The future was now in more ways than one for Democrats who gathered in Chicago and for the millions of voters who watched from home.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her energetic and enthusiastic supporters at the Democratic National Convention established the parameters of the fall campaign against Donald Trump and his MAGA minions as a battle between the nation’s sun kissed future and its dark checkered past. The energy exploding from the confab in August will lay fertile groundwork for excitement and success in the fall.
Each evening had a specific thematic structure which demonstrated the party message and on point. That’s a lot more than you can say for the disjointed and disoriented Trump campaign where the candidate randomly airs gripes and grievances.
But before the Democrats could bring in the new, they needed to put out the old. Joe Biden gave a rousing valedictory on Monday which was “For the People” night. The president reminded the assembled Democrats, social media and TV viewers that Donald Trump and Project 2025 would reverse all the progress that the United States made preparing for the future during his successful term in office.
His speech represented a generational transition from the 81-year-old chief executive and the 78-year-old GOP nominee to the 59-year-old Democratic nominee. Biden passed the torch to his vice president in a gracious address that was a stark contrast to Trump’s refusal to give up power in 2021.
Tuesday evening the party theme was “Bold Vision for America’s Future.” Former President Barack Obama’s represented hope for the future and spoke to his conviction that Harris can take the nation forward to deal effectively with the problems like climate change, racial prejudice, income and income inequality that threaten our future as a great nation.
The GOP way back machine, Project 2025, is an architectural plan for Donald Trump’s renovations to the White House which will remind voters of the 1950s track neighborhood that housed the family from “Father Knows Best.”
The focus Wednesday night was “Fighting for Our Freedoms” which included equal rights for women. In contrast, Republican rhetoric glorifies the bygone days of the Wild West when men were men and women were glad of it.
On the campaign trail, Trump brags about the three justices he nominated to Supreme Court. These appointments paved the way for draconian abortion restrictions in 20 states for millions of women. Republicans in Congress continue to press for a national abortion ban. Americans aren’t ready to return to the bad old days of coat hangers and back-alley abortions.
Thursday evening, the setting for the Harris acceptance speech was “For Our Future.” The vice president used the national forum to demonstrate that her youthful past as a fast-food worker at McDonalds who rose to great heights though hard work and persistence was a prologue for the next generation of America’s middle-class families.
There will be many more twists and turns in this turbulent race. Both candidates have plenty of great opportunities and serious obstacles staring them in the closely contested contest.
Harris could get a boost from a post-convention bounce. The Democratic show was a ratings bonanza compared to the GOP confab.
There are other developments ahead Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s withdrawal from the race and potential endorsement of Trump may provide Republicans' ultra-partisan campaign with a thin veneer of bipartisanship and a few extra votes. Trump is also scheduled to face the music on Sept. 18 when he is sentenced for 34 felony convictions in a Manhattan courtroom. And the combatants will go head-to-head for their first debate on Sept. 10.
Harris has gained much ground since she became the designated Democratic nominee. During that time, Trump has lost his head and his lead. But the two presidential hopefuls are still locked in a tight race. Can she resist Trump’s effort to turn back the clock? Yes, she can because she won’t go back!
Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster, CEO of Bannon Communications Research and the host of the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.
