Left-wing criticism of Harris has fallen flat. Here’s what progressives want at the DNC

On Monday the Progressive Democrats of America held their conference at the Chicago Teachers’ Union hall, where Senator Bernie Sanders would keynote the two-day event, ahead of the official kickoff of the Democratic National Convention.

But the hall remained only half full. So speakers urged attendees to tell their friends to come down to the hall for Sanders’s speech.

It was indicative of setbacks that progressives in the Democratic Party have faced in recent months. While progressives have been thrilled at Harris’s selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former moderate who passed a series of liberal policies, progressives have seen other setbacks.

Earlier this month, Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, a member of the so-called “Squad”, lost her primary thanks to an onslaught of pro-Israel money. This came after Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, another Squad member, lost his primary in the most expensive primary election in history.

In addition, while Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois, another Squad member, touted Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, Harris has backed away from both of those proposals after she co-sponsored them as a senator.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who delivered a barnburner speech at the conference, told The Independent that it was important to get behind candidates who will “save our democracy” and with whom they could organize.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going 100 percent of what we want in the agenda, but we are going to make real progress,” she said.

In the same spirit, progressives have seen their push for a ceasefire in Gaza amid Israel’s war with Hamas continue to fall flat.

Last month, Michigan Democrats