That’s A Wrap
Tonight Kamala Harris accepted the vice presidential nomination, making history as the first Asian American and first Black woman on a major party ticket. And former President Barack Obama delivered a keynote address in Philadelphia, where he condemned President Trump’s leadership for the last four years, saying, “Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t.” Both Harris and Obama doubled down on the party’s pitch about the urgency of everyone voting this November.
Democrats also used tonight as another opportunity to tout their policy stances on an array of issues, including gun violence, climate change and domestic violence, often weaving in very powerful personal stories. Those videos really showed after three days, the party might be getting the hang of this.
Scroll back through to relive the live blog in all its chronological glory, and if that sounds like too much work, I’ve asked the crew to compile some headlines with tonight’s top takeaways:
- Kaleigh: Democrats Bring Out The Heavyweights For Night 3
- Geoffrey: Democrats Build Up Biden And Obama Tells Americans Democracy Is In Danger
- Amelia: Another Obama Goes On the Attack Against Trump
- Clare: It’s Still Barack Obama’s Party
- Matt: Democrats Show They Are Still Obama’s Party
- Michael: Democrats Cement Their Reputation As The Party Of Diversity And Racial Equality
- Nathaniel: Democrats Make Substantive, Emotional Case Against Trump In Star-Studded Night 3
- Lee: Overproduced Videos Featuring Real People Upstage Politicians Pretending To Be Real People
- Meena: It Took 3 Nights, But The DNC Might Finally Understand How To Tell A Compelling Story
- Micah: Democrats Get The Hang Of A Virtual Convention. Sorta.
The Harris merch has been dropped.
For the most part, this was the smoothest night of the DNC so far. Lots of policy meat and potatoes about immigration, climate change and gun violence. And importantly, it seemed like the goal was to not only knock Trump, but also to build up Biden’s candidacy. Polls show a sizable majority of Biden voters say they’re backing him because they don’t like Trump, not because they’re voting for Biden. So understandably, the Biden campaign probably would like to get more voters enthusiastic about his candidacy and not just about voting against Trump.
I was not expecting the DNC to make some good TV — but they did tonight! And Barack Obama’s speech, as I think most of us were expecting, was pretty relentless in its attacks on Trump. Of the two, I still think Michelle Obama’s speech is the highlight — it just felt better pitched to the moment, when it really does feel like the world is falling apart. Harris had a tough job, making her speech from the empty convention hall. Like I said earlier, I think I get why they made that choice, but they might have been better off leaning entirely into the virtual setting. The DNC has proven surprisingly good at it!
I think this was a night where Democrats hit their marks, but it was also a bit of a roller coaster emotionally and substantively, and it brought home both the strengths and weaknesses of a virtual convention. Though come to think of it, you could say all of that about Night 1 or Night 2, too.
Some memorable speeches and really, truly effective use of video format tonight. The DNC managed to not only make do with the virtual format but actually take advantage of it to deliver powerful and intimate messaging about the party’s focus and successes.
In her introduction to the country as the Democratic VP nominee, Harris generated enough buzz on social media to (temporarily) eclipse the president.
I think my final thought, as we begin to wrap here, was really best expressed by this tweet:
Harris’s speech was fine; if you want to get a better sense of her biography and abilities, I recommend her presidential announcement speech. However, the rest of tonight was really strong — the best convention night yet. One of the most trusted politicians in America, Barack Obama, gave a compelling and somber speech about the importance of ousting Trump. But unfortunately for Democrats, the best stuff came before prime time: a powerful speech from Gabby Giffords, and some emotional videos on immigration, gun violence and women in politics.
Harris makes history tonight by accepting the vice presidential nomination, but one thing I’ve been struck by in this virtual format is just how hard it is to replicate some of the more traditional aspects of the convention — like giving an acceptance speech. The intimate style of ordinary Americans sharing their stories or Michelle Obama talking from her home, as she did Monday, just resonates more in this format. But I understand why Harris spoke on stage tonight, and I assume Biden will do so tomorrow as well. It’s just harder to land those lines.
Hey, the stage will mean better photos for me to work with tomorrow. I’ll take it.
Seems like nothing has topped Michelle Obama’s speech from the first night.
Have the Biden and Harris families not joined pods yet?
Yeah, I don’t think of it as a convention hall, Amelia, so much as like a set meant to invoke a “convention hall” at an off-Broadway theater which is deliberately pared-down and empty because COVID-19. I’m not at all sure that it works, but I think that’s the intent.
Biden joins Harris on stage — but stays 6 feet away.
Harris’s speech was a bit uneven. It felt like she was trying to do too much and relied on too many cliches. I was waiting for a stronger attack on Trump.
The sparse applause makes this feel really bad.
Someone should connect the DNC up with the fake sports crowd noise folks.
