The Summer of Love (redux)

August 21, 2024

The second night of the Democratic convention was as remarkable and ground-breaking as the first. The keynote speeches were stellar, the undercard speeches were solid, and the joyous roll call of delegates was like a rock concert and political rally rolled into one.

But if there was a theme for the evening, it was that the speakers loved their spouses and families without embarrassment or artifice—and that the speakers and their spouses love the American people without ulterior motives. Shades of the Summer of Love in 1967. It was a remarkably uplifting and joyous occasion—exactly the type of boost that the Democratic faithful craved and deserved after a difficult six months.

The stark difference between the joyous celebration of the Democratic convention and the “American carnage” theme of the Republican convention could not have been more pronounced. The second night of the convention offered Americans a positive and hopeful vision of the future. Any rational person should want to follow the ascendant path offered by Democrats rather than the descent into darkness and chaos offered by Republicans.

Among three remarkable keynote speeches, Michelle Obama reclaimed the role of family—especially mothers—in creating a just and civil society that cares for everyone, not only family members. Her positive vision of the family contrasted with the GOP’s vision that belittles and insults anyone who is not in a traditional marriage with young children (and still of childbearing age able to conceive without medical intervention).

There is so much to be said, but I will focus on the keynote speeches because they are what the American people will most likely see reported in the news on Wednesday. But before taking a look at those speeches, the following deserve brief acknowledgment:

First, the planners of the convention should be commended. I don’t know who they are, but they are consummate professionals and deserve great credit for their imagination, creativity, and boldness in planning an uplifting, motivating convention. For example, who thought of having a disc jockey to rock the arena during the roll call of delegates? And having Kamala Harris appear remotely from the campaign trail immediately after her nomination was confirmed by the delegates was a great way to bring her into the convention hall even as she honored the tradition of the nominee staying away until the final night.

Second, the Democratic Party has had a sometimes-contentious relationship with Bernie Sanders. But when times have been tough for the Democratic Party, Joe Biden, and the American people, no one has been as loyal and reliable as Bernie Sanders. He deserved to be on the dais tonight reminding the American people (and some Democrats) about the work that remains to be done to lift up all Americans, not just the middle class or upwardly mobile.

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How to watch the convention

For those (hundreds) of you who expressed dissatisfaction with broadcast and cable news coverage, you can watch the convention live, in full, with no talking heads at CSPAN, Democratic National Convention (youtube.com). The link may change from day to day, so to find CSPAN on YouTube, just do a search for YouTube, open the site, then use the YouTube search bar (not the browser search bar) and enter “PBS Democratic National Convention live.”

Reader John C. sent this helpful link to the many of the individual speeches given on Monday night: Who spoke at the DNC: Watch AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Biden's speeches : NPR

Another reader recommended Live Drawing The DNC, Day One - by Liza Donnelly (substack.com). Liza Donnelly’s drawing and synthesis provide an accessible, memorable way to catch up on the most critical points made by each speaker.

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Tuesday’s convention program

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Doug Emhoff’s speech

Doug Emhoff gave the most genuine, earnest, endearing speech of the night. He began with words of obvious affection for Kamala, referring to his wife as “Honey,” and said, “I love you so much.” Those words were not heard during the GOP convention.

Emhoff’s affectionate and loving speech humanized Kamala and made her relatable without saying those words. He achieved that result by describing how they were set up on a blind date by a law client of Doug’s. His recounting of his awkward effort to invite her out on a date was sweet and humorous. He described leaving a goofy message on her cellphone voicemail, saying that he wished he could “grab the words out of the air and put them back in my mouth.”

Refreshingly, Doug Emhoff engaged in self-deprecating humor, acknowledging his goofy attempt to ask Kamala out for their first date. Kamala has saved that voicemail message and replays it for Doug on their anniversary. It was a wonderful “meet cute” story, as they say in Hollywood.

Emhoff also described his childhood, saying that he rode his bike to the park and to Hebrew school, and that “Wherever your ended up at dinner time, that was the family that fed you.”

He mentioned being in a fantasy football league. His team is named Nirvana—after the rock band. Incredibly relatable! I can imagine JD Vance asking his political consultants to look up this “fantasy football thing” to see if it is a means of indoctrinating children against “real” sports.

