CHICAGO — On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, the party attempted to thwart the GOP’s four-day campaign in Milwaukee last month in one night.
The RNC heaped praise on Trump. Democrats got his former employees and supporters to disparage him.
The RNC had Teamsters President Sean O’Brien give a speech. A whole group of Teamsters showed up to thank the Democrats for saving their pensions.
The RNC had a full arena in Milwaukee. The DNC had full arenas in Chicago. And Milwaukee.
The RNC compared Democrats to communists. Democrats had a former Republican and Nicaraguan American who compared Trump to Latin American dictators — and a former CEO of a credit card company who touted the capitalist credentials of Vice President Kamala Harris.
And the DNC got the wife of their presidential candidate to speak at the convention. Oh, and a former president — and the wife of that former president, who largely ignored her earlier advice to go high when the Republicans went low.
“For years, Donald Trump has done everything he can to make people afraid of us. His narrow, constricted view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, educated, successful people who also happened to be black,” former first lady Michelle Obama said, before delivering one of the night’s most striking statements, a reference to an awkward moment from the first presidential debate at best: “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s looking for right now might be one of those ‘black jobs’?”
Democrats’ need to counter the RNC brought together an otherwise disjointed evening, which at one point featured Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an outspoken democratic socialist, followed by a billionaire governor and a former CEO. If there were unifying themes, it was outreach to moderate voters, star power and testimony about Harris. But if there was an overarching goal, it was to own the GOP.
There are questions about how effective hard-hitting attacks on Trump can be, given that many of the fringe voters Democrats may need to convince want at least some things about him. And political operatives from both parties say defining Harris is the most important task at the moment, though Democrats have not skimped on that either.
The party also quickly set aside last night’s themes, largely relegating the unpopular President Joe Biden to an afterthought. A few early speakers, like Sanders, celebrated him, but he was largely ignored in speeches by Michelle and Barack Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
One of the evening’s first speakers, former Trump spokesperson Stephanie Grisham, revealed that Trump had referred to his supporters as “basement dwellers.” Other former and current Republicans followed her lead, including Kyle Sweetser, a former Trump voter, and John Giles, the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, one of the nation’s largest suburbs.
“I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, like me, sit in the political center: John McCain’s Republican Party is gone,” Giles said. “And we don’t owe a damn for what’s been left behind. So let’s turn the page. Let’s put country first. And let’s put the adults in the room that our country deserves.”
And while O’Brien was notably not among the union leaders speaking Monday night, a number of rank-and-file Teamsters joined Michigan Sen. Gary Peters onstage to celebrate how Biden’s signature American Rescue Plan legislation saved their pensions.
After a very musical roll call from state delegates formally nominating Harris, the cameras cut to Harris in the state of Wisconsin, where the action is all about. Her supporters filled the same Milwaukee arena where the Republicans held their convention last month.
The focus then jumped to another former Republican, political strategist turned television personality, Ana Navarro, who turned the “communist” attack back on Trump and the Republicans, comparing Trump to Latin American dictators Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, the Castro brothers in Cuba and Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela.
But the highlights were clearly the final three speeches of the night. They delivered a level of star power that the RNC simply hasn’t been able to match, with Trump’s predecessors as GOP president and vice president unwilling to endorse him and his wife apparently unwilling to speak on his behalf.
Emhoff, Harris’ husband, gave a speech emphasizing the two most powerful things a political spouse can say about his or her partner: their dedication to country and their humanity.
Emhoff exuded a funny, avuncular charm as he told the story of his first date with Harris (and how he blew it) and spoke about her strengths as a candidate.
“She finds joy in pursuing justice,” he said. “She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me. She likes to see people do right, but she hates it when they’re treated unfairly.” He added: “Her empathy is her strength.”
It’s a far cry from Melania Trump’s appearances — or lack thereof — on the 2024 campaign trail. Though the former first lady made a brief appearance at the RNC, she did not speak. Nor has she been seen at campaign events or made any public statements, aside from a brief message following the attempted assassination of her husband.
The Obamas closed the evening by reminding viewers why they remain among the most sought-after speakers in Democratic politics.
The stark implication of the tag-team performance, which drew roars of applause, laughter and emotional tears from the audience, was that Harris is ready to take over not just from Biden but also from Barack Obama, a move that evokes nostalgia for many Democrats. It was an attempt to portray Harris, who is in the current administration, as a change agent and a throwback to an era when Democrats were inspired by their leaders.
“There’s something wonderfully magical in the air, isn’t there? Not just here in this arena, but spreading throughout this country that we love — a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deeply for too long,” Michelle Obama said.
“You know what I’m talking about? It’s the contagious power of hope!” she continued.
Barack Obama completed the picture of a more hopeful and united country by referencing his grandmother and Michelle’s recently deceased mother, and how despite their different backgrounds, they shared a sense of sacrifice and common purpose.
Such a shared goal is still achievable for the country, Obama said, if Democrats would do everything they can to get Harris elected in November.
“We will elect leaders who will fight for the hopeful, progressive America we believe in,” he concluded. “And together, we too will build a country that is safer and more just, more equal and more free.”
