Democratic party officials are expressing growing concern over Vice President Kamala Harris' continued campaign fundraising efforts following the 2024 election, with some warning the persistent email solicitations risk damaging relationships with the party's vital small-dollar donor base, according to reporting by POLITICO.

The fundraising emails have maintained their urgent tone weeks after election day. "Even a quick donation of $50 is enough to help us in this fight," said one email sent two weeks after election day. "With only hours left to hit our goal today, NOW is the best time to rush your support," read another.

Two sources familiar with the campaign said it ended with approximately $20 million in debt, and there are limited ways to return that money. Committees are subject to contribution limits even after the election, so they can't rely on large donors.

However, the Harris campaign denies having any outstanding debts on election day for the campaign or affiliated joint fundraising committees, stating they won't report debts in upcoming Federal Election Commission filings due in December.

"I understand that the Harris campaign is in a very difficult position with the debt that they have, and so sometimes you just have to make practical decisions," said Mike Nellis, founder of Democratic digital firm, Authentic. "But yeah, I think that stuff like that erodes trust."

The emails don't mention debt, but rather legal costs for recounting. A Harris campaign official emphasized that they aren't asking donors for more than pre-election amounts, noting some fundraising is necessary for campaign wind-down costs, including staff, office closures, and financial compliance.

The campaign's spending has drawn particular scrutiny from Democratic National Committee (DNC) members. According to data from AdImpact, the Harris operation spent $551 million on digital and TV advertising between mid-July and election day. By early October, media productions and purchases represented 77 percent of spending, while payroll accounted for just 2.5 percent.

James Zogby, a long-serving DNC member running for vice chair, expressed concern about the fundraising. "I want to make sure we have a conversation about, where does the money go, and why don't we know where it goes?" He also commented that the "begging" tone of the party's donation solicitations is not a "good look, I don't think it sends a good message."

The post-election fundraising emails have been directed to a joint fundraising committee, with proceeds going first to the DNC, then to the campaign's recount account, and finally to state parties, according to fundraising disclosures.

Donald Trump has also continued post-election fundraising through a joint committee, primarily promoting merchandise like Christmas MAGA hats and holiday ornaments. At the same time, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has openly solicited donations to pay down campaign debt from his abbreviated run.

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Speaking at the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, outgoing US President Joe Biden blabbered that "those protestors out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides."

Biden was referring to the pro-Hamas mobs calling for "intifada revolution" and for "smashing the Zionist entity." He was referring to people chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," barking "Bibi, we're at your gate, we're taking back '48," bellowing that "Hamas is coming," and promising that Oct. 7 would be repeated "10,000 times and every day."

Biden was referring to rioters screaming "Stop Arming Israel" and calling for "Death to Zionists." They were not mildly calling for a reasonable Mideast ceasefire, nor ardently advocating for a peaceful two-state solution.

He was referring to deeply unpatriotic goons, so-called "progressives" that have brought antisemitic street violence to America's cities and whose prime targets are Israelis and Jews but whose targets also include American democracy.

But Biden says "they have a point" because "a lot of innocent people" have been killed on "both sides." Correspondingly culpable sides, it would seem. Hamas and Israel: The jubilant murderers of Hamas and the heroic civilian-soldiers of the Jewish state. Both have shed "a lot of innocent" blood and are similarly at fault for continuation of the Gaza war. That is how it sounded to me.

Well, no, Joe, the people who say they support Oct. 7 don't have a point. What they really are demanding is the elimination of Israel and the exclusion of Jews from American life. They are wrong, and you should be calling them out, not coddling them. Instead, you insinuated horrifying moral equivalency between the Palestinian butchers of Gaza and the defenders of Israel.

Now I am sure that Biden didn't intend to do so. He knows better. But what Biden was trying to do, and this is the problem, was thread a needle: To signal to both supporters of Israel and those who genocidally oppose it that the Democrats sympathize with their positions.

By equivocating, Biden was trying to help Kamala Harris' presidential campaign through the Mideast minefield. Biden and his handlers (former President Obama?) apparently think it better not to judge whether people waving Hezbollah and Hamas flags, and burning Israeli and American flags, are a constituency to be appeased or extremist radicals to be rejected.