He mentioned their blended family on many occasions and their shared faiths. He said Kamala accompanies him to the synagogue on high holidays, and he attends church with her on Easter.

He said he loved her laugh—which was one of the things that made him fall in love with her almost immediately. He turned a Republican attack point—her laugh—into a strength by saying she is a “joyful warrior.”

Doug Emhoff’s speech was surprising, endearing, and incredibly effective. A great job by the soon-to-be First Gentleman.

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Michele Obama sets the gold standard for convention speeches

Former First Lady Michele Obama’s speech began in a reflective mood by talking about the passing of her mother during the summer. She spoke lovingly of her mother and the strengths she gifted to Michelle. For a moment, it felt off point. But Michelle was masterfully setting her theme by sharing her personal relationship with her mother and her grief over her mother’s passing.

It was a subdued beginning, but by the time Michelle was finished, I felt sorry for Barack Obama having to follow Michelle’s speech.

Throughout her speech, Michelle skillfully crafted a narrative that encompassed both Michelle and Kamala, their mothers, their children, their husbands, and their commitment to creating a better society through strong women.

But Michelle was tough, as well. She delivered effective attacks on Trump with grace and passion. Among her memorable lines, she said that unlike Trump and JD Vance, most Americans

“Don’t get to fail forward; don’t get the affirmative action of generational wealth. Don’t get to change the rules and blame others when they fail. Don’t get to take a golden elevator to the top of the mountain.” [These are my real-time transcriptions; not verbatim quotations.]

Michelle anticipated attacks on Kamala by recalling the viscous attacks on the Obamas. But she diminished Trump's attacks in advance by explaining that he “is threatened by two highly educated successful people who happen to be Black. He is going to do the same thing to Kamala.”

Then she asked, “Who’s going to tell him the job he is seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?’”

She concluded this section of her remarks by saying that the attacks by Trump will be “The same old con—doubling down on ugly racist, misogynistic lies.”

And then kicked into high gear.

Speaking directly to the delegates, she told them that

We cannot start wringing our hands when something goes wrong. We cannot have a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is “just right.” We cannot allow our anxiety over whether America is ready to elect someone like Kamala to get in the way of doing everything to elect her.

Michelle warned that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz would make mistakes, but it is up to us not to panic:

They will make mistakes. If they do, it is not just on them.

If they lie about her and they will—we must “Do something.”

If we see a bad poll, then we must put down our phones and do something.

We cannot wait to be called to ask to volunteer. Don’t complain if no one from the campaign has called to ask for your support. There is no time for that sort of foolishness.

Consider this to be your “official ask” from me to “Do Something.” No, I am not asking you to “Do something,” I am telling you to “Do something.”

It was a rousing, inspirational, uplifting speech that charged the delegates to take responsibility for their futures and “Do something.”

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Barack Obama’s speech

On any other night, Barack Obama’s speech would have left others in the dust. But he acknowledged that he was “the only one stupid enough to follow Michelle Obama.”

Obama began with a fitting and personal tribute to Joe Biden, saying that selecting Biden was the best decision of his career. He said,

Joe Biden and I became brothers. As I got to know him, I learned that his most distinguishing characteristic was his empathy—which made Biden such an effective leader.

Obama then praised Biden for “doing the rarest thing in politics—to put ambition aside for the sake of the country.”

Obama’s next line is the only statement with which I disagree. Obama said,

History will remember him as an outstanding president who saved democracy.

No, history will remember Joe Biden as a great president who saved democracy.

Obama then closed this section of the speech by saying, “I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.”

The crowd responded by chanting, “Thank you, Joe,” but Obama redirected the chants by saying, “The torch has been passed.”

Obama briefly attacked Trump, saying that Trump has been nothing but “Gripes and grievances, since he rode down golden escalator.”

Obama continued,

Trump has a weird obsession with crowd sizes.

He is guy who has gotten stale.

We do not need four more years of bumbling, bluster and chaos.

We have seen that movie before, and the sequel is usually worse.

Obama then said that Kamala Harris is ready for the job—saying she is one of the most qualified candidates to seek the presidency.

Of Tim Walz, he said

“Tim Walz wears flannel shirts not because a political consultant told him to do so, but because it was in his closet.”

