Are you feeling tired and sluggish today after last night’s historic, but rather late, convention? It’s only the second day, but tired or not, you have to admit that Monday’s lineup was invigorating, especially Hillary Clinton, who was spectacular to watch. There was also a surprise in NBA and Olympic gold medalist basketball coach Steve Kerr. It was also a surprise when the Vice President briefly took the stage last night.
And of course, President Biden’s speech and the great moment between him and Vice President Harris.
Tonight’s highlights include:
- Barack and Michelle Obama
Though they’ll be speaking separately, the Obamas were the biggest stars of the Democratic Party until this year, and before Biden left office, Michelle was the Democrats’ first choice to replace him (a pipe dream), so I think the party is pretty happy with who’s come out on top.
We’ll hear President Obama speak next, who is sure to deliver an inspiring speech that will captivate and inspire the crowd, and who looks set to take over as the party’s favorite from the Vice President.
In short, last night was historic, but tonight will be a nostalgic night, because the party loves the Obamas so much that they are, in fact, saying it’s now someone else’s turn to start the party’s engines.
2. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
What will surprise many is Emhoff’s eloquence. He is as funny as his wife. He will talk about these qualities of Kamala Harris, as well as her leadership abilities, her steadfastness, her intelligence. He is perhaps the only speaker who can refute Donald Trump’s claim that the VP is stupid and not only defend his wife but also make Trump look stupid.
3. Senator Bernie Sanders
You might remember that in 2020, Sanders and his supporters felt some mild hostility toward Joe Biden as the nominee, and Bernie Bros insisted that Sanders’ priorities be included in the Democratic Party’s platform.
That led to tensions over the 2020 virtual convention and efforts by party leaders to appease Sanders.
Sanders’ supporters, many of them progressives, are very happy with Biden and Harris as president, so he is likely to give his full endorsement to Harris tonight.
But Sanders loves being in the spotlight and he loves talking about the causes he supports, so don’t be surprised if he digresses a little bit about how everything he’s fought for his entire career is coming to fruition, or if he rehashes some of the things Biden said last night.
4. John Giles, Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona
Giles, who has served as Mesa’s mayor since 2014, made headlines last month when he endorsed Harris. What he said“I believe my party has a moral and ethical responsibility to restore faith in our democratic institutions. In the spirit of the late Senator John McCain’s motto, ‘country first,’ I call on my fellow Arizona Republicans to choose country over party in this election and vote against Donald Trump.”
He will be addressing moderates, independents and, of course, Republicans this evening. While assuring his audience of his integrity as a Republican, he will speak of the need for people to act across party lines for the good of the country and to keep Trump out of the Oval Office, who has vowed to be a dictator from day one.
5. The crowd goes wild
It’s been a long day and night for conventioneers, and opening night had plenty of buzzworthy moments. Yes, the Obamas, the First Gentleman, and local favorite, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, will take to the stage, but the excitement and anticipation will not be quite as intense as last night.
Your host tonight is Ana Navarro. The View, She’s passionate and intense, but not nearly as well-known as the host of Night 1, the actor Tony Goldwyn. No ill will toward Navarro, of course, but that’s the reality.
Tomorrow night is Tim Walz’s day, and then of course Thursday is the day we’ve all been waiting for: VP Harris. Maybe the crowd will take it easy tonight so they can have some fun on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