This is weak-kneed leadership, verging on political debauchery. It portends a slide into policy that is hostage to the most rabidly anti-Israel forces in America.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who now officially holds the Democratic nomination for president, showed Biden the way. One month ago, she declared that Gaza "is not a binary issue," meaning, I guess, that there are "very fine people on both sides" of the protest lines.

Asked for her opinion about the students "occupying" (vandalizing and terrorizing) the campuses at which they supposedly study, Harris said "They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza."

Harris further wanted anti-Israel protestors to know "that I see you and I hear you," and that she "will not be silent" about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "I don't mean to wholesale endorse their (the protestor's) points," Harris added as an aside. "But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it."

It escapes me how blind rage, hate for America, and bashing of Israel that characterizes the mobs demonstrating against the Biden-Harris administration is a "human emotion" to be saluted. Alas, Harris is overcome with "emotions" that "have to be navigated and understood."

Indeed, it seems that "famine" and feminine hygiene in Gaza are of greater concern to Kamala Harris than defeating Hamas or countering its near-nuclear Iranian sponsor. "Do they (Palestinian women in Gaza) have pads?" Harris emoted in a June interview with The Nation. "Early on (in the war) I was asking about sanitary hygiene, even if this makes people feel uncomfortable."

And what about Palestinian cooking conditions? Harris worries about this too because she "likes to cook," she told The Nation. And without good flour and clean water "you can't make shit."

So there you have it. The Democratic Party candidate for president has Palestinian sanitary hygiene and food security, "pads" and "shit" (how vulgar!), at the forefront of her concerns, and this has been the case from the early days of the war. She emotes about these things much more than defending embattled Israel or asserting American military dominance against Iran and its proxies (or against Russia, China, and other adversaries).

Maybe this is because Kamala Harris is just a potential "President of Joy," as former President Bill Clinton hailed her this week. And joyous leaders don't dirty themselves with difficult things like urban combat against radical Islamic enemies or winning wars against threatening hegemons.

Enraptured and overwhelmed by joy, they are incapable are understanding the clash between "barbarism and civilization" that is underway in the Middle East, as Prime Minister Netanyahu recently outlined in Congress.

At most, they emote about "suffering on both sides" while dialing away from America's only true ally in the Mideast.

For me, a joyous countenance and empathetic heart are not sufficient qualifications for the post of president of the United States of America; they even may be disqualifiers. Rather, I need to know what policies a candidate would pursue. So here are several concrete questions for Kamala to answer:

You have boasted that you were the "last person in the room" with Biden before he announced America's precipitous, slapdash withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left the Taliban with more than $5 billion in advanced American weaponry and military equipment. Do you still think this was wise, and are you planning similar American troop withdrawals from, say, the Iraq/Syria/Jordan border area or Taiwan or eastern Europe?

How do you intend to push back at Iran, as it ramps up its nuclear weapons program and expands its proxy terrorist network – which threaten American interests in the Middle East and indeed threaten global security? Are you waiting for Iran to test its first nuclear bomb, and what will you do then?

If/when Israel has to pulverize the Iranian-backed terrorist army in Lebanon called Hezbollah, will the US under your leadership provide Israel with every weapon necessary to get the job done swiftly and convincingly, or withhold weapons from Israel again because of concern over civilian casualties?

Instead of repining about pads for Palestinians in Gaza combat zones, wouldn't it make more sense to force the creation of humanitarian relief precincts for Palestinian civilians in Sinai, despite Egyptian reticence to do so? Might your compassion for Palestinians lead to creative solutions led by America in this regard, not just to criticism of Israel?

Are you going to continue the outrageous Biden-Harris administration focus on sanctioning right-wing Israelis that you don't like, ranging from settlers to opponents of humanitarian aid for Hamas; while negotiating sanctions relief for Iran and pumping the terrorist-supporting Palestinian Authority with more US taxpayer dollars?

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CHICAGO, IL –

The massive United Center convention hall has long been the main stage for Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, whose statue stands outside the enormous structure. Jordan worked magic on the court, uniting even rival team fans who came to see him and cheered for him. Whoever decided to hold the Democratic Party convention here may have wanted some of Jordan's magic dust for Kamala Harris, and she'll need it in the very close race against Trump.

