Democratic Convention Day Three: A More Perfect Union
Before I begin, a personal note is necessary. I am somewhat distracted today so this may be a shorter and more disjointed column than the last two. I say this because somewhere between one-third and one-half of the county I live in is currently on fire. Ashes are raining down outside my window, and while I am not personally at risk yet, plenty of others I know are -- they've been evacuated and have no way of knowing if their homes have already burnt to the ground or not. Perhaps such an apocalyptic setting is fitting, as I watch and write about the most important election of my lifetime, who knows?
That "most important election" line is often used -- I've heard it for almost every election I've ever participated in, in fact. But this time the current magnitude of importance actually does live up to the dire billing. This is indeed the most important election for American democracy that I think I've ever seen. Donald Trump is not like any other Republican presidential candidate anyone has ever seen. Back in the 1980s, the election of Ronald Reagan gave rise to very real fears that World War III would soon be right around the corner. These fears were not unjustified (given his anti-communist history), and a bigger existential threat to the country is impossible to imagine. But the fears ultimately proved to be groundless. With Trump, however, the enemy is not without but within. Trump has destroyed so many of the norms of American politics that facing four more years of his misrule would put the future of the American experiment in democracy in real danger.
This message was echoed last night from many of the speakers, most notably from Trump's predecessor Barack Obama. Presidential historians are saying Obama's speech was unprecedented -- never has a former president directly attacked the president who replaced him in such direct language before. But I'm getting ahead of myself, here.
A More Perfect Union
The night's stated theme fit in with the other soaring language the Democrats have chosen so far, but it really was a bit of a disconnect last night. It wasn't so much "to form a more perfect Union" as it was to save the Union from internal destruction -- which is a far different thing, really.
Last night had the celebration of women's voting rights that I was really looking for on Tuesday -- the actual 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Now I see why they waited a day, because nominating the first Black woman vice-presidential candidate in history was definitely the time to celebrate women's political power. We saw several prominent speakers dressed in suffragist white, and with the exception of Barack Obama almost all of the high-profile speakers last night were women. They were making a point, in other words, and they waited until the night Kamala Harris was officially nominated to do so. Fair enough. I stand corrected, in other words. We had the highest-ranking female member of Congress in all of U.S. history, the only woman ever nominated by a major party for president, the woman who essentially came in third place in this year's nominating race, and plenty of other impressive women speakers, all culminating in Kamala Harris accepting the nomination.
It all went off without a hitch. Each speaker gave her own perspective on why this election is so important for America's future, and their viewpoints and worldviews varied widely, from a child of immigrants to a child displaced by the fire that wiped out a California town to women affected by gun violence to a former cabinet member to an actress best known for her role on a television show largely about violence towards women. Many points of view, all expressing the same conclusion: get out and vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because it is so important for our future that you do so.
Last night continued the build in intensity that we've seen for the whole virtual convention, and it did so in very impressive ways. I certainly hope the Democrats can keep ratcheting this up tonight, to culminate in Joe Biden's acceptance speech. To put it another way, the first three-fourths of the convention have been extremely well-orchestrated, so I expect tonight will be even better.
The convention so far has also done an excellent job of balancing between prosecuting the case against Donald Trump and expressing hope and optimism that a Biden/Harris administration will usher in lots of changes for the better. This is a tricky balancing act, and last night was a little heavier on the "taking it to Trump" aspect, but that's just fine with me (speaking personally). It is patently obvious to those who closely follow politics that we are not better off that we were four years ago, which is always the yardstick a sitting president is measured with. Things are not only worse, they're much worse. So bad, in fact, that another four years might just destroy us as a nation. That case was made last night much better than the first two nights, in my opinion.
The speakers
Last night started off on an amusing note, as the governor of Wisconsin kicked things off with a "what might have been" wistfulness. It's hard not to feel sorry for the guy, since the big party he had been expecting (with the multimillion-dollar boost to his local economy) just didn't happen. He finished his introduction with a very Bidenesque way of putting things: "Holy mackerel, folks, let's get to work!"
Kamala Harris briefly appeared at the start of the night to hammer home a message many speakers have been stressing: make a plan to vote. Get organized, get ready, get your ducks in a row. Trump can't suppress everyone's vote, and the earlier you get your vote in the better.
