The Democratic National Convention opens Monday night with the theme “United Together,” kicking off the first of many stark contrasts with last week’s Republican National Convention at which togetherness and uniting were not exactly featured.
Monday night will feature a keynote address by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who will be followed by primary runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders. First Lady Michelle Obama, notoriously plagiarized last week by her would-be successor, Melania Trump, will speak as well, with the pressure on to outdo her own previous performances.
These speakers set up one strong contrast with the RNC—they are some of the Democratic Party’s brightest stars. The first night of the RNC featured former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and some D-list celebrities. And Sanders has already strongly endorsed Clinton, unlike Republican runner-up Ted Cruz, who conspicuously refused to endorse Donald Trump.
Another of Monday night’s speakers will be an equally sharp contrast in another sense: Democrats are highlighting the voice of DREAMer Astrid Silva, where Republicans went to great lengths to portray undocumented immigrants as villains.
In short, Democrats are bringing a positive vision of unity, delivered by legitimate political stars. It will be a nice change from last week. Daily Kos will be covering the action as it happens, from 8 PM to 11 PM ET.