Defining moments at the Democratic convention

Kamala Harris’s historic nomination, emotional farewells, and powerful speeches set the tone for a pivotal campaign

• Eastern Eye
• 23 August, 2024

By: Eastern Eye

THE Democratic National Convention in Chicago was a star-studded affair that showcased the party’s unity, diversity, and commitment to reclaiming American symbols often associated with conservatism.

Amid the rousing speeches, celebrity appearances, and passionate endorsements, Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president, signalling a historic and hard-fought campaign ahead.

The convention also highlighted the passing of the torch from Joe Biden to Harris, set against the backdrop of protests and the party’s strategic focus on engaging a broad spectrum of voters.

Here are some key takeaways from the event that marked the beginning of a pivotal campaign.

Celebrity highlights

Oprah Winfrey stole the show, exhorting voters to “choose joy” and Stevie Wonder took the convention to “Higher Ground.”

John Legend lit up the United Center with a tribute to Prince, while comic actress Mindy Kaling shared stories of cooking lessons from the vice-president.

And there was comedy with a serious message from Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson, who brought a giant book on stage to represent the radical Trump-linked Project 2025 governing agenda.

There was feverish speculation over a potential appearance by global superstar Beyonce, but it didn’t pan out.

Emotional family moments

On the biggest stage of their careers, political leaders often look to dewy-eyed family moments that, if seen as genuine, can humanise them and make them relatable to voters.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz’s 17-year-old son Gus touched a nation as he wiped away joyous tears, pointed to his father accepting the vice-presidential nomination and sobbed: “That’s my dad!”

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff provided another indelible memory, referring to Harris as “my wiiiiife” as he recounted the goofy, endearing story of their romance.

And president Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley was a highlight of the opening night as she paid tribute to “the O.G. Girl Dad.”

Obama power

Barack and Michelle Obama – the undisputed power couple of Democratic politics – partied like it was 2008 as they gave the convention a shot of star power on Day Two.

The 44th president got the night’s biggest laugh as he goaded Donald Trump over the Republican’s “obsession with crowd sizes.”

But he was upstaged by the former first lady – by far the country’s most popular Democrat – who spoke of the “contagious power of hope” in the most cheered speech of the week.

The party made use of a deep bench of luminaries, including former president Bill Clinton, whose raspy speech was more than twice the allotted time but included some memorable applause lines.

Protests fall short

There were protests across Chicago against the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, and particularly over the decision not to allow a Palestinian American to speak from the main stage.

The largest protest Thursday (22) featured several thousand marchers, but was still much smaller than the demonstrations of tens of thousands predicted by organisers, and was not the fly in the ointment that the Democrats had feared.

Protests were largely peaceful, although several demonstrators were arrested when they broke through a security fence earlier in the week around the United Center where the main program was staged.

Although the activists were largely pro-Palestinian, they were joined by others marching against a variety of progressive causes, from reproductive rights to migrant welfare.

Biden’s farewell

The president gave an emotional keynote speech to open a conference that he thought just weeks ago he would be headlining.

Biden took to the stage, dabbing his eyes, and spoke at length about his achievements while making a case for Harris that was criticised for lacking the pizzazz of the Obama endorsements.

Flanked by first lady Jill Biden and Harris, the veteran Democrat’s final bow marked at long last the passing of the torch for a politician who has been in the public eye for more than half a century.

“Democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now democracy must be preserved,” he declared, to one of many standing ovations from the rapt audience.

Many high-profile speakers such as Hillary Clinton briefly thanked him but others like Michelle Obama skipped him altogether. Even those who spoke about his lifetime of service and record quickly pivoted to Harris.

“History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend,” said former president Obama. “Now the torch has been passed.”

Once he exited the stage, Biden, 81, was really off the stage, wheels up for California. Once there, he mostly stayed out of public view.

The president, his wife Jill and multiple family members were spending the week at the 8,000-acre ranch owned by a billionaire donor to the Democratic party, Joe Kiani, in the heart of California wine country.

Aides say Biden is plotting a busy schedule for the remaining five months of his presidency with plenty of domestic and foreign travel including multiple stops in Pennsylvania, a state he hopes to help deliver for Harris.