"Sweet Home Chicago", sang the Blues Brothers to the representative American city. Not the international and sophisticated New York or Los Angeles, not the diplomatic-political Washington, not one of the Deep South cities, or the Bible Belt. A city that has everything from everything and a character of its own. I'll be a bit pretentious and quote Larry, a 60-year-old black taxi driver I rode with, who gave me the perspective of an average American, if you will: "I work two jobs to help my daughters. One with three children, the second in college. I pay more than $4 a gallon for gas, and this week I got stuck too many times in traffic jams caused by protesters with scarves (keffiyeh, the traditional Arab garb) on their faces when they burn flags of my country. Let them go protest in the Middle East, what are they doing here?"

But America needs it more. The United States of America is still the strongest country in the world, but it is sick. Some might say that's too strong a word, and that it's in a period of change, but beyond the well-organized and impressive convention, the excellent speeches and the enthusiastic crowd – there are still no real solutions to American ailments: illegal immigration, which under Harris' watch, who was appointed to handle it, has grown to monstrous proportions causing difficulties and enormous damage to major cities, including Chicago itself; rising crime in many large cities; prices that have risen significantly in recent years; and foreign relations – Russia and China are allowing themselves much more than before in different parts of the world, including in our own private neighborhood.

American society is in a series of deep crises and divisions, and as in every election – and we felt this well in our series of election campaigns in recent years – the divisions are widening, statements are becoming more extreme and healing seems far off. This election campaign is no different from others also because of the opponent, Donald Trump, who takes an approach of personal attacks on Harris and her deputy in harsh language. The Democrats are not far behind. At the Chicago convention, speakers competed in derogatory terms towards him, and even Hillary Clinton said about him that he was "on the run" – an expression reserved for escaped prisoners.

On the street and on social media, the statements are much harsher, even by Israeli standards, and calls to harm candidates from both parties are too common. It's a familiar and painful truth that elections give voice to the noisy, extreme and anarchist elements much stronger than they really have. But this is probably just the assumption I'm making for us, because American politics is changing and becoming more extreme on both ends of the spectrum.

The attempt by anti-Israel and Islamist groups to take over the Democratic Party convention agenda was a complete failure, but that doesn't mean the administration's policy towards Israel won't be tougher if it's elected. Will Harris be good for Jews and Israel? It's not clear. She lacks the natural affinity for Israel of Biden and most of the old generation of Democratic leadership. But for now, the anti-Israel side in the party is proving to be less influential, and its real power is much smaller than the noise it makes. It failed in several of its main goals, including the desire to make a statement on the issue of arms sales to Israel and change the party platform accordingly, and even failed to bring the issue of the war in Gaza to one of the focal points of the convention.

At the Democratic National Convention, temporary success was recorded in curbing the extreme Democratic faction, one of whose ugly expressions is anti-Israelism, which does not hide the antisemitism behind it. Fears before the convention were at a hysterical level, which caused Harris' team to meet urgently with some of the leaders of these organizations, including Muslims who supported, even if indirectly, the October 7 massacre. What she promised them is not yet clear, but Israel should certainly closely follow developments in this arena. The moves succeeded, or perhaps the threat was exaggerated from the start, and the sigh of relief from the Democratic Party leadership echoed throughout the huge convention center in Chicago, after it became clear that the mountain was a molehill.

The attempt by anti-Israel and Islamist groups to take over the Democratic Party convention agenda was a complete failure, but that doesn't mean the administration's policy towards Israel won't be tougher if it's elected. Will Harris be good for Jews and Israel? It's not clear. She lacks the natural affinity for Israel of Biden and most of the old generation of Democratic leadership. But for now, the anti-Israel side in the party is proving to be less influential, and its real power is much smaller than the noise it makes. It failed in several of its main goals, including the desire to make a statement on the issue of arms sales to Israel and change the party platform accordingly, and even failed to bring the issue of the war in Gaza to one of the focal points of the convention.

