To Chicago We Go!
This week history will be made.
For the first time, a woman of color will accept her party's presidential nomination in the United States. It is an event that has been 248 years in the making and is the culmination of Black resilience, Black dedication, Black excellence, and Black love for America. It is also the story of immigrants, of two individuals from different parts of the world meeting during the height of the Civil Rights movement and creating opportunities for their two daughters, one of whom will be taking the stage in primetime on Thursday evening. It is the story of Howard University and how HBCUs have steadily brought forth some of the most brilliant minds this country has ever seen and now have the chance to have one of their own sitting in the Oval Office. And it is the story of all of those who have worked tirelessly to break that final elusive glass ceiling that has hung over women's heads since the founding of this nation well over two centuries ago.
Republicans meanwhile, have no clue how to respond to what is unfolding.
Donald Trump's increasing descent into senility has led to more and more attacks on Kamala Harris' personal appearance. Trump at his core is a schoolyard bully and when he can't belittle someone's intelligence (which is often) he resorts to trying to degrade their looks. Trump can't fathom a strong, Black woman who wants to take his job. He sees Black people and women in particular as inherently inferior so a Black woman going toe-to-toe with him on the national stage is something that is simply unaccustomed to. If Hillary Clinton was a "nasty woman" for challenging him on the debate stage in 2016, we can only imagine what Trump would say to Kamala Harris in 2024. We all know he is one short fuse away from saying the n-word out loud and it may be only a matter of time before we see him use it against her on the national stage.
While Harris has been a focal point for Republican attacks, we've also seen them going all-in on Governor Tim Walz. Many folks here have correctly identified the reasons behind this: Republicans are once again agitated that a humble, sincere White man will play second fiddle to a person of color. Like Joe Biden, Republicans see a White man openly accepting a secondary position as a personal affront to White people everywhere as if working under a person of color is somehow degrading. Republicans see Walz as a "sellout" to his people and are now trying desperately to make him seem flawed because in their minds no upstanding White man should ever choose to work for a Black woman. Republicans are desperately attacking Walz because he represents Kamala Harris' first executive decision. To try and portray her as incompetent, Republicans have to somehow show Walz to be a flawed candidate. They see Walz as a proxy to attack Harris and we should expect more and more absurd attacks on Walz in the weeks to come as a way to try and undermine Harris' leadership and decision-making.
That being said, Democrats have an amazing opportunity this week to present their vision to the country. While the Republican National Convention and these last 4 weeks have been based on fear, the Democratic National Convention will be based on hope, much as it has been since 2008. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have brought joy to their campaign events and it is this joy and enthusiasm will be central themes throughout the next four days. While Donald Trump and JD Vance give the same old lame and lugubrious stump speech, those slated to speak at the Democratic National Convention are some of the party's most engaging and energetic speakers among them Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Nancy Pelosi, and of course Michelle and Barack Obama. At the end of Thursday, we will all witness a startling contrast between the two parties, and at a time when the Harris/Walz ticket is beginning to surge in the polls, we should see an additional uptick as a result of the hopeful messaging that should resonate with the American people throughout these next four days.
Elections aren't won on conventions. But having a historic nominee who has completely changed the narrative over a single month is something we have never seen in American history. The stars are aligning for this to be a huge wave election and this week's convention is but one additional step to get us to November. At the very least, it keeps the whiny Trump/Vance ticket out of the news for the next week. While the media will likely try to find some disgruntled Democrats (ie. the pro-Hamas "protestors") the fact is that we are witnessing a truly united Democratic Party that is raising money and volunteers at historic levels. Assuming the convention goes off without a hitch, these next four days will only add more fuel to the steamrolling Harris-Walz Express.
All aboard!
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