We then got another emcee that I did not recognize (further showing how out of touch a political wonk like me is with popular culture -- even popular culture which revolves around politics, to my chagrin). She did a great job all night, and even threw some gentle shade at Joe Biden at one point ("The Black community is very diverse!").
The evening's program really got going with what might be called "a call to disarm" against the National Rifle Association. This is timely, since the N.R.A. is at its lowest point of power in decades -- beset by multiple scandals, devolving into factional infighting, and now under legal danger of being disbanded or at the very least having its non-profit status stripped from them. They are on the ropes, which is why it is entirely fitting that Democrats should press their advantage in this election. The message from victims of gun violence was clear: "President Trump doesn't care." The capstone to this presentation was the longest speech Gabby Giffords has given since she was shot in the head by a rightwing would-be assassin, and it was incredibly moving. What was not mentioned was that her husband is now the clear favorite to win the Senate seat that used to be held by John McCain, which would only increase Gifford's relevance in the near future.
This was followed by a rather endearing story from a young congressional aide about Joe Biden taking the time to chat with his (mother? grandmother? my notes don't say...), which was both funny and continued showing the human and humane side of Biden that many people have never fully seen before.
We then shifted gears to address climate change, with an address by Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico, who spoke in front of a giant array of solar panels. A video presentation followed, which slammed Trump for dismissing climate change as "a hoax" and then pivoted to how differently Joe Biden sees the situation. The girl from California who survived the Camp fire spoke next, and did an outstanding job of putting a face on the devastation that global warming has already caused. We also heard from a Michigan farmer and a Nevada Latina activist.
Then for some reason Billie Eilish sang a song, which I found to be a little too emo for my tastes, but then hey, what do I know about popular music? (My apologies to Billie Eilish fans, in advance.)
The message then pivoted to immigration and how horrible Trump's policies (not to mention his rhetoric) has been for immigrants from every walk of life. This segment began with 11-year-old Estella reading an open letter to Donald Trump in an attempt to show him how one family has been destroyed by his deportation policies. Other immigrant stories followed, but Estella really was the standout messenger (even though this segment also contained an Obama video). We then got another song, this one from Prince Royce, a bilingual version of "Stand By Me" that was delivered next to a seemingly unending wall displaying some of the most impressive graffiti murals I've ever seen. I have to say I enjoyed this song more than Eilish's, but then again, what do I know?
As we approached the second hour of the convention (the only hour to be broadcast by the networks), we began the main theme of the night, which was the accomplishments of women in the 100 years since they won the hard-fought right to vote. This began with Hillary Clinton, who (rather surprisingly) spoke before the big primetime hour arrived. Her presentation was one of the best I've ever seen from her, as it was obviously from the heart and about a subject bigger than her own election woes from 2016. She did address her loss to Trump, as a warning for what can happen, and stated: "This can't be another 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' election." She did an excellent sort of call-and-response to the Trump line "What do you have to lose?" by listing all the things that we do indeed have to lose (or have lost already) under Trump and contrasting it with what people have to vote for by electing Joe Biden. Again, this was an excellent speech by Hillary, who seemed very relaxed and personable throughout.
When the top of the hour hit, we got Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who (like Clinton) was also dressed in suffragist white. People tend to forget it, but Pelosi has already secured her place in American history by becoming the first woman to ever lead the House of Representatives, and then also became one of the very few speakers to ever fight her way back to a second stint. Nancy Pelosi is second in line to the presidency, which is the closest any woman has ever gotten to sitting in the Oval Office behind the Resolute desk.
Pelosi proudly pointed out that under her leadership, the House now has 105 women (90 of them Democrats), the most in all of American history. That is an admirable achievement both for her and for them.
Pelosi drove the point home (as only she can) that Democrats had passed a coronavirus relief bill three months ago, and pointed out forcefully that only two things stood in the way of its passage: Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. "Who is standing in the way? Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump" she repeated, finishing off with: "We will remember in November."
A few segments followed Pelosi, including Mariska Hargitay's moving speech on violence towards women and the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden authored, followed by a video presentation on the same subject. A whole lot of young voters perhaps were unaware of Biden's role in this landmark legislation, so this was a very pertinent reminder. Obama's secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, added her own voice to this chorus, and then Sherrod Brown and Eric Garcetti showed the human cost all the collateral damage to Trump's bungled response to the pandemic has caused, capped off with an Iowa farmer bemoaning how Trump's tariffs and trade war with China has hurt him personally and all farmers generally.