Captain America

"Sweet Home Chicago", sang the Blues Brothers to the representative American city. Not the international and sophisticated New York or Los Angeles, not the diplomatic-political Washington, not one of the Deep South cities, or the Bible Belt. A city that has everything from everything and a character of its own. I'll be a bit pretentious and quote Larry, a 60-year-old black taxi driver I rode with, who gave me the perspective of an average American, if you will: "I work two jobs to help my daughters. One with three children, the second in college. I pay more than $4 a gallon for gas, and this week I got stuck too many times in traffic jams caused by protesters with scarves (keffiyeh, the traditional Arab garb) on their faces when they burn flags of my country. Let them go protest in the Middle East, what are they doing here?"

And what do you think about the war in Gaza? "I saw some of the reports about what happened in October to you. It's a great shame, these are not human beings. But I also see the pictures from Gaza, and it's hard. The civilians are pitiful, and my daughter cries when she sees dead babies there. Is there no way to solve this? To end all this violence already?" He tried to explain Harris' advantages like this: She is the new America, an independent woman who grew from nothing, a daughter of immigrants, understands the mindset of young people, and this is the reason why Republicans fear her.

At the Democratic National Convention, temporary success was recorded in curbing the extreme Democratic faction, one of whose ugly expressions is anti-Israelism, which does not hide the antisemitism behind it. Fears before the convention were at a hysterical level, which caused Harris's team to meet urgently with some of the leaders of these organizations, including Muslims who supported, even if indirectly, the October 7 massacre. What she promised them is not yet clear, but Israel should certainly closely follow developments in this arena. The moves succeeded, or perhaps the threat was exaggerated from the start, and the sigh of relief from the Democratic Party leadership echoed throughout the huge convention center in Chicago, after it became clear that the mountain had given birth to a mouse.

Michelle, a Jewish activist of the Democratic Party who came from Philadelphia, gave another explanation: "Even if there is something to the claims of the protesters on the streets and campuses about the war and the killing of civilians, they have crossed many red lines. I and many in the party and the Jewish street have criticism of the Israeli government's policy, but the protesters show that they are interested in the disappearance of Israel and in changing America. Burning the US flag?"

"They went too far," said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. "The freedom of expression and demonstration given to them was full, but they violated every agreement, acted violently, injured police officers, tried to damage property and more. I gave my people instructions to take off the gloves." He also, by the way, indirectly criticized his mayor, Brandon Johnson, who allowed the demonstrations, thus requiring huge amounts of police from all over the area, which has the highest crime rate in America. By Wednesday evening, the police had arrested about 80 of the protesters, and Snelling promised they would be brought to quick judgment and punished severely. The organizers of the demonstrations came prepared, and a battery of lawyers rushed to the courts to bring about their quick release.

A whiff of Intifada

At a demonstration I attended during the convention, which was attended by hundreds to nearly 1,000 people (the organizers reported tens of thousands), they broke through a police barrier three blocks from the United Center, the convention center. The police who rushed to the scene were wearing helmets and vests, holding batons, and some armed with firearms and tear gas rifles – riot control measures. The scent of a Palestinian Intifada grew strong at the sight of hundreds of masked individuals, some holding work tools to destroy the fences. The call to bring the Intifada to America is often heard in demonstrations of this kind, and the wider American public doesn't really like it, nor the burning of their flag.

It's noticeable that like its leadership, the Democratic audience at the convention prefers the positive momentum brought by the Biden-Harris change and focusing on domestic issues rather than wallowing in the Gazan mud. They cheered every statement about a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the return of the hostages, but the applause was much louder on almost every other topic. And apart from Biden, the war was mentioned only by Hillary Clinton, who was the US Secretary of State, Senator Bernie Sanders and "Squad" member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even she spoke in the same breath about the return of the hostages and the ceasefire.

According to Jeremy Ben-Ami, Ocasio-Cortez has softened considerably towards Israel, and at the convention, a meeting was recorded between her and the families of the hostages. The keffiyeh, the hallmark of Palestinian supporters, was hardly seen inside the hall, and only once during the entire convention did an incident occur in the hall when a pro-Palestinian raised a banner claiming genocide – but it was quickly removed.

Apart from these reasons, there is another important reason why the anti-Israeli forces were pushed aside, at least for now: The American public, including the Democratic one, saw the horror images of October 7, and after them the demonstrations on campuses, many of which undermined Americanism itself. This had no small impact. Within themselves, the quiet wisdom of the masses understands that in this story, Israel should also be heard.

