Notes on the Democratic Convention: Day 1
I thought it might be worthwhile to offer some notes on the Democratic and Republican conventions each night, with a particular focus on faith. Hope this is helpful as we move closer to Election Day.
2020 Democratic Convention: Day 1 Review
Making news heading into tonight was a fundraising email from AOC’s team blasting John Kasich for his record. Cable news is playing this up as signs of division, and an indication of how hard it will be for Biden to hold together a broad coalition. Perhaps? But, uh, don’t forget this is all heading into a convention where both Kasich and AOC be speaking in support of Biden. The criticism between Kasich and AOC is mutually beneficial for them both (neither is a squish just because they’re endorsing Biden in 2020), and most of all, I think it helps Biden because he’s the one who is able to bring them together. Sends an important message to the country.
Opening invocation, which typically isn’t seen by most convention viewers, was given by my friend Rev. Gabriel Salguero, who closed his prayer in “the matchless name of Jesus.” Might be surprising to those watching who have heard what Trump says Democrats think about faith.
Opening segment is a series of conversations with a number of different Americans. Really powerful for Rick Telesz, a farmer from Pennsylvania, to open up by offering his condolences to Trump for the loss of his brother. It shows voters who aren’t strict partisans that Biden is attracting people who aren’t motivated by personal hatred of Trump.
Biden’s line about “restoring the soul of America” brings to mind for many Black Americans, in particular, the slogan of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference…just one small example of the ways in which
Biden moderated a panel with elected officials and advocates on systemic racism. Awfully smart format on this issue in particular, but also generally. I hope they use this format throughout the week as a way to actually display Biden as an empathetic listener.
The Biden grandchildren said the Pledge of Allegiance, and quite a few friends reached out to express relief that “under God” wasn’t left out, and we’re all clearly traumatized from a whole lot of nonsense in the past lol
Heh, not sure if Cuomo’s “in many ways, COVID is a metaphor” line in his speech is helpful, but it does track with his increasing attention to metaphysics.
Really powerful segment with Republican political figures endorsing Biden, with a fantastic speech by Kasich, that concludes with a montage of Republican citizens explaining why they support Biden. Most striking moment was when Kasich explicitly refers to concerns Republicans and Independents might have that if they vote for Biden, he’d just turn “sharp left” once elected. Kasich, without caveat, says that “won’t happen,” because he knows the man.
Really can’t have enough footage of Biden interacting with people this week. The moments of empathy, connection and understanding are impactful.
Cedric Richmond made great use of his time. Many people in D.C. respect him a great deal already, but his star is going to continue to rise. He’s been invaluable to the Biden campaign.
Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at about 10:36 PM EST. No big wind up or introduction. Bernie seems aware of the stakes here, and how much conservative media and Republicans would love to make Bernie the story of the evening and distract from everything else that has taken place. Bernie struck the right balance: making the case to his supporters that a Biden presidency would move things in the right direction, while also making clear that he doesn’t agree with Biden on everything (like Medicare for All) and thus not hugging Biden TOO tightly in a way Republicans would relish.
Michelle Obama’s speech was a disarming masterpiece. You can read it in full, but you won’t get the full gist unless you watch it. This was, in a significant way, not a political speech. The aesthetics, the language, the cozy intimacy and the unpretentious morality of the speech cut through in a way that I doubt any other speaker will even try. A few excerpts:
I am one of a handful of people living today who have seen firsthand the immense weight and awesome power of the presidency. And let me once again tell you this: the job is hard. It requires clear-headed judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotion to facts and history, a moral compass, and an ability to listen—and an abiding belief that each of the 330,000,000 lives in this country has meaning and worth.
A president's words have the power to move markets. They can start wars or broker peace. They can summon our better angels or awaken our worst instincts. You simply cannot fake your way through this job.
As I've said before, being president doesn't change who you are; it reveals who you are. Well, a presidential election can reveal who we are, too.
Empathy: that's something I've been thinking a lot about lately. The ability to walk in someone else's shoes; the recognition that someone else's experience has value, too. Most of us practice this without a second thought. If we see someone suffering or struggling, we don't stand in judgment. We reach out because, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." It is not a hard concept to grasp. It's what we teach our children.
Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation. A nation that's underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character. And that's not just disappointing; it's downright infuriating, because I know the goodness and the grace that is out there in households and neighborhoods all across this nation.
And I know that regardless of our race, age, religion, or politics, when we close out the noise and the fear and truly open our hearts, we know that what's going on in this country is just not right. This is not who we want to be.
Over the past four years, a lot of people have asked me, "When others are going so low, does going high still really work?" My answer: going high is the only thing that works, because when we go low, when we use those same tactics of degrading and dehumanizing others, we just become part of the ugly noise that's drowning out everything else. We degrade ourselves. We degrade the very causes for which we fight.
But let's be clear: going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under God, and if we want to survive, we've got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences.
So let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.
Now, I understand that my message won't be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a Black woman speaking at the Democratic Convention. But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I'm feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.
So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don't make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.
The night concluded with a benediction from Rev. Jerry Young
Recap
Tonight was a successful night for the Democratic Party, but it will be important that tonight’s tone is not contradicted over the next few days. The Democratic Party that was presented this evening was quite different than the Democratic Party that many persuadable voters are shown by on news and social media. Indeed, my instinct is that the Democratic Party presented tonight was different—more inclusive, more reserved, more accessible—than what some diehard #BlueWave Democratic activists have in mind. Between Kasich’s compelling remarks, Michelle Obama’s moral and maternal call and the beginnings of telling Joe Biden’s story and introducing him to the public as a man one election away from the presidency, the groundwork has been laid for the rest of the convention. What the Democrats can’t do is present a different party each night.
Obviously, faith is a critical, if not always tangible and calculable, aspect of how the audience will judge whether Joe Biden and the Democratic Party is a good fit for them in 2020. From the beginning of tonight to the end (not just the invocation and benediction, but multiple references to God, Biden’s personal faith, and speeches rife with moral lessons and faith-informed values), faith was weaved throughout the night. That, also, should be strengthened, not undermined, over the next three evenings.
In the opening night of an unprecedented convention, a tone and aesthetic has been set. Let’s see how they build on it.
-Michael
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