Embracing America

Throughout the week, Democrats leaned into symbols of Americana, reclaiming the camouflage, cowboy hats, country music and flags that are usually associated with US conservatism.

They sought to portray a party that embraces all Americans, no matter their political ideology, and even some Republicans who oppose Trump took to the stage to endorse Harris.

The convention featured fashion that would have looked appropriate in Republican-leaning states like Texas or Missouri.

Delegates from Washington state wore light-up wide-brimmed cowboy hats, while others donned caps with a camouflage pattern and the words “Harris, Walz” for Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

By choosing Walz, Harris is trying to court more moderate voters who see themselves in his folksy, Midwestern roots.

Chants of “USA” greeted many speakers, and John Mellencamp’s iconic ode to small-town America, Small Town, played more than a few times throughout the week.

“It means that the Republican party has no copyright on the American flag, on patriotism, on camo, on faith… on fishing in the summer and shooting birds in the winter,” said Rick Wilson, a Republican turned Never-Trumper, who co-founded the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. “It means they don’t have a monopoly on the symbols and signifiers of Americana.”

Women of colour lead the charge

Women speakers, notably women of color, dominated the convention stage this week and featured prominently in the viral online posts on social media feeds.

Michelle Obama’s speech spread through the internet after she tore into Trump on Tuesday (20), taunting him for his reference on the campaign trail to unspecified “Black jobs.”

Michelle Obama’s speech easily eclipsed Barack Obama’s on Reuters TikTok with more than half a million views within 24 hours, while Barack Obama’s stood at under 200,000.

Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, said the lineup of speakers was “likely in response to one of the demands on the Democratic Party to be sure that they’re inclusive of voices that they need to come out and vote for them.”

In the United States, 12 governors are women – eight Democratic and four Republican – which is a record. The US Congress has 150 women equal to 28 per cent of the 535 seats and a majority are Democrats. Twenty-eight of those, all Democrats, identify as Black, 10 identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander and 19 identify as Latina.

Many women delegates (and some of the men, too) wore white to the convention on Thursday night – a nod to the women’s suffrage movement and the success of women in US politics. The arena audience was a sea of white suits and dresses.

“We are going to be electing the first female president of the United States,” said Barb Crow, 65, a delegate from Minnesota. “We are celebrating women today, and that’s how we do it: We wear white.”

The battle ahead

Despite the celebratory tone of the star-studded convention, politicians, civil rights leaders and grassroots advocates said the campaign ahead would be hard-fought.

Democrats have seen a surge in enthusiasm and donations since Harris became their presidential candidate a month ago, but leaders said the party still needs to mobilize its base of supporters, especially voters of color.

They also said Democrats needed to reach poor and low-income Americans, struggling to make ends meet, who might feel disconnected from the convention theme of joy.

Both Republicans and Democrats know that firing up the base and getting their supporters out to vote will be crucial, even as they seek to persuade that relatively small segment of voters who remain undecided.

Activist Rev. Al Sharpton told convention-goers that they owe it to the civil rights movement to get Harris elected. “We should not take for granted what we are witnessing this week … people shed blood and died so there would be a possibility (of a Harris presidency).”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also gave the Democratic faithful their marching orders.

“Strategise on Sunday, meet the moment on Monday, take it to them on Tuesday, work it out on Wednesday, thank the Lord on Thursday, fight the power on Friday, set if off on Saturday,” Jeffries said. “Get a few hours of sleep, wake up the next day and do it all over again until joy, joy, joy comes in the morning.”

Legislative hurdles 

Many of the broad policy changes that Harris is proposing aren’t things a US president can do alone, including a middle-class tax cut, restoring federal abortion rights, changes to immigration policy and reinforcing voting rights.

They all need to be passed through the US Congress. For Harris and Democrats to make these changes, they’ll likely need to control both the House and the Senate.

Democrats are the underdogs in the 100-seat US Senate, where members are reelected every six years, with most pollsters and strategists predicting that Republicans will seize a narrow majority. Democrats have more of a chance of taking a majority in the House of Representatives but it will be close-fought there too.

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)