In the closing portion of his speech, Obama made a plea for Americans to end the divisions that have beset them in the last two decades. He said that we should give one another the grace to disagree without cutting off ties because of that disagreement. He urged us to look away from the culture wars by rejecting reliance on “algorithms that teach us to fear and distrust one another.”

Obama closed his speech by reminding us that

The ties the bind us together are still there. We still care for our neighbors, feed the hungry, and share pride when American athletes succeed in the Olympics.

It was a wonderful speech that reinforced the hopeful message of the night and “fired up” the faithful while praising Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

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Note about the major media’s coverage of the convention.

On Sunday evening I wrote, “I resolve to not allow the media’s desire to deflate Democratic enthusiasm to interfere with my enjoyment and appreciation of a historic moment.”

I am going to stick by my pledge. I would, however, I like to look back at history. The NYTimes covered President Lincoln’s nation-changing speech at Gettysburg. The Times focused only on President Lincoln’s delivery, not the substance of his remarks. See Vanity Fair (11/19/2013), In 1863, New York Times Did Not Care for “Business-Like” Gettysburg Address.

Here is what the Times thought was important about a speech that redefined the American experiment:

It was delivered (or rather read from a sheet of paper which the speaker held in his hand) in a very deliberate manner, with strong emphasis, and with a most business-like air.

Not a single mention of the substance of one of the most consequential speeches in our nation’s history, just oblique criticisms of the delivery style.

The Times “tut-tutted” Lincoln’s use of a single sheet of paper on which he wrote the Gettysburg Address—a document that has become, in effect, an amended preamble to the Constitution.

Some things never change.

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Opportunity for Reader engagement

This from my friend Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water:

Join Climate Action Now for a four-part series of How We Win events! In the final 10 weeks before the election, hear from a line-up of inspiring experts as they share on-the-ground knowledge that climate-conscious citizens need to win in November. 

In their keynote event of the How We Win series, you’ll hear from David Callahan, Founder of Blue Tent, on vital questions like: Do my political donations really matter? Will they be well spent? What organizations will make the best use of them?

The discussion will be moderated by Chop Wood, Carry Water’s Jessica Craven.

Register for How We Win with Smart Donations to find out!

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Concluding Thoughts

After an incredibly strong and innovative opening night, it was a difficult act to follow. But Democrats pulled it off. Wow! And for the second day in a row, Trump appeared at a rally and acted like he had been given an elephant tranquilizer. More good stuff to come from Democrats on Wednesday and Thursday! Stay tuned!

Talk to you tomorrow!

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Thinking about scale: Humans compared to the universe.

The photos below show my effort to photograph a quasar designated as MRK 926. Quasar “is short for quasi-stellar radio source, because when astronomers first discovered quasars in 1963, they thought the objects looked like stars emitting radio waves.”

We have subsequently learned that quasars are “superluminous black holes” at the center of galaxies that are gobbling up surrounding stars, emitting a high-intensity beam that shines millions of times brighter than the Milky Way. See Sky & Telescope

The first photograph shows the night sky over Los Angeles, looking south. The light band running diagonally across the photo is moonglow.

The second photo zooms in to isolate MRK 926, which is located 636 million light years from Earth. The light arriving on Earth today from MRK 926 began its journey when the Earth was a giant snowball, experiencing a massive glaciation event that covered the entire planet in ice sheets. See Space.com

The third photo zooms in to show MRK 926, which occupied 9 pixels on my computer screen when processing the photo.

One of the great things about astronomy is that it forces us to think about the scale of the universe compared to humans.

MRK 926 is 636 million light years away— or about 0.67% (0.0067) of the diameter of the observable universe. The diameter of the observable universe is 94 billion light-years, which is about 26 orders of magnitude larger than the average human.

But it gets even more amazing: The smallest meaningful measurement at the quantum level (called the Planck Length) is 36 orders of magnitude smaller than the average human.

Don’t worry about the math. Here’s the point: We are 10 billion times closer in size to the observable universe than we are to the size of the smallest quantum measurement.

In thinking about scale, we must not only look upward and outward, but down and within to understand where we fit into the universe.

I hope that makes sense—and fills you with a sense of wonder!