During the first couple of nights of the Democratic National Convention I heard more than one commentator compare the jubilance and optimism of the gathering in Chicago to Barack Obama’s 2008 convention in Denver.
Maybe it’s because the Obamas cranked up the volume Tuesday night for nominee Kamala Harris.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black,” Michelle Obama said, raising the roof.
Then, she blew it off.
“Wait, I want to know — I want to know,” she said. “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?’”
The place went nuts.
I covered the 2008 convention. Now, I’m watching 2024 from my living room. If the volume of the 2008 convention was set at 10, Chicago is turned up to 11. It’s been quite a spectacle.
Just last month, Democrats were contemplating how to carry President Joe Biden across the finish line in the race against Trump, with democracy on the line. Now, in Vice President Harris, they have a nominee they can get fired up about.
But the race is tight and surprises are possible. in 2008, John McCain blunted Obama’s bounce by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Republicans lukewarm to McCain were elated.
It proved to be a bad choice. But in the history of American politics, picking Palin was a jolt. MAGA began here. A taunting, sneering brand of campaigning began to take hold. Trump has embraced it, to the delight of his fans.
Denver was also a high watermark for Iowa Democrats,
The Iowa delegation was treated like belles at the ball after the caucuses catapulted Barack Obama’s campaign toward eventual victory. Iowans were assigned a hotel in the heart of downtown Denver, within walking distance of the Pepsi Center. Their seats at the convention were up front.
Iowa Democrats who came to Denver controlled both chambers of the Iowa Legislature and the governor’s office. In April 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court tossed our ban on same-sex marriages.
Iowa was a progressive light in the middle of America.
But in 2010, the light dimmed. Gov. Terry Branstad returned to defeat Gov. Chet Culver. Democrats lost the Iowa House. They held the Senate until the Trump wave tossed them aside in 2016. Since then, Republicans have consolidated their hold, controlling the Statehouse, both U.S. Senate seats and all four congressional districts.
The light is barely flickering. Democratic majorities seem like ancient history, painted on a cave wall. Iowa is now redder than fire ants.
So in Chicago, the Iowa delegation is seated at the far back on the arena. Their first-in-the-nation caucuses are long gone.
So of all the delegations in Chicago, Iowa Democrats need Harris’s message of optimism more than just about anyone. Iowa will surely remain red in November, but maybe gains are possible.
Surely Iowa’s bad case of scarlet fever can be treated. Back in Denver they called that the “audacity of hope.”
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
www.thegazette.com
Maybe it’s because the Obamas cranked up the volume Tuesday night for nominee Kamala Harris.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black,” Michelle Obama said, raising the roof.
Then, she blew it off.
“Wait, I want to know — I want to know,” she said. “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?’”
The place went nuts.
I covered the 2008 convention. Now, I’m watching 2024 from my living room. If the volume of the 2008 convention was set at 10, Chicago is turned up to 11. It’s been quite a spectacle.
Just last month, Democrats were contemplating how to carry President Joe Biden across the finish line in the race against Trump, with democracy on the line. Now, in Vice President Harris, they have a nominee they can get fired up about.
But the race is tight and surprises are possible. in 2008, John McCain blunted Obama’s bounce by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Republicans lukewarm to McCain were elated.
It proved to be a bad choice. But in the history of American politics, picking Palin was a jolt. MAGA began here. A taunting, sneering brand of campaigning began to take hold. Trump has embraced it, to the delight of his fans.
Denver was also a high watermark for Iowa Democrats,
The Iowa delegation was treated like belles at the ball after the caucuses catapulted Barack Obama’s campaign toward eventual victory. Iowans were assigned a hotel in the heart of downtown Denver, within walking distance of the Pepsi Center. Their seats at the convention were up front.
Iowa Democrats who came to Denver controlled both chambers of the Iowa Legislature and the governor’s office. In April 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court tossed our ban on same-sex marriages.
Iowa was a progressive light in the middle of America.
But in 2010, the light dimmed. Gov. Terry Branstad returned to defeat Gov. Chet Culver. Democrats lost the Iowa House. They held the Senate until the Trump wave tossed them aside in 2016. Since then, Republicans have consolidated their hold, controlling the Statehouse, both U.S. Senate seats and all four congressional districts.
The light is barely flickering. Democratic majorities seem like ancient history, painted on a cave wall. Iowa is now redder than fire ants.
So in Chicago, the Iowa delegation is seated at the far back on the arena. Their first-in-the-nation caucuses are long gone.
So of all the delegations in Chicago, Iowa Democrats need Harris’s message of optimism more than just about anyone. Iowa will surely remain red in November, but maybe gains are possible.
Surely Iowa’s bad case of scarlet fever can be treated. Back in Denver they called that the “audacity of hope.”
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
Opinion: DNC turns up the volume to 11
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott …
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