The evening then shifted into high gear, with Elizabeth Warren speaking from another empty classroom. Warren showed she's no stranger to subtle (if not downright subliminal) messaging, because in the row of cubbyholes behind her were the letters: "BLM" -- a nice touch!
Warren shared her own personal story of becoming a teacher and needing help from her extended family to cope with being a single mom at the same time. She tied this in to how Trump has left millions of teachers and other Americans without any sort of safety net to catch them after the devastation to the economy caused by Trump's mishandling of the pandemic. "This crisis is on Donald Trump and all the Republicans who enabled him," Warren unequivocally stated, before ending with her signature refrain (thank you, Mitch McConnell) of: "We persisted."
As an introduction to the penultimate speaker of the night, we then got a video of Barack Obama surprising Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was yet another very humanizing moment for Biden. Obama then appeared live from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia (the birthplace of American democracy).
Obama gave the speech I personally have been waiting for this entire convention, a rundown of why Donald Trump has failed so badly as president, the dangerous precedents he has been setting, and the outright threat to our system of government that a second Trump term would represent. It was an absolute indictment of Trump and his character, and it really needed to be said.
As always when Obama gives a speech, the general feeling it aroused in me was: "Damn, he's good!" You forget what a stirring speaker he is, and you forget what an intellectual giant occupying the Oval Office used to be like, in this time of Trump. Presidents used to be able to speak this eloquently, they used to be able to use logic and form complex sentences and paragraphs, and they used to regularly appeal to the better nature of all Americans. It's been less than four years, but it certainly seems like an eternity since this was the normal thing from an American president, in other words.
Obama took down Trump in many various ways. Trump didn't "grow into the job" (as some expected or wished he would do) "because he can't." Such a thing is utterly beyond his abilities. "He never did... he showed no interest in putting in the work," instead Trump has treated the whole thing as "one more reality television show." Obama bemoaned where Trump has led us: "A young person might look at politics right now -- the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and crazy conspiracy theories -- and think, 'What's the point?'" Obama contrasted the grim state we find ourselves in with the essential "empathy" and "decency" of Joe Biden.
This is the stark choice the voters face, and Obama minced no words in pointing out this contrast. His speech was a warning and a plea for the voters to reverse course and deliver an absolute landslide to Joe Biden and Democrats "up and down the ticket." Only this can save us from the ugly place Trump and his ilk have taken us, Obama stated, in no uncertain terms.
For me, this was the best speech yet of the entire convention, but that's not too surprising when you consider who it was who gave this cry for change. Barack Obama may have his faults, but failing to rise to the occasion and deliver a momentous and historic speech is certainly not one of them.
Kamala Harris spoke last, but I have to admit it was something of a dénouement after Obama's rousing delivery. Maybe that's just me, I don't know.
Harris was introduced by three female relatives, which was a very humanizing setup, and she followed this up with her own stories of her mother, her family, her heritage, and the ideals and morals that shaped her upbringing.
The best line of the night for her was: "There is no vaccine for racism," likening it to a virus that has infected America all along. She again told the story of how close she had been to Beau Biden, which almost certainly had a whole lot to do with her choice as Joe Biden's running mate. The backdrop of her speech was rather odd, because she gave it in a hall made up to look like a convention, complete with vertical state signs and everything -- but without any delegates underneath those signs. There were just a handful of journalists in the audience (socially-distanced far apart from each other), but it almost might have been better if they hadn't show this in wide camera angles and stuck to just focusing on her on the stage.
But all around it was a great introduction for voters who knew little or nothing about her, and it showcased why she will be a great running mate for Biden. Which, for a vice-presidential candidate, is the highest praise possible.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Kamala Harris spoke last, but I have to admit it was something of a dénouement after Obama's rousing delivery. Maybe that's just me, I don't know.
I think it is you, to be sure but, you are certainly not alone.
I found her speech to be extremely uplifting while Obama's was far less so. Probably because there was too much focus in Obama's speech on Trump. Talking about Trump, even it is to skewer him for real, is the opposite of uplifting. It just is.
Now, to the important stuff ... if there are ashes falling outside your window, then you better keep us posted every hour or so because we are worried about you!
Okay, everyone, are you ready for a really big laugh?
