Live from the DNC, From My Couch
I watched it so you don't have to!
First off, I have two gripes.
One is that these guys can’t keep Trump’s name out of their mouths. When New York’s governor came out on Monday night and brought him up in her third sentence, I was fully prepared for another week of doom and gloom. Fortunately, the tone has been more cynicism than downright fear-mongering. The “threat to democracy” talk was not motivating people anymore - just look at Biden’s last few polls:
My other complaint is the absolutely horrendous coverage from CNN. The three newscasters narrating between speeches are not in sync. Half the time they seem unsure about what point they want to make. The other half, they have opposing points; Abby Phillips (a woman of color) began praising Michelle Obama’s speech as outshining even Barack’s, only for Jake Tapper (the “head” of the panel) to cut in and claim that Barack had the harder, more moderate message to deliver. Nice, Jake.
Otherwise, I’ve been impressed. The first night was a bit of a snooze - obviously Joe Biden had the opportunity to give a goodbye speech, and some really harrowing stories about the importance of abortion access were shared, but I thought the most notable moment was a Steve Kerr “night, night”.
As a die-hard Warriors fan and viewer of The Last Dance, I’ve known about how Steve Kerr’s tragic backstory has fueled his political advocacy. Still, I was surprised to see him take the stage. As MJ said, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” The sports world has tended to avoid politics, even as we become polarized, and the few who have taken such public stances, like Colin Kaepernick1, are often ostracized.
Granted, Steve does have the privilege of being a white dude near retirement age with a history of winning. This probably won’t affect his job.
Either way, he took advantage of the opportunity to preach unity, an unexpected but welcome theme2:
“Think about what our team achieved with 12 Americans in Paris—putting aside rivalries to represent our country. Now imagine what we could do with all 350 million of us playing on the same team. Not as Democrats. Not as Republicans. Not as Libertarians. But as Americans.”
Anyway, night two was much more powerful. It included:
Bernie Sanders preaching some good old progressive economics, although he made sure to point out how the only truly radical policies were the ones cutting taxes for the rich.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker (wealthy inheritor of the Hyatt hotel chain) called Trump a fake billionaire.
Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland Senate candidate, spoke to the power of Kamala Harris’s crime policies, which were successfully transferred from California to Maryland d. Granted, I think this one was a bit of selective storytelling, given that some of Kamala’s policies have been harsh and hypocritical.
Doug Emhoff, Harris’s husband, humanized her through a telling of how they met and eventually formed a blended family.
None of it compared to the main event though…
The Obamas absolutely popped off. They are without a doubt two of the best orators in this entire country, and I recommend that you watch the replays once they’re online.
Three things really stood out to me:
Michelle Obama called on liberals to be less picky, and she said that “people shouldn’t be Goldilocks and wait for the candidate who’s just right”. There was a distinct air of urgency here, which is fitting. Michelle was probably thinking about this time eight years ago, when the whole country thought Hillary Clinton had locked her election up. Given the rampant abstentions from the Social Justice Left in the wake of the Gaza protests, this is a strategic message.
Michelle and Barack both echoed calls for unity. Barack quoted Lincoln, calling for us to “restore our bonds of affection” and be patient with neighbors who might not be ready to vote for Harris. One notable (paraphrased) quote: "We don’t assume family members are inherently bad people when they hold opinions we find to be cringe. Let’s give our neigbors the same grace.”
Combined with the “picky” comment, this felt like a bit of a move away from “wokeness” and cancel culture. The “woke” stance since ~2016 has been to prioritize one’s own definition of good over the collective good. To be clear, I still think that it’s admirable to vote with your conscience, especially if you believe your candidates are failing you. However, from the perspective of the party trying to get the most votes, it makes a lot of sense to try to wipe out ideologies which give people an excuse to stay home.Obama made a dick joke. On CNN. Retirement’s been treating him well.
Also, a bonus classic meme:
My sister wrote a post about the tv show based on his experience! Check it out here.
Maybe a run for office is in the cards?
C-SPAN - the place to watch. No interruptions, just the facts.