The Democratic convention that opens Monday in Chicago will be a very different event than the one that was being planned exactly a month ago. Instead of the hushed gathering that would quietly certify President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, the party that has improved its electoral prospects is now preparing for the most jubilant party possible. More than 50,000 supporters, delegates, politicians, advisers, journalists and celebrities are gathering Thursday in the Windy City for the coronation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the official nominee and the party’s best hope of winning the election. November 5th Elections. Although pro-Palestinian protests demanding the conclave risk casting a shadow over the celebrations.
“We are on the verge of something truly historic: electing the first woman president of the United States and showing the world what is possible when we come together as a country,” convention chairwoman Minyon Moore proclaimed on the eve of the quadrennial political conclave. Her statement summed up the enthusiasm of a party that, until resigns from Biden's re-election bid on July 21was virtually considered defeated and now sees how he has recovered much of the ground lost against Donald Trump's Republicansless than 80 days before the polls.
There will be four days of political spectacle in which state celebrities – Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Joe Biden – will rub shoulders with Hollywood celebrities, from actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, protagonist of the series veepto singer John Legend. Everything is already prepared, to a certain extent. The change in the Democratic ticket was so abrupt that it caught the organizers of the convention off guard. The party platform still lists Biden as the candidate; the official page with the downloadable digital logos also preserves the image of the president.
From the pavilions of the United Center in Chicago and during sessions that for the first time will be broadcast live on Instagram or TikTok to attract a young audience, the Democratic Party will try to maintain the momentum of the voters that Harris and the party have taken advantage of over the past four weeks and are building on it for the final stretch of the campaign. “Democrats will come together to advance our progress, clarify what is at stake in this election, and unite around our shared values of democracy and freedom,” the convention says on its website.
Part of the mission will be to reintroduce Harris, still largely unknown to most of the public despite being vice president. The candidate, who on Friday presented an economic platform with popular measures for families, is tasked with making herself known and convincing voters. That Sunday, he visited Pennsylvania — a key state in his strategy for victory — and on Tuesday, he will briefly leave Chicago for another campaign event in Wisconsin, another key state. Meanwhile, other speakers will try to present her as the candidate of the future, and to Republican rival Donald Trumpas the emblem of the past.
Knowing what's happening outside means understanding what's going to happen inside, not missing anything.
As is tradition, the candidate will speak at the convention's closing ceremony on Thursday, to a crowd and televised applause before the event ends with a shower of confetti and blue, white and red balloons, the colors of the American flag. In his speech, he will try to connect with viewers and explain what his priorities will be if he takes office in the Oval Office.
“It's especially important, given that she's a new candidate, that she has the opportunity to have a platform to speak directly to the American people,” associate professor Andra Gillespie of Emory University in Atlanta said at a conference last week.
The Democratic conclave will begin Monday with a day of celebrity spotlight on President Biden and his legacy, in a staging of the changing of the guard at the helm of the party and the candidacy.
In what will clearly be a tribute and appreciation to a president who put the party's interests ahead of his own, Biden will deliver the closing remarks Monday of a day of celebrations called “For the People” and will also feature remarks from first lady Jill Biden and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Advisers say the president plans to speak at the event to explain why he believes Harris should replace him to defeat Trump, whom he has campaigned on as a threat to the democratic system.
Biden will also take the opportunity to showcase his record at the White House, where he has managed to bring the unemployment rate to historically low levels and approve, among other initiatives, the largest infrastructure bill in decades. After that, he will hand over to Harris and the Vice President's number two, Minnesota Governor Tim Walzand will not participate in the rest of the convention events.
Featured speakers on Tuesday will be Obama and the second gentleman, Douglas EmhoffOn Wednesday, it will be House Speaker Emeritus Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Walz himself. The list of speakers was finalized only at the last minute, after a sudden change of fortunes within the party sparked interest in attending the convention.
Image of the unit
Traditionally, one of the key events of the meeting would be the voice vote of the delegates — 5,000 in attendance, including incumbents and alternates — to officially nominate Harris as the candidate. That vote has already taken place, via videoconference, and the vice president was certified on the 7th to avoid bureaucratic problems in Ohio, where local laws closed the voting registration period earlier this month. The Democratic National Committee has indicated that a “ceremonial” vote will take place so Harris and Walz can enjoy that moment of glory.
Despite the image of unity that the party wants to project at the congress, not everything is harmony. Around thirty delegates are “undeclared”without having to vote for Harris, who was elected in several state primaries in a protest vote against the Biden administration's pro-Israel stance on the Gaza war.
A coalition of up to 150 groups came together during the days of the convention anti-war protests and demand an arms embargo on Israel. Organizers estimate that thousands of people could participate in the marches: Chicago is part of Cook County, home to the largest Palestinian community in the United States. “We are in a unique position to pressure Democrats ahead of the convention to make saving Palestinian lives a campaign priority,” the Undeclared Movement says on social media, where it says it is “coordinating actions across the country and organizing uncommitted delegates to the convention.”
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