DNC Convention Thread

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Theo520

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It’s an important subject, so I thought it deserved a discussion thread!


Here are five major things to watch.
  1. How diminished will the event be by the pandemic?
  2. Can Biden inspire — or at least seem fresh — in his big speech?
  3. What will Trump do to take some of the attention away?
  4. How hard will the Obamas and the Clintons hit Trump?
  5. How public are the tensions between the left and the Biden camp?
 
1st Night Hit1
Michelle Obama : The two most gifted speakers in the Democratic Party are Obamas. Former first lady Michelle Obama proved that – again – on Monday night, with a powerful speech that hit at the core of what I believe is the most glaring personality flaw in President Donald Trump: A complete lack of empathy. “That’s not just disappointing, it’s downright infuriating,” she said at one point. Obama also offered up her unique perspective on what it actually takes to be a president: How the rigors of the job reveal true character. Perhaps most surprisingly from Obama, who like her husband has generally resisted taking on Trump in aggressive terms, the tone of her speech was frank and at times harsh about Trump’s total lack of qualifications to do the job which he currently holds. “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said in the most powerful moment of her speech. “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.”
 
1 Hit 2
Kristin Urquiza : The daughter of an Arizona man who lost his life to Covid-19 delivered the single most powerful moment of the first hour of the two-hour convention program. And the single most powerful line, about her father: “His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.” Wow. That’s a line you will hear again – and maybe one you will see in a TV ad for former Vice President Joe Biden sometime this fall.

Hit 3
Andrew Cuomo : The New York governor became one of the most recognizable figures in the country thanks to his daily coronavirus press conferences in the spring, as New York City fought the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the country. His speech on Monday night returned to that theme, with PowerPoint charts showing the decline of coronavirus cases in his state. For Cuomo, who is already being talked about as a potential 2024 candidate if Biden doesn’t win or doesn’t run for a second term, the speech was an effective affirmation of his image as a gifted bureaucrat at a time when the country needs that.

Hit 4
Bernie Sanders : The Vermont senator did what the Biden team needed him to do. He acknowledged the differences between the two men – especially on health care – but pivoted to note how much they agree on, and how the threat from Trump was so fundamental that differences among Democrats were not worth dwelling on. Will there still be some Sanders supporters who stay home rather than vote for the brand of Democratic politics Biden represents? Sure. But Sanders didn’t make things any worse with that speech. Plus, how can you argue with a background of chopped wood for a speech?
 
1 Hit 5
National Anthem : Kids singing? Dressed in red, white and blue shirts? Oh, you bet. The National Anthem was the emotional highpoint of the first 45 minutes of the convention.

Hit 6
John Prine : As someone who has loved John Prine’s music for decades, hearing his voice singing "I Remember Everything" – to commemorate all those who have lost their lives to coronavirus – was a high point. Unfortunately, it also reminded me that we lost John to Covid this spring. Ugh.

Hit 7 my favorite
Alice Cooper: When Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore noted that Milwaukee means “land of plenty” in Algonquian, I can’t imagine I was the only one who thought of Cooper’s scene in “Wayne’s World.” In fact, did you know that “Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the late 1600s to trade with the Native Americans?”
 
RidgeSprinter said:
Hit 3
Andrew Cuomo : The New York governor became one of the most recognizable figures in the country thanks to his daily coronavirus press conferences in the spring, as New York City fought the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the country. His speech on Monday night returned to that theme, with PowerPoint charts showing the decline of coronavirus cases in his state. For Cuomo, who is already being talked about as a potential 2024 candidate if Biden doesn’t win or doesn’t run for a second term, the speech was an effective affirmation of his image as a gifted bureaucrat at a time when the country needs that.
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This is amazing. His state ranks 4th in population, approximately 20th in retirement population as a percent of total, but #1 by far in COVID deaths…accounting for 20% of the US deaths.
 