A consensus among FiveThirtyEighters that doing this speech at a mostly empty hall made it tough.
When we do unmuted round of applause in FiveThirtyEight all-hands meetings, it’s less awkward than this, right? … RIGHT?!?!?
Biden’s connection to Obama helped make him the most popular sitting vice president in modern times among African Americans, and obviously it helped him in with Black voters the Democratic primaries. But Biden’s Black approval dipped in runup to primaries and still hasn’t fully recovered. Harris is clearly trying to build it back up.
I think I am warming to the awkwardly empty convention hall — or at least I understand the choice? It is a pretty stark reminder of how abnormal things are right now, and of course the subtext is Trump’s role in that.
Harris’s delivery was pretty flat for the first half of this speech (although maybe the awkwardly empty convention hall was to blame), but she’s a lot more natural now.
Harris says we need to be “prepared for the next one” — meaning the next pandemic. That’s a cheery thought.
It’s important for Harris to talk so forcefully about systematic racism. The post-protest surge in support for Black Lives Matter is fading as the media turns away from the the issue.
Harris saying “inflection point” seems like kind of a call-out to FiveThirtyEight readers, to be honest. We’re still waiting for the first vice presidential nominee who says “regression analysis” on stage though.
Yeah, that’s a line that sticks, Meena.
That’s the line we’ll hear again tomorrow. “There is no vaccine for racism,” says Harris.
There are echoes of Harris’s presidential announcement speech in this — both the overall themes and some specific lines. However, that speech was delivered with a lot more oomph. Of course, the fact that 20,000 people came out to see her announcement speech probably helped increase her energy levels.
During the primaries, voters perceived Harris as more liberal than Biden. Past running mates have sometimes changed voters’ ideological impressions of the candidates. For example, choosing Paul Ryan made Mitt Romney seem more conservative (which helped him with conservatives but hurt with moderates). Choosing a non-centrist running mate is a departure for Democrats, but Harris’s nomination may not change impressions of Biden much. This speech is not ideological in tone. Biden and Harris both endorse liberal policies without selling an ideological revolution, running instead more on restoration.
This is her chance to introduce herself to many voters. She’s leaning into the autobiography to make herself more relatable.
I’ve thought so much about the Ivy League stat the past week. Howard is arguably the most elite HBCU. This nomination is so different on so many different levels.
We’re hearing so much about Harris’s biography and personal history tonight. Guess she got over some of that personal guardedness Clare wrote about last year?
Harris’s speech reminds me of Clinton’s in 2016: Both speeches had and have strong threads about their mothers.
Wow, that shot of the audience was jarring. Social distancing and masks and (looked like) fewer than 10 people. A reminder of our current reality.
“I know a predator when I see one,” Harris says — then pauses for an extra beat.
Harris has mentioned a few times that she went to an HBCU — a historically Black college or university (in her case, Howard University). In fact, this is the first Democratic ticket since 1984 without a candidate who graduated from an Ivy League school, and the first featuring an HBCU graduate.
I think I agree with that, Nathaniel, but we’ve also never had a Black VP nominee, or an Indian American VP nominee … so … we really don’t know?
Meena Harris, Kamala Harris’ niece, featured in that earlier montage video, was behind the Phenomenal Women campaign, which she started after the 2016 presidential campaign.
Personally, I am skeptical that anyone at the bottom of the ticket can move votes the way that, say, Obama being the first Black president did.
So … the thing about putting her on a stage is that you aren’t necessarily trying to get the median voter to try to view Harris as more relatable. Or maybe you are, but that isn’t necessarily your main objective. Your main objective is to make her seem presidential, i.e. as someone who could step in on Day 1 for a 78-year-old president. And I also think if you put her in a living room or something, it might come across as gendered.
Research shows Harris’s emphasis on her Indian American heritage is likely to expand Democrats’ big advantage with Indian American voters.
Harris is mentioning her Indian American heritage a lot in this speech — more than I remember her doing during her presidential campaign.
Harris mentions “a seat at the table.” Of course, Shirley Chisholm famously said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
Harris is part Asian American — her mother was originally from India — and there’s been speculation about how her candidacy could boost Democratic votes among the sizable number of Indian Americans in battleground states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Prior women vice presidential nominees Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin did not help presidential candidates gain support from women. But running mates can change views of the nominee. Palin increased concerns about McCain’s age and Biden decreased concerns about Obama’s inexperience.
Well, Emily, they are just outside Philadelphia …
The stage design shares a lot of elements (most notably the circle of white stars) with the 2016 convention’s stage design.
Oh I disagree, Nathaniel. I think putting Harris on a stage is a weird and potentially off-putting move after all of these intimate videos. It feels kind of impersonal.
Finally, some convention staging! I miss the pomp and circumstance.