Biden, AOC speeches at DNC and more Day 1 takeaways

CHICAGO — Welcome to The Campaign Moment, your guide to the biggest developments in the 2024 election, where the Democratic National Convention so far is largely about Donald Trump. (The new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks Thursday.) Former secretary of state and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also spoke, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) delivered a barn burner. So too was Trump, whose name was uttered more than 150 times and who was frequently featured in video packages. Biden’s big send-off President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to the American people and optimism about the future at the end of his DNC speech in Chicago on Aug. 19. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Joe Lamberti/The Washington Post) Democrats were pulled in two directions at the end of Monday’s program. On the one hand, they wanted to send Biden off with a moment he could be proud of and a focus on his legacy; on the other, this convention is about the race ahead, and Biden is an unpopular president. Biden went into extensive detail about his proudest accomplishments, while interspersing attacks on Trump and playing up Harris’s contributions. “Because of you, we’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period,” Biden said. “When I say ‘we,’ I mean Kamala and me.” Advertisement Biden mentioned Harris’s help in capping insulin at $35 a month and passing a significant gun safety bill. The crowd applauded for minutes, chanting “Thank you, Joe.” And Biden didn’t shy away from the elephant in the room. “I love the job, but I love my country more,” Biden said, before adding: “And all this talk about how I’m angry at all those people who said I should step down, that’s not true. “America, America, I gave my best to you,” Biden said. Ocasio-Cortez’s coming out party If there’s to be a lasting moment from a politician in Monday’s program — beyond Biden’s de facto farewell after a lifetime in politics — it’s likely to be Ocasio-Cortez’s rousing speech. Ocasio-Cortez cast Trump as no ally of working people, saying he would “sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends.” She targeted Republicans who like to attack her for being a former bartender. She said she would be happy to go back to that occupation “any day of the week, because there is nothing wrong with working for a living.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) spoke at the DNC, recounting her journey from waiting tables to serving in Congress. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Joe Lamberti for The Washington Post/The Washington Post) The crowd absolutely ate it up. It seemed to be the moment that Ocasio-Cortez completed her journey from left-wing “Squad” provocateur — and a thorn in the side to her party’s leaders in the past — to being a bona fide Democratic establishment star. The rape survivor, Hadley Duvall, noted Trump has called the patchwork of state abortion laws “a beautiful thing.” “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?” Duvall said. At the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, activist Hadley Duvall recounted how she was impregnated by her stepfather at age 12. Advertisement (Duvall’s pregnancy pre-dated the end of Roe, but Kentucky doesn’t currently have a rape exception in its abortion ban.) Speakers mentioned Trump’s lack of leadership, his efforts to downplay the threat and his conspiracy theories. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) mentioned the deaths of his health-care-worker mother and stepfather and added, “When Donald Trump and his MAGA extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene downplayed the horror of the pandemic, it should make us all furious.” An emotional Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) spoke of her brother’s death and said, “Our communities were suffering. Our country was brought to the brink by his failure to respond.” Advertisement Covid was a significant liability for Trump when he left office, with a poll showing Americans disapproved of his handling of it 63 percent to 34 percent. Few signs of major divisions so far The move from Biden to Harris has been about as seamless as Democrats could have hoped, and enthusiasm is off the charts. So far, there’s little sign of that — even aside from Biden’s speech. Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, voicing their concerns over multiple issues including Gaza. (Video: HyoJung Kim, Ross Godwin, Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post) A small group of the protesters briefly broke away from a planned march Monday, creating a tense standoff with police. And Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), meanwhile, suggested Harris should be unafraid to differentiate herself from Biden’s long-standing pro-Israel stance. A leader of that effort, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), had some blunt comments for anyone looking backward. She said on CNN on Monday that if people are upset, “I’m sorry for them. I don’t know who they are, but, you know, that’s their problem, not mine.” The Democratic Party is indeed very happy. An attack is born: “Trump’s a scab” Trump has sought to appeal to labor unions, even featuring Teamsters president Sean O’Brien prominently at the Republican National Convention last month. During an X event last week, Trump praised Elon Musk for firing striking workers. The comment drew O’Brien (who hadn’t endorsed Trump despite his speaking slot) to accuse Trump of “economic terrorism.” United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain spoke Monday night and unveiled a red T-shirt that read, “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris.” The crowd responded by lustily chanting, “Trump’s a scab! Trump’s a scab!” Ocasio-Cortez spoke right after Fain and called Trump “a two-bit union buster.” Labor union members have drifted somewhat toward Trump, making Trump’s comment low-hanging fruit for Democrats. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/20/dnc-day-1-takeaways-biden-speech/