Unconventional

The other week, I wrote about how for all the analysis of the election, what’s missing is the likely reality of the Democratic Convention, with its impressive line-up of speakers – including Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, President Biden, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, not to mention Kamala Harris and Tim Walz -- would draw an audience that included many undecided voters, Independents and moderate Republicans, interested in seeing all those speeches.  (And I didn’t know about Oprah.)  What I noted further is that the speeches would all be glowing and draw a contrast to the dystopia of Trump and the RNC.  More to the point, I felt that the convention would create a bump in the polls for Harris-Walz. 

That bump remains to be seen.  But given that the first night of the DNC drew two million more viewers than the RNC, and that the second night ratings were 39% higher than Trump’s convention, and seeing the job Democrats put on all week and the glowing, soaring speeches from beginning to end, I stand by those words and expectations.

What I didn’t expect is how impressive the final night was.  I thought it would largely be cleaning up remaining business to set up Kamala Harris’s speech, for which she had to make her case to those who didn’t know her well yet.  But as it turned out, I was bowled over by what Democrats put together for these final seven hours.

By the way, one thing that stood out from early on was how fast and short most speeches, videos and entertainment was.  It was clear that convention managers had every intention to get their nominee on in primetime.  And to their credit, that they did.

But it was so surprising how excellent and often emotional the programming was throughout the day, starting at 3 PM Los Angeles time.  Here are just some of the content that leaped out to me, in no particular order:

I had read last week that one of the “Exonerated Five” would be speaking. (That's the five young man, originally known as the Central Park Five, who were convicted in 1989 of brutal assault and rape, about whom Trump took out a full page ad in the New York Times calling for bringing back the death penalty – all five later exonerated.) But the report I read about the convention schedule only said that the speaker would be one of the five, Yusef Salaam, who had recently been elected a New York city councilman.  I had no idea that four them would be on stage.  And that two would be speaking.  Both eloquent, powerful and emotional.  Including saying that Trump wanted them dead.  And the roaring of the crowd on their entrance and exit was impactful.

It was moving and wonderful to see The Chicks performing – after conservatives shredded their major career for criticizing then-President George W. Bush.  And so smart of the DNC to have them.  But beyond that, I mention this specifically because their performance of the National Anthem in magnificent three-part harmony was gorgeous.

I loved the decision to have Kamala’s little grandnieces onstage, perhaps four and seven years old, teaching people how to say their Aunty’s name. But as adorable (and funny) as it was, I especially loved that it was also trolling Trump and Republicans who intentionally mispronounce Kamala Harris’s name by showing that if two little girls could pronounce “Kamala,” anyone should be able to.

Similarly, I thought the segment with Kamala Harris’s goddaughter, step-daughter and niece was charming and valuable.  But I particularly thought it was hilarious when her step-daughter began by whimsically saying, “Kamala entered my life when I was 14,  famously a very easy time for a teenager.”

I thought that when D.L. Hughley came on stage, it wasn’t necessary to have a comedian, especially when it was clear they wanted to get Kamala Harris to the podium in primetime.  But I thought he was terrific.  Not just funny, but also pointed, in a blunt but low-key way (a tough trick to pull off.)  Among his lines that stood out for me were – “I can understand why Donald Trump doesn’t want to debate Kamala Harris.  I’ve been married to a Black woman for 40 years, and I ain’t won a debate once.  I’m 0-and-93,000.”    And “I guarantee you this, Kamala has been Black a lot longer than Trump has been a Republican."  Also, “If he keeps sliding in the polls the way he is, the only thing to keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent it to her."

I loved Gabby Gifford’s short speech.  But then, I love pretty much anything Gabby Gifford does.  Though she almost topped herself when, as the crowd began chanting, “Gabby, Gabby, Gabby” as she and husband Sen. Mark Kelly reached the microphone, she began to laughingly chant “Gabby, Gabby” with them.

When there was a presentation of lawyers who earlier in their careers had been prosecutors under Kamala Harris, the moment that one of them introduced himself by saying, “I prosecuted Trump University,” and the crowd erupted in roars was thrilling.

As for cheers, the great cheers that went up for Elizabeth Warren and how emotional she was, was a wonderful moment.

