I am referring above to the convention of the Democratic Party. Please do not say Democrat Party -- that is pure Re-pube speak. From early in my youth until now I have watched the major political parties at their conventions. They chose their candidates there during most of those years, and there were always many comments and much conjecture about deals struck in smoke filled rooms and delegates being button holed in the halls and on the floor. At the risk of sounding nostalgic about a less democratic process, I must say that conventions now seem more like a ceremonial anointing and promoting of the party's candidates. Hurray for the more democratic primary process, but it does remove much of the drama, unless there is a protest over how the primary elections were conducted or a fight over what is in the party's platform. Fortunately, there does not appear to be any such protests or any signs of a fight looming over what is in the platform this time. What we have instead is a pandemic, and that is causing drastic changes to the whole nominating process. Like so many, I was concerned about that. I wondered what a virtual convention would look like and how the Democratic Party was going to pull it off.
Day one: The convention reminded me of a telethon, but instead of Jerry talking about the kids we had this group of people -- wonderfully diverse in regard to race, ethnicity, gender, and age -- talking about their life experiences and why they are supporting the Biden/Harris ticket. The case made against Trump was compelling, particularly as articulated by Michelle Obama. Seared into the consciousness of all who heard it is this warning: “If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don't make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”
The bottom line is that THIS COUNTRY CANNOT SURVIVE FOUR MORE YEARS OF DONALD TRUMP! This democracy, that has inspired all people who long to be free, must be saved from the corruption, incompetence, and destructive impulses of Donald Trump. Michelle Obama was correct but too kind when she said Trump is simply not up to the job. He is, in my opinion, the greatest threat to our security and our constitution since the Civil War.
Day Two: Again we had a wonderfully diverse group of people telling their stories and commenting on the issues. They tried to impress on us the importance of electing Joe Biden and implementing his health care plan. I was much amused by the fact that they called the health care pan “a Big F...ing Deal!” It was a wonderful play on Biden's open microphone gaff and an affirmation that, with or without the expletive, health care for all is a big deal! The play on Biden's gaff also brought out the whimsy in me. So much so that instead of listening to the gentleman from Puerto Rico during the roll call vote I went into this fantasy about what I would say if I was the delegate speaking for Puerto Rico:
“This is the great United States territory of Puerto Rico. We Puerto Ricans, loyal citizens of the United States, have been thrice screwed. First by the hurricanes. Then by a paper towel throwing buffoon trying to make us believe he was a competent president who had come to our island to help us. Then we were hit by an earthquake and by the Covid 19 virus as the buffoon, Trump, cheated at golf on one of the golf courses he owns. Well, I suppose his cheating there does much less harm than his cheating in an election does. The problem is that he cheats at both. Who can forget, “Russia if you’re listening...?” We obviously need to get rid of him. So Puerto Rico casts 44 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.”
Now you know why no state delegation would let me be the one speaking for them.
Day 3: Once more we had an all star cast of speakers, most of whom were female. All of them did the very fine work we have come to expect from them, but the one who struck me the most on an emotional level was Gabby Giffords. I thought back to the days shortly after she was shot in the head. Her survival seemed like a miracle, and we all cheered as she struggled to utter just a few words. Her speech at the convention was good, and it demonstrated how much of her language skills this courageous lady has recovered. I am not an emotional person, but I was so touched that I almost cried. Gabby's story is powerful, as is her opposition to the gun lobby and its deadly agenda. Bless you, Gabby! All of us are pulling for your husband to win his senate race!
I listened intently as President Obama ripped into Trump in a manner that former presidents rarely if ever use when discussing a current president. But Trump is an exception that demands such criticism. Never before Trump have we had a president who was so ignorant about the traditions and ethics all presidents have followed, nor one that was too stupid to learn or care about those traditions and ethics. Do I need to mention Trump's obsequious regard for all things Putin. I think Nicole Wallace, who worked for President George W. Bush and on John McCain's presidential campaign, described President Obama's speech best when she said:
“Obama’s speech shook me because of his despair laid bare...” We cannot fathom the fury and the despair and the rage that every former living president ― I’m going to go out on a limb and say the dead ones too ― when they watch Donald Trump. And I’ve not seen any living president tap that well of despair and be vulnerable enough to share it with the country.”
Kudos to Nancy Pelosi for her speech at the convention. Moscow Mitch was violating the traditions and long accepted practices of the senate long before Trump was elected. In doing so McConnell made the senate dysfunctional and delegitamized our judicial system, including the supreme court. Speaker Pelosi called him out for going home rather than dealing with the problems so ably addressed in bills passed by the house. This is important because if we are going to end this nightmare we must not stop at throwing Trump out of office, we must also discard the soggy diapers covering his butt and hauling his water.
I would be remiss if I did not say something about Kamala Harris' acceptance speech. As several pundits have pointed out, President Obama's take down of Trump freed up Kamala to talk about her family and her friends, and to tell her life story, which she did very well.
Day 4: This is the last day of the celebration of sanity. I am not exaggerating when I call it that. I cannot think of another time when the choice between the presidential candidates of the two majorpolitical parties was literally a choice between sanity and insanity, decency and indecency, public service and self serving corruption. Seriously, Joe Biden offers compassion and workable solutions to real problems while Trump embraces insane right wing delusions such as QAnon (I won't use the word theory here because theories are actually supported by evidence). Then we have the testimonial courageously given by 13 year old Brayden Harrington, who described how Joe Biden called him, encouraged him, and worked to help him lesson his stuttering. What a stark contrast that is to Donald Trump cruely mocking the disability of a reporter at one of Trump's rallies.
Joe Biden's speech was well received. In regard to the pandemic, he made it very clear that he will follow the science and coordinate the appropriate response rather than sitting on the sidelines, babbling about miracle cures as hundreds of thousands of people die from Covid 19 – which Trump assures us will miraculously disappear some day. Mr. Biden also said that in regard to foreign relations he will “support our friends and stand up to our adversaries.” This was not lost on the many former generals and former security advisors who are warning us that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the security of this nation. Mr. Biden also described his health care plan, including a public option, and he talked about his economic plan. He fully intends to build the infrastructure, create more manufacturing jobs, and create more green energy jobs.
My overall impression of the virtual convention is that it did the job. It showed what is at stake in this election, and what Joe Biden has to offer. It was a call to action, a rallying cry, and an appeal to the undecided. Although there will still be serious disagreements, Joe Biden and this convention demonstrated why Republicans, moderates and liberals can and must vote for Joe Biden. He is the rational alternative to a mentally unstable and very dangerous incombent.