This week, the Democratic Party is holding its quadrennial convention in Chicago Illinois, the 11th time that the party has held its conference in the Windy City, where it is presenting its best storytellers and having them share with the American people their past achievements and, even more important, their vision for the future.
But this convention certainly is different from previous gatherings because of the unique way the Democratic Party chose its candidate this year. The current president, Joe Biden, who historically was assumed to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, stepped aside after a horrific debate performance against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Biden stepping aside triggered a great groundswell of support for Vice President Kamala Harris. She has now risen to the head of a highly energized Democratic Party in record time.
During the convention, it was imperative that the Democratic Party pay tribute to Joe Biden for his lifetime of service and for his selfless choice to step aside, putting his party’s chances to win the White House above of his own personal desire to become a second-term president.
The Democratic Party showed its gratitude and love for President Biden, starting off with the great rapturous four-minute applause during the opening of his late-night speech. In an epic address, he gave a rousing presentation of his and Harris’ record, highlighting many of their achievements that have changed this country for the better.
Biden also called out the Republican candidate Trump for his history of greed, the total mismanagement of the presidential office when he was there and the constant litany of untruths he often repeats. The former president lies about everything from losing the election to his corruption, which resulted in him being charged and found guilty of multiple felonies in different courts around the country. Biden reminded the American people of the absurdity of the current presidential election, where a convicted felon and sexual abuser still has a viable chance to become the president of the United States.
Also, during the first night of the convention, Democratic icon Hillary Clinton spoke. She talked about what it was like being a female candidate taking on Trump, and about how he insulted her, and she reminded us of his familiar playbook. She also spoke about how much she supports Harris and reminded us how she took Trump on last time and faced his personal insults.
In addition to looking back on the Biden presidency, the convention also shifted the focus to the future. The speakers presented a plan and perspective for how we should move forward as a country. Local, state and national elected officials as well as people from all walks of life talked about their lives as Americans and their experiences combatting the damage from many of the policies Trump and his presidency created.
One of the most prominent issues was Trump’s rollback of Roe v. Wade and the medical nightmare it created. Three young families talked about how the draconian anti-abortion laws in many states forced them to have horrific healthcare stories due to health challenges like miscarriages during their pregnancies. The overwhelming honest and painful stories they shared created a clear vision of the damage done by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The removal of the right of women to be in charge of health care decisions about their own bodies created some horrific situations. Listening to the people who suffer through those situations illustrates clearly and concisely how damaging the reversal of this landmark decision was.
Next came the exposing of the Republican Party’s affinity for corporate greed. It seems clear that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has no love for working-class families. We heard how he supported union-busting and talked gleefully about how happy he was when union members were fired for standing up for their rights. During the Democratic convention, six of America’s top union leaders talked about how a future Kamala Harris administration will support the workers of America as Democratic administrations have done so. They spoke of how President Biden has stood up to support the auto industry when it was needed.
These union leaders presented the history of the Biden administration’s support for unions and support for the working and middle class of America. The union and community leaders talked about how the Biden-Harris administration worked together with them to help strengthen job opportunities and uplift them and the country’s economy. Their initiatives, such as Build Back Better, level the playing field by spending money to install high-speed internet to ensure that students, school staff and library patrons have internet connectivity and devices at places other than schools and libraries in all communities.
They spoke about how the administration’s policies helped lift more people out of poverty in red states than blue states by extending the child tax credit. Those same union leaders talked about how the Biden-Harris administration walked the picket lines with them and created economic stability and a stronger economic future for the country than there was under the prior Republican administration.
They also illustrated how union-busting only reduces the jobs and salary of hard-working Americans and reminded us how Trump’s union-busting created a harder environment for them to feed their family and pay their bills.
As the convention continues, Barack and Michelle Obama will remind us that selecting a Black person to lead this country in the past turned out very well. Our first and only president of color, Barack Obama, helped to move our country forward and out of the Great Recession.
During the closing-night speech, I am sure that Kamala Harris will continue to share her vision for an America that works for all of us. She will remind us that she stands on the shoulders of all the Black women who came before her and talk about the politics of women from all races. She will remind us of the damage that was caused the last time America didn’t choose a woman and, instead, selected Donald Trump, and of the catastrophes that befell us as a country because of his flawed leadership.
The election is just over two months away, and our choice could not be clearer as a nation. We must not only vote but stand up and demand that our votes be counted. We cannot allow suppression, or a stacked Supreme Court, to deny us the vote or the right to make our country a more perfect union.
