Go ahead, Democrats, party like it's 2008.
In just a month, Democrats have gone from dreading the 2024 national convention that begins Monday in Chicago to dying to attend. Some Democratic officials and operatives had scheduled vacations in August to give themselves an excuse not to attend the four-day convention, I was told. Now they regret it. Either be there or be fair.
Different candidate, different convention. Instead of re-nominating President Biden amid polls showing him trailing Donald Trump, Democrats will crown a far bolder vice president, Kamala Harris. She has already managed to unsettle Trump, drawing crowds so large that claims The photos of his demonstrations are AI generated and she stands in front of him in the The same surveys which previously caused Biden to lose.
Opinion columnist
Jackie Calmes
Jackie Calmes brings a critical eye to the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.
Once again, Democrats are embracing that sense of hope and change they last tasted 16 years ago, when they elected Barack Obama as their standard-bearer.
Conventions are political theater designed to benefit one party (OK, there was a Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968, and at that one, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters could cause trouble). These gatherings are the candidates' biggest chance to grab the attention of voters before an election; 25 million Viewers caught Trump meandering Acceptance speech last month at the Republican convention.
So, Democrats, enjoy the week. It could very well be the highlight of your 2024 campaign.
Because once Harris leaves Chi-town with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, they will face 10 weeks of trench warfare with a rival who lives on the streets and knows no bounds. Racism? Misogyny? Trump is already playing those cards. In the weeks since Biden reluctantly dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, a nervous Trump has cursed the Democrats’ change of heart and the reversal of his political fortunes.
He ridiculously claims that Democrats staged an unconstitutional “coup” against Biden. He shamelessly hurls insults at Harris to see what sticks. explicitly dismissing the pleas of the advisers So far, he is squandering his chance to credibly define Harris and her record, leaving her free to reintroduce herself in a positive light to voters who had previously been reluctant to choose between two old acquaintances.
Yet over time, some of Trump's attacks could succeed. Harris could and probably will slip up; for all her current polish and dynamism on the campaign trail, Democrats are still bracing for any signs of internal dysfunction that will soon derailed his 2020 presidential campaign. Some embarrassing revelation could emerge; he has already launched into Walz on the defensive for misleading descriptions of his 24 years of service in the Army National Guard and his detention Three decades ago for drunk driving.
The convention itself poses both challenges and opportunities for Harris.
If the well-known Biden were still the nominee, the show likely would have focused on Trump, painting him as so unfit for another term that voters would set aside their doubts about Biden, in keeping with the president’s message. saying“Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.” With the lesser-known Harris as the candidate, the convention must showcase her, not Trump, and in a way that convinces the undecided that she can be president and a president who fights for them.
There will be plenty of criticism of Trump, sure; he has earned it. But until a month ago, Harris, like most vice presidents, was little known and little more popular than Biden. As the convention tells Harris’s story, you can expect to hear a lot about her job at a McDonald’s one summer during college, to temper her cosmopolitan coastal persona. Harris’s acceptance speech, the last of the convention on Thursday night, will be more pivotal than usual: Typically, nominees take the podium as well-known figures who have been campaigning for up to two years, not four weeks.
In selling herself, Harris must also sell the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration — too many Americans still don’t know or believe that. But more than that, she must develop a vision for the next four years that goes beyond simply “finishing the job,” as Biden promised.
Another imperative: to counteract the “otherness” that Trump attributes to her by considering her not exactly a woman. “true American” The identity that MAGA Republicans claimed at their convention. Harris’s “We love our country” line gets cheers on the campaign trail and stands in calculated contrast to Trump’s constant denigration of the United States as a third-world hellhole. She, and Democrats in general, must continue to reclaim the flag and “freedom.” Could Beyoncé? appear Sing their song with that name? Stay tuned.
Beyoncé or not, by the time Harris takes the podium, she will have had plenty of help from high-profile personalities to set the stage. On Monday, the prime-time speakers will be Biden, who will likely receive a rapturous reception in gratitude both for passing the torch and for his service, and Hillary Clinton, who had hoped to be the first woman president but, poignantly, will argue for that honor to go to Harris. Tuesday night focuses on Obama, the first black president who lionizes a possible second. Bill Clinton’s turn is on Wednesday, followed by Walz’s nomination and acceptance speech.
That lineup telegraphs another contrast between the Democratic Party and a Republican Party dominated by a single, vengeful man. Recall those who did not show up for Trump’s convention: former President George W. Bush; former Vice Presidents Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle and Trump himself, Mike Pence; and the party’s 2012 ticket, Senator Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Paul D. Ryan.
Democrats hope to be one big happy family in Chicago, and just like real families, they will need their unity and harmony to navigate the inevitable, difficult road ahead.
@jackiekcalmes