Oh no worries there.The Dems have provided tons of sound bites,video clips that Trump Campaign will no doubt use
 
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Theo520 said:
I hate these irrational appeals to emotion.
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That was an emotional statement by a non-politician and I found it compelling. The young lady was not irrational at all. It was like the immigrant couple whose son died in the war who spoke at the '16 convention. Trump belittled them.

For me, the best part is the closing when the singer comes up with a rousing rendition of a patriotic song. The Democrats tend to have the better singers, IMHO.
 
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Nepperhan said:
That was an emotional statement by a non-politician and I found it compelling. The young lady was not irrational at all.
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Seems pretty misdirected, shouldn’t she be lambasting her State Officials???
Urquiza said that her father at first heeded the lockdown edicts in Arizona, but when state officials ended the orders, he thought it was all clear to return to normal life
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Age was a well known risk factor by the public, as was getting into a closed room and singing with other people.
 
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Theo520 said:
Seems pretty misdirected, shouldn’t she be lambasting her State Officials???
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That surely does not absolve Trump or his rhetoric.

Remember '16 and: “When they go low, we go high !” That was a timeless statement which presaged some of the inaccuracies, nastiness and name-calling of the Trump administration.
 
RidgeSprinter said:
Michelle Obama
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I don’t hear the Obama’s speak as directly about people as she did last night. Usually, they refer to a behaviour, but not often to the person directly. Last night’s directness was unexpected to me.
 
And lastly the misses:

MISSES​

*** Gretchen Whitmer** : The Michigan governor made Biden’s VP short list. But she didn’t put her best foot forward on Monday night. Speaking from a podium and flanked by flags, Whitmer’s speech looked too traditional for the moment. And her speech was similar – a sort of political color-by-numbers address that ended with the inevitable personal anecdote about some resilient Michigander – was too formulaic. Meh.

*** Roundtables** : Look, I know it is VERY hard to produce two hours of television when you can’t have people – like, any people – together in one room. And, in theory, Joe Biden or Megan Rapinoe hosting virtual roundtables to talk about police reform or front-line health care workers makes sense. But it felt very, very flat – like a bad panel segment on cable TV where everyone says one thing and then they go to a commercial break. Just sort of lifeless.

*** In-your-face symbolism** : Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s speech began by noting that America was at a crossroads while he was standing – wait for it – at a crossroads. Yeah man, we get it. Two roads diverged in a wood, and all of that. On the bright side: Kasich standing at a crossroads became an instant Internet meme.

*** The clapping** : After Maggie Rogers performed (she was amazing!) and after Sanders spoke, there was a full screen of people clapping to show their appreciation/agreement. I get the desire to have some sort of reaction to great music or political speeches. And how weird it is when a politician gives a rousing speech and dead silence follows. But you know what’s worse? Weird post-performance clapping via Zoom like we saw on Monday night.
 
ThinkingSapien said:
I don’t hear the Obama’s speak as directly about people as she did last night. Usually, they refer to a behaviour, but not often to the person directly. Last night’s directness was unexpected to me.
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I think they learned something from 4 years ago. In order to Fight Trump, you may have to fight like Trump. Just my opinion.
 
3 million people went thru NY/NJ airports from Europe, where the specific COVID strain found in the north east region came from, before Trump implemented the travel ban.

With the density of NY/NJ/CT area in this area, it’s a serious “no duh” that we were going to get hit the hardest.

Don’t know why people are ignorant of those facts all these months later
 
Which is I would expect a higher infection rate…not a higher death rate. Perhaps if Cuomo would not have sent infected patients back into retirement homes the death rate would be lower?
 
AngelaMarie said:
3 million people went thru NY/NJ airports from Europe, where the specific COVID strain found in the north east region came from, before Trump implemented the travel ban.

With the density of NY/NJ/CT area in this area, it’s a serious “no duh” that we were going to get hit the hardest.
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Most of that air travel was transit, not an explanation of the NY numbers. The public transit policy in NY at the start is much more to blame for spreading the virus, with reduced trains, buses and subway cars forcing travelers to squeeze together without any distancing. You should be aware of these facts.
 
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