5 takeaways from the Democratic convention and the Obamas on Day 2

CHICAGO — Welcome to The Campaign Moment, your guide to the biggest developments in the 2024 election, now featuring more Lil Jon on C-SPAN.

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The big moment

The Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night included an energetic, DJ-spun roll call vote of the states (where rapper Lil Jon stole the show for his home state of Georgia), both Obamas and a number of Republicans prosecuting the case against Donald Trump.

As a reminder, I’ll be with you every night this week when the program ends, offering my takeaways from the convention. Here are Tuesday’s.

1. The Obamas look to bestow their movement on Harris

Monday featured some reminders of less-proud electoral times for Democrats, with the headliners including 2016 runner-up Hillary Clinton and the recently nudged-aside President Joe Biden.

Tuesday was devoted to bringing back that winning feeling — to reclaiming the ethos of the Democrats’ proudest years of the 21st century, the Obama era. Indeed, the Obamas effectively painted Vice President Kamala Harris as their political heir, commandeering their movement. And it was about as far from subtle as possible.

Both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama spoke and wasted no time in seeking to rekindle the themes for which the Obama era was so well known.

“We have a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long,” Michelle Obama began. “You know what I’m talking about: It’s the contagious power of hope.”

She added: “Hope is making a comeback.”

Barack Obama later spoke and began: “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go.”

He quickly added: “I am feeling hopeful.”

He later pulled out: “Do not boo. Vote.”

When an audience member said of Harris, “Yes she can,” Obama responded, “Yes she can.”

And perhaps most strikingly, he alluded to how “this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible” — the idea being that Harris shares those characteristics with him.

It’s reductive to regard these speeches as mere retreads of past Obama themes; both Obamas made their own case for Harris and against Trump and got huge responses. Michelle Obama’s repeated pleas that Democrats “do something” rather than sit back and complain landed with particular force, and she went after Trump more strongly than she has in the past. Barack Obama played up Harris as an ally of and advocate for regular Americans, and he painted Trump as a whiner consumed with his own grievances.

But Democrats are benefiting so much right now from their markedly improving “vibes.” And Tuesday was mostly about keeping that going — with an assist from the past.

Now it’s about whether Harris can take that baton and actually run with it, living up to the hype the Obamas sought to juice.

2. Republicans delivered strong Trump rebukes

The program on Tuesday night made a point to feature Republicans, former Republicans and former Trump allies who are now backing Harris.

Some of the more notable testimonials:

“The View” co-host Ana Navarro, who hosted the session, compared Trump to Latin American dictators including Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega (for calling the media the “enemy of the people”), Cuba’s Fidel Castro (for using office to enrich himself and his family) and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro (for refusing to accept legitimate election results). Trump has recently suggested without any evidence that Harris will lead the country to communism.
Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham described Trump as having “no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”
Mesa, Ariz., Mayor John Giles (R) said that he felt out of place, but that “I feel more at home here than in today’s Republican Party. The Grand Old Party has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult — the cult of Donald Trump. … John McCain’s Republican Party is gone, and we don’t owe a damn thing to what’s been left behind.”

3. Harris’s spouse plays up their blended family

Harris got what’s likely to be her most significant character-witness speech of the week Tuesday night from her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

And Emhoff’s comments about the challenges involved in their blended family were a particularly potent moment in a Democratic convention that is focused on inclusivity.

“Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated,” Emhoff said. “But as soon as our kids started calling her ‘Mamala,’ I knew we’d be okay.”

“Ella [his daughter] calls us a three-headed parenting machine. Kamala and Kerstin [Emhoff], thank you both,” Emhoff added, shouting out his ex-wife, who was in the crowd.

He referenced a story about a time when Harris appeared deeply focused on something, and he assumed it was her job as vice president — potentially an international crisis.

“I could see she was focused, and all I knew was that it must be something important,” Emhoff said. “And it turns out it was: Ella had called her. That’s Kamala.”

4. Bernie Sanders made another notable Gaza mention

For the second straight night, the war in Gaza got a fleeting but high-profile mention on the stage — as demonstrations related to the war have fallen short of organizers’ hopes.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), toward the end of his speech, said, “We must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease-fire.”

The comments came a day after President Joe Biden spoke about his work toward a peace deal and added, “Those protesters out in the street, they have a point; a lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) had also insisted that Harris was “working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing hostages home.”

Sanders’s comments, notably, were less of an endorsement of Harris’s approach. He argued last week that people shouldn’t withhold votes from Harris over the issue — because Trump was worse — but he also said that he aimed to “move Harris if she becomes president” — apparently away from Israel.

Few speakers have broached the issue. But it’s clear the convention feels the need to address this elephant in the room and assure the protesters that they are being heard.

5. A bona fide big-tent (and ironic) moment

The convention this week has largely been defined by efforts to set aside differences and enthusiastically work as one.

And rarely was that in such stark relief as in the middle of Tuesday’s program, when things took an ironic turn.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Central time, Sanders echoed his long-standing talking points on combating the influence of billionaires. “Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, including primary elections,” Sanders said.

The very next speaker: Billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), who spent $350 million of his fortune winning his two campaigns — including a competitive 2018 Democratic primary.

“Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity,” Pritzker said, about 10 minutes after Sanders’s comment.

Take a moment to read:

“In biggest speech of her career, Harris hopes to tell her story first” (The Washington Post)
“Kamala Harris allies say plan to ban ‘price gouging’ has been misconstrued” (The Washington Post)
“The ‘OG’s for Kamala’ raise a glass and enjoy a little I-told-you-so” (The Washington Post)
“Trump’s AI fakes of Harris and Swift aren’t meant to fool you” (The Washington Post)
“The DNC Is a Big Smiling Mess” (Atlantic)