Phantom Issue at the Convention – Keeping an Eye on America

There was certainly a defense of the border as a whole, and criticism of Republican candidate Donald Trump for having no idea what the region was about.

Mexico was present at the deliberations and pronouncements of the Democratic National Convention, but at the same time it was also absent.

The word “Mexico” has barely been tested and barely even appears on the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform.

Well, except for the mentions of cartels, trafficking, the border, or human traffickers, which people mentioned often, usually without mentioning the word Mexico, except occasionally when Kamala Harris, as California’s attorney general, crossed the border to meet with her Mexican counterparts. Furthermore…

Only the fierce Israeli intervention in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack on October 7 and the fate of the hostages, including still-held Americans, has had any resonance. This is largely due to the continued presence of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including a handful of delegates, and pro-Israel counter-demonstrators.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also part of the conversation, albeit a much smaller part.

Moreover, it is certain that this convention was marked by her insularity. That is largely because of the need to introduce Harris to an audience that had become aware of her when President Joe Biden was forced to suspend his re-election campaign to make way for someone younger, more energetic and without the burden of frustrated expectations that already hung over the incumbent president.

And of course, there’s vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whose state borders Canada and is better known for its football and baseball teams (the Vikings and Twins, respectively) than anything else.

There was certainly a defense of the border as a whole and criticism of Republican candidate Donald Trump for having no idea what the region is all about, something he has repeatedly used to stoke concern and even fear among Americans about issues ranging from migration and the dangers it poses, particularly the “hundreds of thousands” of people who have been attacked or killed by undocumented immigrants in the United States, or by drug cartels and fentanyl, and by the possibility of “terrorists” from anywhere in the world infiltrating the 3,000-kilometer (about 1,864-mile) border.

Democrats have responded, not to defend Mexico, but because it is so important that the Mexican government cooperates with President Biden’s proposals on immigration and border security. And how important that is now for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Harris.

The growing presence of Hispanic legislators of Mexican descent was noted in light of the growing importance of the Hispanic minority on the U.S. political and economic map. But the absence of any mention of Mexico may be a cause for concern, not because it reflects indifference, but quite the opposite.