Those who are making Israel heard in a wonderful way are the families of the hostages and the fallen, mainly those with American citizenship, who are going on moving advocacy journeys for their loved ones and for Israel. Ruby Chen, father of Israel's hero tank driver Itay, who was killed in the battle for Nahal Oz and whose body was kidnapped, said at an event of the Israeli Consulate that he is on a mission from his son to tell and spread the story of October 7, and the importance that the whole world has in returning all the hostages, including his son. "We didn't sit shiva, despite the notice we received about Itay's death in battle. We'll do it only when he returns with the others."

They have a lot of criticism of the Israeli government and its leader. Some express it harshly, and sometimes in what seems like unfairness, with severe accusations, but in interviews and speeches in English most of them keep the criticism to themselves, speaking to the heart and conscience of the listeners.

A particularly moving performance like this was recorded on the third evening of the convention – by Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin, parents of Hersh who was kidnapped from the Nova party. The appearance on stage came after much persuasion work with the organizers. Their being Chicago natives also helped the persuasion efforts. Jon and Rachel spoke American and moved the tens of thousands. A look around showed many teary eyes, even of veteran journalists like myself. They knew how to speak also about the suffering of the Gazans, and about the need for a ceasefire that would bring about the release of the hostages and the end of suffering in Gaza. The audience responded with calls of "Bring them home."

Apart from these reasons, there is another important reason why the anti-Israelis were pushed aside, at least for now: The American public, including the Democratic one, saw the horror images of October 7, and after them the demonstrations on campuses, many of which undermined Americanism itself. This had no small impact. Within themselves, the quiet wisdom of the masses understands that in this story, Israel should also be heard.

A cold Democrat

The sentiment towards the anti-Israelis was vividly illustrated in the audience's attitude towards the protest watch, which stood next to the long line on the way to the security check for the convention. I stood there on the side for almost half an hour, and the vast majority of passers-by ignored, turned a cold shoulder in the literal sense. I entered into a conversation in two languages, English and Arabic, with one of the protesters, Abdul Rahman, who admitted in frustration to the marginalization of the Palestinian issue. I asked about Hamas flags and burning the American flag. He claimed it was an unrepresentative minority, but added: "Don't rejoice too much, the journey to public opinion and decision-making junctions in the US has just begun. You have an advantage over us in organization and experience, but we are determined to change the situation and make America balanced in the conflict."

Congressman Brad Schneider of Illinois, a Jewish Democrat, says that the sidelining is not only of the pro-Palestinians, but of all extreme groups. "It's clear to us that the party and the country need to focus on the real values, on American democracy and on the warm bond with Israel. This noisy minority has little influence, and I'm sure the party, and Harris at its head, will continue the line of support for Israel, in the war to topple Hamas, in the fight against Iran and Hezbollah and in returning the hostages."

Another senior Israeli, who is deeply involved in relations between the countries, tells us that Harris is trying to quickly learn the foreign relations issues she hasn't dealt with, and among other things, she participated in the Joe Biden-Benjamin Netanyahu conversation on Wednesday. She asks tough questions, says the senior official, some out of insufficient understanding and knowledge of the situation, some sound as if they came from the less pro-Israel side. "If elected, her conduct will most likey be Obamaesque, and let's hope that she will at least learn the lessons from the failures of American foreign policy during his presidency."

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Richard Goldberg, host of Jewish Insider's Limited Liability Podcast and adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, shared a video on X of a masked individual carrying a Nazi flag during a demonstration against Israel near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago recently.

Goldberg described the presence of the Nazi flag at the anti-Israel event as "shocking to no one who knows history." Goldberg referenced the historical connection between Haj Amin Al Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, and Adolf Hitler.

Shocking to no one who knows history. https://t.co/TIagFha0i0 pic.twitter.com/PJgYXg5YTH

— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) August 22, 2024

In addition to the Nazi emblem, some demonstrators were seen displaying flags associated with Hamas and Hezbollah, both classified as terrorist organizations.

Numerous protesters opposing Israel have been taken into custody outside the Democratic National Convention in recent days.

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