The Dems’ Day-1 Themes

In case you missed it, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago got off to a good start tonight. It was an evening of powerful themes, each of which we can expect to see throughout the remaining 77 days of the campaign.

The main theme of this first day, as planned, was simply “Thank you, Joe!” It was a massive show of gratitude to our sitting President, who had saved our democracy four years ago and recently had had the superb judgment—and the humility—to maximize our chances of saving it again by stepping down.

Hillary Clinton, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Georgia Senator the Reverend Raphael Warnock, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, First Lady Jill Biden and the Biden’s daughter sounded this theme. Joe himself amped it up with his keynote speech, reciting his accomplishments and, with equal fervor, the Demagogue’s failure to deliver on promises and monumental character flaws.

Hillary Clinton’s speech was one of the best I’ve ever seen her give. It made me wonder whether, if she had spoken with such conviction, and so-little “triangulation,” in her 2016 campaign, we might have avoided all the agony of the following four years.

The second theme of the night centered around Kamala Harris herself. It began with the phrase “for the People,” used to introduce her (as a prosecutor) in the many courtrooms in which she had appeared. As the evening progressed, the scope of this concept broadened from prosecuting drug dealers and rogue bankers to protecting ordinary people from injustice, prejudice and hard times. A vision of her as a protector of The People’s human and economic rights began to emerge.

At times, the theme “for the People” morphed into something more specific: improving everyone’s lot of by raising up the middle class and those below. Middle-class welfare also dominated the President’s recitation of the accomplishments of his presidency.

The last major theme was simple and perhaps the most powerful of all: unity. The one-time progressive firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave an impressive but surprisingly tame speech, emphasizing the same general themes but keeping clear of allegedly “left-wing” goals. PBS commentators explained that, in her second term in Congress, she had knuckled down and learned the art of legisating, unlike the right-wing bomb throwers in the so-called “Freedom Caucus.”

Two other themes, though not explicit, pervaded the Dems’ first night. For want of a better word, I would call the first “authenticity.”

Neither Clyburn nor the President is a brilliant orator. The President, in particular, apparently wrote his own speech, replete with his trademark “Bidenisms” such as “Look!” and “Think about that!” Clyburn did a workmanlike job delivering (and perhaps writing) his own. But what came through, big-time, for both was their commitment to and love of this nation, and their absolute priority in putting its destiny above their own ambitions.

The second unstated theme was in the hall itself: inclusivity. In contrast to the sea of white, 55+ males wearing cowboy hats at the Republican Convention, the people who filled the Democratic hall were of all ages, races and types. MSNBC’s camera even caught a dark-skinned man, apparently a Sikh, wearing a turban. The Dems’ convention hall gave living evidence of our national credo: “all . . . are created equal.”

All in all, the first night came over as a powerful demonstration of unity, common purpose, determination and hope. It seemed, to me at least, that master strategists like Biden himself, Harris, Clyburn, and the campaign staffs of the Obama team had replaced the Democrats’ usual circular firing squad with a unified, professional, resourceful and winning team.

Without evidence to the contrary, I surmise that Biden, with his unfortunate stutter but unmatched experience and guile, had timed his stepping down and his anointment of Harris precisely for this purpose: no unseemly and disruptive race for the top job, but a smooth, unified, well-funded and concerted push to the finish.

I never thought I would see the usually disorganized Dems as a campaign juggernaut. But they’re beginning to look that way. Thank you, Joe, indeed!


For brief descriptions of and links to recent posts, click here. For an inverse-chronological list with links to all posts after January 23, 2017, click here. For a subject-matter index to posts before that date, click here.

Permalink to this post