CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic National Convention Win’s first night showcased the last Democratic losing speech Donald Trump The one who beat him last.
Hillary Clinton Finally a woman broke the “glass ceiling” to elect a president and spoke with confidence. Joe Biden aligned with Trump and directly acknowledged the concerns of protesters War in GazaProved a few modules From the conference hall.
Here are some notes from the first night of the conference.
Biden begins a long political exit
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19, 2024, Rev. Jesse Jackson. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
President Joe Biden began his long political farewell and ended the opening night of a convention that both shaped his own legacy and signaled his readiness to hand control of the party to Vice President Kamala Harris.
He led a long, raucous ovation from delegates holding “We Love Joe” signs to the stage, chanting “I love you!” After a warm opening, Biden spent much of his 50-minute speech attacking Trump, returning to a key theme of his now-defunct re-election campaign.
Biden singled out many of his administration’s accomplishments, including a massive public works package and climate plan, and shared credit with Harris. He vowed that choosing Harris as his running mate was the best decision he ever made and would be the “best volunteer” Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walls have ever seen.
His final message to those still listening as the conference stretched late into the night: “I’ve given you my best for 50 years.”
A surprise Harris appearance to pay tribute to Biden
The vice president made an unscheduled podium appearance to pay tribute to Biden ahead of his own speech at the convention. He told the president, “Thank you for your historic leadership, your lifetime of service to our nation and what you will continue to do.”
On a night honoring the president who stepped aside to make way for Harris, the vice president added, “We are forever grateful to you.”
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Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Chicago to protest America’s support for Israel during the war in Gaza. But inside the convention hall, the issue of burnout was largely unmentioned until Biden approached the microphone.
Representative. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez drew cheers when Harris was praised for “working tirelessly to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and bring home the hostages.” Sen. from Georgia. Raphael Warnock gave a brief note on the clash.
A handful of delegates running on an “indecisive” ticket protested Biden’s stance on the war and unfurled a banner reading “Stop arming Israel” during his speech. But before it could be wrestled, Biden was blocked by supporters waving signs and the lights in that section of the audience were shut off.
Biden addressed the issue head-on, saying he would continue to work “to end the war in Gaza and bring peace and security to the Middle East.”
“Those protesters in the streets have a point,” Biden said. “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
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The crowd cheered, and for a moment the war didn’t seem to split the party.
Clinton revived talk of breaking that ‘glass ceiling’
Clinton was greeted with prolonged and sustained applause for more than two minutes before the crowd quieted down. She gave a fiery speech hoping Harris could do what she couldn’t — become the first woman president to beat Trump.
Clinton prefaced her 2016 concession speech by referring to all the “cracks in the glass ceiling” she and her voters had reached. He painted a vision of Harris being sworn in as president “on the other side of that glass ceiling.”
For someone who stands at the pinnacle of American politics and power, he concluded his speech: “I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know that I am here at this time. We were here, and we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way.
Clinton delved into traditional political attacks in her speech, including mocking Trump’s criminal record. That led to chants of “lock her up” — mirroring what Trump’s supporters directed at Clinton in 2016.
A line from Jesse Jackson to Kamala Harris
The initial theme of the evening was Celebrating Rev. Jesse JacksonLongtime civil rights leader in Chicago and former presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988. Many Democrats credited Barack Obama with winning the White House in 2008 and Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of color to be nominated for the presidency.
Several speakers saluted Jackson from the stage, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and California Representative Maxine Waters. There was a video montage about Jackson’s life and legacy before the 82-year-old Jackson took the stage in a wheelchair, thrusting his hands to the sky and smiling. Jackson has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
During a 1984 Democratic convention in San Francisco, Jackson gave a speech saying that America was “like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all tied and tied together by a common thread.” The address became known as the “Rainbow Coalition” speech, and Jackson used its momentum to reclaim the Democratic nomination in 1988.
Harris called Jackson “one of America’s greatest patriots.”
Remember covid? Democrats don’t want voters — or Trump — to forget
Democrats wanted to shine the convention spotlight International spread of the coronavirus.
Despite hundreds of thousands of Americans dying from COVID-19 in his last year in office, how Trump portrayed his tenure as the country’s golden age is a reflection of Democratic desperation.
Democrats have plenty of stakes in attacking the pandemic. More people have died from the virus during Biden’s presidency than under Trump, voters have shown an eagerness to move forward and some of the prevention measures championed by Democrats — like school closings and face masks — are unpopular in retrospect.
However, the lineup of early speakers focused on Trump’s performance during the pandemic. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan recalled how her brother was the second person in Tennessee to die of the disease and was unable to meet him or hold a memorial service. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, a nurse, said of Trump: “He took the COVID crisis and turned it into a disaster. He can never be allowed to be president again.
Rep. Robert Garcia, whose mother and stepfather died of the disease in 2020, recalled Trump’s misdeeds and concluded with one of Harris’ young campaign slogans: “We’re not going back.”
Democrats one-up Republicans on labor
Trump’s convention last month featured a rare appearance from a union leader at such a GOP event: the head of the Teamsters. Sean O’Brien. This reflects how Trump’s populism has eroded Democrats’ advantage with union families.
In that speech, O’Brien did not endorse Trump. But he criticized the two major political parties for not doing enough to help working people.
Democrats didn’t invite O’Brien to their convention, but they did face a half-dozen other union leaders on stage Monday. Then United Auto Workers president Sean Fine said, “Trump is a rash!” While wearing a red t-shirt emblazoned with those words.
Fine noted that Biden visited the UAW picket line last year and that when auto workers went on strike in 2019, Harris, not Trump, walked the picket line. “Donald Trump is all the talking, Kamala Harris is all the walking,” Fine said.
