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From left: Emhoff and Bernie
The Obamas, the first gentleman and “the Bern” are on tap tonight, but the crowd might be tapped out after a wild and long first night.
Is everyone else tired and dragging today after last night’s historic, albeit very late, convention? It’s only day 2, but exhausted or not, you have to admit that Monday’s line-up was exhilarating, particularly Hillary Clinton, who dazzled. Also, NBA and Olympic gold medal basketball coach Steve Kerr was a surprise. So was the vice president taking the stage briefly last night.
And of course, President Biden’s speech and the wonderful moment between him and Vice President Harris.
For tonight, here’s what to watch for:
They will be speaking separately, but the Obamas have been the biggest stars of the Democratic Party up to this year. Prior to Biden stepping aside, Michelle was the Democrats’ number 1 choice (a pipe dream!) to take his place. I think the party is quite satisfied with who ended up at the top of the ticket.
Then we’ll hear from President Obama. He’s all but certain to give a rousing speech that will captivate and motivate the crowd. He will also seemingly be passing the torch of party favorite to the vice president.
The bottom line is that while last night was historic, tonight will be nostalgic because the party has such love for the Obamas who are in fact saying, it’s someone else's turn to keep the party’s engine revved up.
2. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
What surprises many is how eloquent Emhoff is, and he’s every bit as cheerful as his wife. I think he will speak to those attributes of Kamala Harris as well as her leadership skills, steadiness, and intellect. He’s probably the only speaker who can challenge Donald Trump’s assertion that the vice president is dumb and do it in a way that not only defends his wife but makes Trump look like the idiot.
3. Sen. Bernie Sanders
You might recall in 2020 the mild animosity that Sanders and his supporters felt about Joe Biden being the nominee, and the Bernie bros’ insistence that the platform of the Democratic Party include the priorities of Sanders.
Because of this, there was some tension around the virtual convention in 2020 and an effort by party leadership to appease Sanders.
Progressives, who make up the bulk of Sanders’s supporters, are quite pleased with what they got in a President Biden and, by association, Vice President Harris. Therefore, Sanders will most likely give a full-throated endorsement of Harris tonight.
Sanders does, however, love the spotlight, and he loves to talk about the causes he stands for, so don’t be surprised if he goes on a bit of a tangent about how all the things he’s fought for through his career are coming to fruition, i.e. he’ll rehash some of what Biden said last night.
4. John Giles, Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz.
Last month, Giles, who has been Mesa’s mayor since 2014, made headlines by endorsing Harris. His statement, in part, said, “I believe my party has a moral and ethical responsibility to restore faith in our democratic institutions. In the spirit of the late Sen. John McCain’s motto, ‘Country First,’ I call on other Arizona Republicans to join me in choosing country over party this election and to vote against Donald Trump.”
He will be speaking to any moderates, independents, and obviously Republicans this evening. While assuring the audience of his bona fides as a Republican, he will talk about the need for others to cross party lines for the good of the country and to keep Trump, who vowed to be a dictator from day one, away from the Oval Office.
5.Crowd Enthusiasm
It was a long day and night for convention attendees, with many buzzworthy moments during opening night. Yes, the Obamas, the first gentleman, and a hometown favorite, Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, will take the stage, the excitement and anticipation won’t be anywhere near what it was last night.
Tonight’s host is Ana Navarro from The View, and while she’s fiery and fierce, she’s not as well known as the night 1 host, actor Tony Goldwyn. No offense to Navarro, of course, but that’s the reality.
Tomorrow night, it will be Tim Walz’s moment in the sun, and of course Thursday is what we’ve all been waiting for, Vice President Harris.The crowd might tone down a bit and rest tonight in order to be ready to roar on Wednesday and Thursday night.
