It’s over. Of course, it’s not over. It won’t be over until November. It won’t be over then. But still ...
For those who have watched every night of this convention, the arc of the week has been amazing. For those who only dipped in to see Hillary, or Bernie, or Barack, or Joe—it’s still been amazing.
Monday was a night of pulling together. It wasn’t just Bernie soothing and reassuring the hundreds of delegates who had come in support of his cause. It wasn’t just Elizabeth Warren reminding us why were we were there and drawing a bright line between what Democrats are about and what the Republicans have become. It wasn’t even just Michelle Obama—a figure of unmatched dignity, charm, and warmth—standing to bless us all with a speech that touched every grand theme and every personal note of the last eight years.
It was also Astrid Silva standing up for Dreamers and reminding us that the United States has been, still is, and must be a nation of immigrants.
Tuesday was more than the roll call to nominate Hillary Clinton. It was more than the electrifying moment when Bernie Sanders rose to turn what could have been an awkward juncture into a jubilation. It was even more than Bill Clinton recounting a lifetime relationship with genuine admiration, genuine joy, genuine excitement about someone he met, long ago, in a library.
It was also the Mothers of the Movement speaking in spite of their pain, speaking through their losses, speaking straight into every heart.
Wednesday … Wednesday was hard. It was a valedictory for a president who carried the nation through the most difficult economic crisis in a century, and who stood at the center of the storm when strains both inside and outside the nation raged. Wednesday reminded us that soon enough we’ll look up, and Barack Obama will not be there. Joe Biden will not be there. We, all of us, have to move on. But they sent us on our way with beautiful, powerful speeches that reminded us why we love these men so deeply. And together they bracketed the introduction of Tim Kaine, who will be there—gentle humor, dad jokes and all—when we turn our eyes toward Washington in January.
And Wednesday also brought us a visit from one of the greatest couples in America. Not the Obamas. Not the Clintons. No. We got Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords, who between them have achieved so much, faced such challenges, and overcome so many obstacles that it’s hard to believe they’re real. They are. They’re ours.
Then it was Thursday. And we knew that Hillary would be there to make a great acceptance speech. She did. We knew that Chelsea would be there to give an introduction. And she did … and it was wonderful. We knew that Katy Perry would cheer us with sing. We knew that Sherrod Brown would charge us up, and the Women of the Senate would be there to tell us of their relationship to Hillary. She did. He did. They did.
We didn’t know that a man named Khizr Khan was going to step onto the stage and tell the story of his son, Captain Humayun Khan. Or that the story of the Khan family wouldn’t be just a sad tale of someone who died for his country, it would be a story of everything right with America. Everything admirable about America. Just … America.
So … it’s over. It’s not over. But it is. We have to go home now.
But while you’re packing, be sure to get Hillary Clinton’s speech that was moving, hopeful, both powerful and empowering, and filled with all the actual policy information that was so missing at … that other place.
Pack up the expression on Bill Clinton’s face, bursting with pride, as Chelsea showed herself so composed, so confident, so her own person.
Pack up the image of Khizr Khan holding out his pocket copy of the US Constitution and offering it to someone who is clearly unfamiliar with its contents.
Take the songs you heard and hum them. Take Tim Kaine’s gently mocking “Believe me!” Take Gabby and Mark. Barack and Michelle. Joe and Jill. Take the dreamers. Take the advocates for the disabled. Take Sarah McBride. Take Ryan Moore. Take every hope, Every ambition. Every dream. Every determination.
Don’t forget Bernie.
Don’t forget any of them. Don’t forget any moment. It’s over. But of course, it’s only started.
Take it all with you. Then get to work.