virtual roll call of the delegates was held-- voting closed earlier this week-- with Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, as you know. How did you vote in that virtual roll call?

ASMA MOHAMMED: I voted for Reem Ali Badwan, a three-year-old who was killed in an airstrike by Israel. Because I wanted-- and I know that vote was counted as present. Any vote that was not for Kamala Harris was counted as present by the DNC.

But that vote symbolically, I wanted to show that there are people who are still being massacred in Gaza. And also wanted to remind our presumptive nominee that people are still waiting for her to respond to our calls for an arms embargo, calls for a ceasefire, and really need definitive plans from her on what she will do come November.

CATHY WURZER: As you know, there were pro-Palestinian protesters in Michigan yesterday. She evidently met with them prior. But during the course of the rally yesterday in Michigan, she cut them off. And I'm curious what you thought of that move.

ASMA MOHAMMED: Yeah, actually, the people she met before the rally were two uncommitted national leaders. The people at the protest were not associated with uncommitted. Those were people that had family members that were murdered in Gaza.

And if you have a family member that has been murdered and have dozens-- which Michigan, it's not hard to find Palestinians who have dozens of family members murdered in Gaza-- you want your voice heard. And I think that's what they were trying to push.

And I think that the vice president really missed an opportunity to say, hey, I hear you, and I am putting together a plan right now for a ceasefire, and I want your voice heard. And I think that those protesters at that moment really wanted to hear that.

I think a lot of Americans want to hear that because 80% of Democrats support a ceasefire. But she missed that moment. And I wish that had been shown.

CATHY WURZER: You are a Minnesota delegate. And obviously you know that Minnesota Governor Walz is on the ticket right now. What do you think of what he has said and done in the past about the situation in Gaza?

ASMA MOHAMMED: I think that Governor Walz has also missed opportunities to talk about Gaza. And I think that he has also shown a willingness to change on different issues.

In my day job, I do policy work. And I've worked with him to bring pads and tampons to all of our Minnesota public schools. I've worked with him to change the statute of limitations on reporting sexual violence.

He is willing to change, and he is willing to bring forward good policy. And I think that he needs to do that because he hasn't been willing to do that yet on Israel and Gaza. And I think Minnesotans are waiting to hear that from him as well.

I think a lot of what we've been focusing on right now are the good vibes of this campaign, but vibes don't save lives. And I think we need to remember that. In this moment, people are looking for specific policy change. What will they do to make sure that we are following international human rights law and domestic human rights law to make sure that people stop dying in Gaza due to Israeli weapons that are being funded by the US?

CATHY WURZER: Specifically. Asma, what would you need to hear from each of them, Walz and Harris, to offer your support?

ASMA MOHAMMED: First and foremost, we need a ceasefire. And without an arms embargo, there can't really be a definitive ceasefire. Ground operations in Gaza won't stop if we don't have an arms embargo.

And I know that the vice president came out today and said she does not support an arms embargo. And I think that's why people are still pushing. I don't think that it's time to stop putting pressure on the vice president.

And we're still hoping-- the uncommitted movement is still hoping to meet with the vice president to talk about her openness and implementing a version of an arms embargo, and, of course, pushing forward a permanent and immediate ceasefire because people that we know and love are still dying.

CATHY WURZER: There's about 89 days or so left to the election, and I'm wondering. If you don't hear what you need to hear from the vice president and Governor Walz, do you worry that the uncommitteds will just stay at home? And if that happens, do you worry that former President Trump might end up back in the White House?

ASMA MOHAMMED: Absolutely. I'm a lifelong Democrat. And as a visible, hijab-wearing Muslim woman, a Trump presidency scares me. And simultaneously, I know that people in Gaza are dying, and they don't want bombs being sent to them by the Biden administration, which Vice President Harris is a part of.

But I think that people have been confused and wondering, is Vice President Harris different from President Biden on this? Because they call him "Genocide Joe," and she hasn't really shown a big shift. So we need to see a big shift. And until we see that, yes, I worry that people are going to stay home.

I've gotten calls from people who were uncommitted in March, who showed up on March 5 as one of the 46,000 Minnesota voters who are uncommitted, and are now telling me they're voting third-party or are now telling me they don't even want to show up to vote in November. And that terrifies me because I don't want fascism to show up in November in the form of President Trump.

And I also understand the frustration. I understand why people don't want to come to the polls. So I am doing my best to push Vice President Harris so that we can have a better candidate show up in November.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, will you be a part of any of the planned demonstrations at the DNC around this issue?

ASMA MOHAMMED: I'm a delegate, so I have no time to be a part of any protest. I think our being delegates, uncommitted delegates, is protest in itself.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Asma Mohammed, thank you so very much for your time.

ASMA MOHAMMED: Appreciate it. Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: She's one of 11 uncommitted delegates for Minnesota going to the Democratic National Convention later this month.