So, on CNN tonight Wolf Blitzer is talking about running into Senator Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee along with the ranking member, Chuck Hagel in Doha on the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 with a couple hundred thousand troops on the ready and Wolf is wondering out loud about whether Biden will talk tonight about foreign policy and national security and the troops because, he said, those things have been a big part of his life.
And, then, without missing as much as a beat, Jake Tapper chimed in with stone face to say, "I don't think Biden will bring up the Iraq war. "
HA! HA! HA!
Sigh, whew, I'll probably be laughing about that on the bus to work tomorrow. Heh.
CW: With Trump, however, the enemy is not without but within. Trump has destroyed so many of the norms of American politics that facing four more years of his misrule would put the future of the American experiment in democracy in real danger.
You make him sound like some kind of modern-day Benedict Arnold... a Benedict Donald. Who knew? ;)
CW: This was followed by a rather endearing story from a young congressional aide about Joe Biden taking the time to chat with his (mother? grandmother? my notes don't say...), which was both funny and continued showing the human and humane side of Biden that many people have never fully seen before.
It was an intern named Kyle's grandmother, if I recall correctly. Kyle told his grandmother that Joe Biden was walking by him, and she said put him on the phone. Biden's staff were like "no," but Biden was "all in." He talked with Kyle's grandmother for a long time and told him it was nice talking with his grandmother who said at the end of the telephone call that Biden had asked her for a favor, which was to tell Joe how he could get her grandson's hair. All these years later his grandmother said she still vividly remembers the phone call. Her grandson Kyle said Joe cares about everybody's story and that he then talked to Dana Bash without missing a beat.
Something close to that, if I remember correctly. :)
Glad you're okay and still transmitting.
Yeah, you sure have an apocalyptic background to inspire you. I'm walking my Husky watching the moon rise over Green Valley Lake.
No "Sleepy Joe" tonight. A well delivered speech, in complete sentences, organized into paragraphs. The contrast with Trumpo The Clown could not be more obvious.
Biden knocked it out of the park...
Thank Bob.
LL&P
"Yeah, you sure have an apocalyptic background to inspire you. I'm walking my Husky watching the moon rise over Green Valley Lake."
...the woke description for 'Gotterdamerung'.
lol
LL&P
The last piece fell into place for me tonight.
Joe Biden loves ice cream.
James T Canuck [8] -
My reaction exactly. The very words I spoke to my wife, about two-thirds of the way through the speech.
:-)
-CW
No real new fire news yet. Drove the car, with ashes all over it (wipers worked great, thankfully). Smoke still fills the sky. Smells like a campfire to stick your nose outside.
Hopefully, the winds will shift to some offshore breezes sometime soon. That could blow a large part of the fire's frontline back on itself. This is how the Oakland fire I lived through (in the 1990s) was extinguished -- a shift in winds saved a major part of the city.
Here's hoping, at any rate...
-CW
Chris Weigant
12
No real new fire news yet. Drove the car, with ashes all over it (wipers worked great, thankfully). Smoke still fills the sky. Smells like a campfire to stick your nose outside.
What are you doing outside!? Go home! ;)
Hopefully, the winds will shift to some offshore breezes sometime soon.
Maybe some nice tropical storm action. Stay yourselves safe! Please. :)
JTC|CW
Biden knocked it out of the park...
It was the speech he's lived his whole life to give, and I said the same thing to my crew who echoed the sentiment. I wonder how many people said the exact same thing? It literally has to be millions across the country who did.
Can't wait to hear what EM thought. I'm betting she cried; the only question is will she admit to it? ;)
*
The village idiot has jumped the shark. He slithered into Pennsyltucky to deliver his low energy, low IQ birther word salad in Scranton.
He’d say he was born here. But he left when he was like 8, 9 or 10. So he left 68 years ago, he left. Long time ago. So I view it differently. He wasn’t born here.
Old dog. New tricks? Apparently not. Somebody should tell him that his death cult zombies have already had some Flavor Aid, but maybe his family is exhausted and ready to flee to Russia. Gas-lighting that stupid should be called immolation-lighting.
I just smiled and, then, Night to Remember came on the radio. Perfect. :)
Steve Bannon looks like something Death brought with him in a suitcase. He even dresses like he lives under the overpass. His chances against the coronavirus seem like they're not very good. Incarceration could be a problem for him.
It should be obvious that anyone associated with the Donald is a grifter. Somehow, the money keeps flowing in their direction. What did the marks not understand about Mexico paying for the wall?
