By Debabrata Biswas from Boston
A little over a month ago Democratic Party leadership was gripped with the idea that president Joe Biden might not be the best candidate to represent their party in the Presidential race against Donald Trump, with many dreading what they thought could be a landslide loss up and down the ballot in November 5 elections..
The Democratic National Convention was held from August 19 to 22, 2024 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. This Convention, during the year of the presidential election is held for nominating the official presidential candidate of the party, generally the candidate who won the primaries beforehand. But this year it is different in the way that Joe Biden who won the Democratic primaries effortlessly; announced on July 19, 2024, his withdrawal from the presidential election abruptly and endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Biden, 81, couldn’t reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too old and frail to serve for the next 4 years and has the possibility to lose to Donald Trump.
Joe Biden was the first president since Lyndon Johnson in 1968 to withdraw from a presidential election race, the first since 19th century to withdraw after serving only one term. And Biden is the only one to withdraw after already winning the primaries.
The Convention started with much fanfare though there were some chaos outside the convention hall – a good number of protestors shouting against Israel’s massacres in Gaza. But it was subdued after some time and the Convention proceeded normally. The delegates of the convention ceremoniously voted to nominate VP Kamala Harris for president and her chosen running mate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota for Vice President in the 2024 presidential election.
Over the course of the week, speakers preached unity and joy as they contrasted Kamala Harris’s leadership and personality with Donald Trump. Party leaders and rising stars addressed in Chicago as the DNC continued, with speakers honouring president Biden and his time in office while celebrating a new name atop the ticket . Three ex- presidents, Governors, leaders in Congress and other prominent members of the party were addressing the convention spanning four days as Democrats gear up for November Presidential elections.
On Monday, August 19, delegates heard from Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden himself. For the first time AOC of New York was given a prime time slot on the Convention night .She gave a fiery speech as expected. Hillary Clinton spoke hopefully of finally breaking the “glass ceiling” to elect a female president.
President Joe Biden received a hero’s welcome on the opening night of DNC as he delivered his address designed to be a handoff from the incumbent president to his handpicked successor Kamala Harris .His voice was strong and emotional, unlike during his debate with Trump. His closing message was ‘ I gave my best to you for 50 years ‘. The Vice President Kamala Harris made an unscheduled appearance on stage to pay special tribute to Biden ahead of her own address to the Convention. She told the president – “Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime service to our nation and for all you continue to do “. She added – ‘we are grateful to you’.
Former president Barack Obama took the stage at DNC on day 2, Tuesday evening, praising President Biden just week after reportedly helping to oust Biden from his reelection effort. He said – “we worked together for eight years , sometimes pretty tough years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasn’t just his smarts and experience, but his empathy and his decency. And his hard earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot.”
Michelle Obama gave a strong and articulated speech. Few people have as much of a hold on the hearts and minds of the Democratic base as Michelle Obama who was greeted with one of the loudest , longest round of applause as she took stage on day 2 of the Convention. “Hope is making a comeback” – she said, – ” my girl Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment “. Michelle slammed Trump as ” petty small and unpresidential ‘, She said – Trump is the same old con, doubling down on ugly misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better ” .
She laid out the stakes and the challenges, facing Harris as a black woman seeking higher office in starker than any other Convention speakers. She also took a jab at Trump’s remark that migrants are stealing ‘Black jobs’. ” We are going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’.- she said sarcastically She also cautioned the party by saying – even if there is ‘ something magical in the air ‘ – ‘ there’s a hard road ahead ‘.
Basketball legend Ervin ‘ magic Johnson ‘ ,who is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, dished out praise on the speeches of Barack and Michelle Obama at the DNC .He said – ‘ they gave the best political speeches in history of our country. The powerful couple talked about working class families, family values, and moving the country forward together ‘.
Vice President Kamala Harris was officially nominated as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party on the 2nd day in which she wasn’t attending .She was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin attending a big rally. She said after the presidential nomination – ‘ now let’s get to work ‘.
Some important Republicans, surprisingly, showed up for Harris on day 2 of the Convention and spoke on the stage supporting Kamala Harris .Among them were Mayor John Giles of Messa, Arizona, a lifelong Republican, Kyle Sweetser- a Nikky Haley follower, Stephenie Grisham, a former Trump White House Press Secretary and chief of staff to Melenia Trump, who used to spend her holidays at Mar -a- Lago. She said about Trump – ‘ He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth ‘.