I was surprised and impressed how great Leon Panetta was.  To be clear, I know he’s a bright, accomplished man, but he’s never been known as a rousing orator.  Yet his speech about natural security and Trump’s dangerous incompetence -- that was largely the theme of the night -- was so focused and deeply impactful.  (In full disclosure I’m biased, though I’m right.  Readers may recall the story I wrote about crossing paths with Mr. Panetta at the 2000 Democratic Convention in L.A. when I “saved” him from a small group of delegates who had corned him.  I told the story here.)

The brilliance of convention managers bringing out all the Democrats in Congress who were military veterans leaped out.  There were so many that they filled the stage.  It was so smart.  Without saying, "This party is patriotic and fights to defend the country," instead it just showed it.  And was moving.

And then you toss in Adam Kinzinger’s  speech.  In know that many Democrats understandably and rightly salute him.  But I sense that many think he’s a moderate or maybe moderately conservative.  In fact, he was a very conservative Congressman who voted with Trump about 92% of the time.  So, as much as most MAGOPs do hate him now, I suspect that most actually-moderate Republicans who can be convinced, if they were watching, likely gave his strong words great weight.

And that brings up Kamala Harris.  Who had one job last night – to convince those in the public who didn’t feel they knew her well yet and tuned in to see who she was, and see if they could support her as President.  All I’ll say is just that halfway through her speech, I went to my computer and emailed a friend, writing in full --

“She’s nailed it.”

And then hit <Send>.

As I noted above, obviously we don’t know what the ratings are yet, and what (and if) there will be a bump, and how things will play out.  But – yes, I am sure the ratings will be far-higher than Trump’s (with no drop off – and a crisp 40 minutes) which will devastate him.  And I’m sure there will be some bump.  And it’s hard to imagine that Democrats don’t have a foundation for motivation to build on, while MAGOPs have a convicted felon with early dementia.

Okay, I will add one thing, that I loved that Kamal Harris referenced Trump being found liable for sexual assault.  That’s the prosecutor speaking.  And anyone who didn’t realize that that was really, truly a major part of who she is and will be now and in a debate was just put on notice.  Whether they recognize it or not.

VP Harris’s speech will crush Trump’s ego – not just what she said, but that it was said by a Black woman (who he’s called “dumb” and “stupid”) -- and I think he will be on full-meltdown for the next 75 days.  I can’t wait for the debate.

I don’t say this just on a pure guess, but because among Trump’s social media postings last night were – and I swear this is all true -- “Where’s Hunter?” (Well, he’s probably at home watching Harris soar and shred you.)  And referencing Tim Walz, “No, he was an ASSISTANT coach, not the COACH.”  (Well, there’s a winning, focused strategy.  Especially when, by contrast, your opponent has just correctly called you a convicted felon, found liable of rape, and found guilty of fraud.  But that aside, you know what players call their assistant coaches?  "Coach"!)  And Trump also went off after Elizabeth Warren, ranting at length about her being ‘Pocahontas.’  (The only impact of him writing this is that it risks convincing any of his wavering supporters, still in denial, that he actually does have early dementia.) And -- again, I swear this is all true -- literally freaking out over her speech before she even began her speech as the roaring applause filled the United Center, "Too many 'Thank yous,' too rapidly said, what's going on with her?" and most bizarre of all (which is saying a lot), "IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?"

(Okay, sorry, I got nothing here.  The only thing I can figure, because no one is that delusional, even somebody with early dementia, is that Trump was just punking the liberal Robert De Niro, who he's previously slammed, and making an allusion to the actor's role as 'Travis Bickle' in Taxi Driver.)

That is a candidate living in an unfocused, fantasy world.  It’s like he’s standing on railroad tracks, whining about what he had for dinner, when a train is barreling down on him.

And it’s a world where the MAGOP live, as well.  Because comments I saw on Twitter were essentially the same.  Clueless, unfocused, not even grasping the reality of where the campaign is now and what Trump is facing.  That’s fine.  If you don’t recognize the problem you have, you can’t fix it.

Back in the world of reality, where Democrats, Kamala Harris and the rest of voters live, they just created a foundation on which to build their already-existing momentum.