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus Hall was an inspired pick for emcee. Veep was as funny as it gets. Nobody plays the Orange One better than her.
Kick [14] -
"History never repeats itself, but it rhymes."
-Mark Twain (attributed)
JFC [18] -
JLD was the funniest thing I think I've ever seen in an official political setting. Ever. "Mika Poonce"? Seriously, that's world-class funny... However, she was obviously told to "tone it down for the second hour," so anyone who missed her first-hour performances should really look them up on YouTube, because they were freakin' hilarious.
:-)
-CW
Veep.
Enough said. Yup, the tone went sharply down in the second half.
JLD got off a few singers tho.
LL&P
z, as in Zingers.
Excuse my shameless spamming.
LL&P
Boring.
what part is boring? i haven't seen it yet, so you'll have to update me.
Don't mind me, Joshua, I am in a mood.
The Democratic convention was awesome, from start to finish.
Where is my damn PRiSM cd ... ??
:-(
Shameless spamming is if you must know, Joshua. Humph.
Have a nice day! :)
Plus, I'm worried about fires. Don't worry, it'll pass. Soon, I'll be Saturday Night!!!
yeah, scary stuff CW. 5 dead as of an hour ago.
stay safe!
"Don't mind me, Joshua, I am in a mood."
Now we're subject to your mood swings?
We're not married to you, therefore we neither benefit nor droop.
Please refrain.
Your loving Aunt, Ruby.
LL&P
JTC,
Lighten up. Life is too short. :)
Ring-ring-ring, ring-ring-ring...
Youv'e reached 911, we're all sick and Trump removed our benefits...Press 1 if...
You have a baseless accusation you wish to make about Joe Biden.
2 If you wish to contribute $100 to the "Save the Bannon" fund
3 If you think I'm sexy, and you really want me... Sugar let me know
4 If you need a hug, and can afford one
5 If you're a Xena-phobe and think Lucy is Lawless
BEEP
LL&P
"Lighten up. Life is too short. :)"
What, now you're a Pussycat?
No moods here then...
;)
LL&P
CW...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMNElXjzcdU
LL&P
Ten big bucks goes to the Grassy Knollsters, from us, if anyone can identify my contribution to that gig...
You'll never guess...
LL&P
James T Canuck
38
Ten big bucks goes to the Grassy Knollsters, from us, if anyone can identify my contribution to that gig...
Give us a hint.
You'll never guess...
Does it have anything to do with fire? :)
Don Harris
20
Biden was right when he said no miracle is coming.
He sure was, Don, and how might that equally apply to your spew?
After decades of leading us to where we are now Joe Biden is clearly not going to change his stripes and is making the same empty promises that the Deathocrats have been making for decades.
Your spew is rather same stripey too; how might this equally apply to you?
Joe Biden is not a miracle, he is more of a more-of-the-same-acle.
That sounds a lot like you and your repetitive spew.
While some speakers may be correct that Trump is a virus that has infected our democracy the reality is that the Deathocrats are just a different strain of the same virus- big money infecting our political process.
Said the virus infecting this blog.
It will take an offshore wind to put out this fire. And that offshore wind is One Demand.
Take your personal advertisement and go piss in the offshore wind; see what hits you in the face.
Wake up. Wise up. Rise up.
Get Real.
Hilarious. Looks like OneDemand.org was hacked and taken over by on-line gambling scams. Probably happened sometime before June 7th. Good to know Don gets off his lazy ass to check his website every once in a while. Or not...
Now every search engine has basically de-listed OneDemand.org. Good luck ever getting back into the top three pages in searches...
Ha-ha!
-Nelson Muntz
Doesn't this just tell you all you need to know about "one demand"?
I guess the website is just to complex....
CW-
Hope you and your wife have your GO bags packed(and don't forget one for the cats).
I had some friends loose everything in last years fires because they waited until the last minute to pack up and get out.
You can always unpack a go bag, you just can't pack one in a hurry.
If you want to keep tabs on the wind use these folks. I have been using them for ages all around the world and they are consistently accurate.
https://www.windy.com/?2020-08-24-06,36.987,-122.041,14
Good that no fire has troubled you. It's kinda a fact of life living in bCountri-Cali.
Ho hum.
New column up, Day Four review:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/08/21/democratic-convention-day-four-americas-promise/
Enjoy!
-CW