One of the most important speakers on day 2 of the Convention was Bernie Sanders, Vermont Independent Senator, who has maintained a strong following among young and progressive voters for long. He meticulously laid out a list of proposals for the next Democratic administration. ‘Let us be clear, this is not a radical agenda ‘ – he said, – ‘ but let me tell you what a radical agenda is.’
The DNC’s 3rd night showcased a familiar former president Bill Clinton and introduced Americans to Minessota Gov. Tim Walz, little known outside his state until Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Clinton gave a o good speech as he always does. Apart from him, many other prominent leaders like Gov. Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania), former speaker Nancyy Pelosi and vice presidential candidate gave speech in the Convention, enthusiastically applauded by the audience.
On day 4, Thursday, the final night of the Convention many Important Union leaders, Senators like Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts , Mark Kelly of Arizona and Governors like Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Ray Cooper of North Carolina ,former Republican House Representative Adam Kinzinger and VP Kamala Harris took the stage with tremendous cheers from the audience. Elizabeth Warren was moved to tears after receiving a standing ovation from the crowd just before her speech. She compared Trump and Harris as candidate, she said- “groceries, gas, housing, health care, taxes, abortion – Donald Trump and J D Vance to look out for your family? Shoot! I wouldn’t let these guys, I wouldn’t trust them to move my couch.”
Kamala Harris formally accepted the party’s nomination and delivered her acceptance speech. It capped the ebullient four day Convention in Chicago that showcased the Democratic Party’s reinvigorated chances against Donald Trump. Harris put patriotism at the heart of her speech. In her speech she singled out the middle ground and the middle class. She sought to cut Trump down on that agenda.” My entire career, I have only one client – the people – she said setting up a searing contrast with a Trump – “The only client he (Mr. Trump) has ever had – is Himself.” Kamala Harris delivered the final word about Trump when she called him an ‘unserious man’.
On the final day, over and over Convention speakers repeated Kamala Harris’s new slogan – “A new way forward “- while the crowd chanted -‘ we are not going back.’ “Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday “- Oprah Winfrey said.
Only some 69 days until the election, Democrats sounded more than happy to give Kamala Harris room to position herself in whatever way she thinks is needed to defeat Donald Trump. On policy matters , she backtracked on fracking , flipped on Medicare for all and resented on not considering border crossing criminal- all with little blowback. Ms. Harris directly addressed a chief vulnerability – immigration, by vowing to sign a border security legislation that Trump had scuttled.
Outside the Convention perimeter, pro -Palestinian protestors voiced their anger with the administration over Israel policy. But inside the Convention hall, Ms. Harris faced little pressure on Gaza or almost any other issue. She did, however, spoke extensively and confidently on Middle East conflict, firmly stating that Israel had a right to defend itself while also calling for self determination for the Palestinian people. She called for security and dignity of the people of Gaza which received the loudest applause from the audience.
The DNC outperformed the RNC (Republican National Convention) held in July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in a category that would probably worry Trump. According to Neilson data , an average of 21.8 million viewers tuned in over four days to watch the Chicago DNC . It eclipsed the RNC viewers which was 19.1 million on average. Final day at DNC attracted 28.9 million viewers while 28.3 million watched the last night of RNC. Though TV rating for conventions are far from an accurate indicator of who wins elections. But those numbers could very well upset rating-obsessed Republicans and surely Donald Trump. Trump’s fixation on TV ratings and crowd size are well documented .On day 4 of the DNC, as Harris was delivering her address, Trump watched along, posting live reaction to his Truth Social account , then called into Fox News , afterwards to offer a meandering rebuttal.
Overall, the Democrats are riding high after their successful Convention in Chicago and are relishing the good feelings of Kamala Harris’s upward trajectory in the polls. She has stacked out a lead of 2 points in the New York Times polling average after trailing by 5 points in a then hypothetical match up with Trump at the start of July. Emerson college and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s latest polls award Kamala Harris a 7 point national lead over Trump. In key swing states, the New York Times tracker breaks down the election this way- national average Harris 49 per cent and Trump 46 per cent.
Democratic Party leadership are hopeful but not complacent. They have experience of 2016 presidential polls when despite all favourable ratings for Hillary Clinton, Trump won at the end. Kamala Harris knows that well. She is going the wholehog in mobilizing all sections in favour of her candidature.. I will work for all Americans- that is her message and she is showing how different she is from her rival Donald Trump. For Democrats, there is a rejuvenated mood in the campaign. Now everything depends on the final voting on November 5. (IPA
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