Democrats saw continued momentum during day two of their convention in Chicago on Tuesday night, as delegates from across the country officially coronated Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee.
The packed crowd in the United Center heard from former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and two notable Republicans who crossed party lines to endorse Harris this year.
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Amid the euphoria sweeping across the arena, protesters continued to clash with police, resulting in multiple arrests as a frantic atmosphere brewed throughout the streets.
Late into the evening, attendees heard from Michelle Obama, who said there was something magical in the air inside the United Center.
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country. We love a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep or far too long.”
She called it the “contagious power of hope” for the anticipation, energy, and exhilaration for being on the cusp of a brighter day, adding that “Hope is making a comeback.”
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When her husband Barack took to the stage right after, he said his first big decision as the Democratic nominee in 2008 was to choose Joe Biden to “serve by my side,” calling it one of the best choices in his career.
“America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a president, Kamala Harris,” the former president added.
Moments after delegates nominated Harris as the party’s nominee in a ceremonial roll call (she was officially nominated earlier this month in a virtual roll call), she appeared on video from a Milwaukee rally to address the crowd, telling the thousands of attendees how honored she was to accept the coronation.
“So we know what we’re dealing with in this moment, and we must remember as the generations of Americans before us who led the fight for freedom, the baton is now in our hands,” she said.
Her husband appeared shortly after onstage at the United Center, recounting his memories of first meeting Harris on a blind date a decade ago before the two fell in love.
“She’s always been there for our children, and I know she'll always be there for yours, too,” he said, referring to his two children from his first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff.
But away from the convention center, things were less rosy.
A non-permitted pro-Palestinian protest outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago led to violent clashes and arrests Tuesday evening.
While the Chicago Police Department did not immediately clarify how many protesters had been taken into custody when asked in an email, The Epoch Times witnessed several arrests as speeches continued inside.
Police line up amid a protest at the Israeli consulate during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Police responded swiftly, forming a line to separate the protesters from journalists and other onlookers.
The police said further information would be revealed during a morning press conference on Wednesday.
Many at the convention, including state delegates, honored Biden after he delivered the headlining speech on Monday night to pass the party’s torch to Harris.
“I think Biden made a wonderful decision when he decided to step down and let a younger generation of Democrats take over,” Henry Fries told The Epoch Times.
“We see that younger people are getting fired up to support Joe Biden, who may have sat out before. You see that even the older Democrats are ready to welcome in these new ideas and new people, new faces, to politics. So, it’s really great. It’s really fun,” he added.
Traveling from New Orleans, Louisiana, delegate Sandra Green Thomas agreed that the retooled campaign has energized young voters.
“It’s the same message they need to send all around this country. I think young people are the key to them winning this race and young people are the key to preserving our democratic traditions. It’s time to pass … the baton,” she told The Epoch Times.
—Jacob Burg, Nathan Worcester
RFK Jr. RUNNING MATE SUGGESTS THEY MIGHT DROP OUT
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might consider joining forces with former President Donald Trump, Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said.
Alternatively, she said that they may consider dropping their label of Independent and forming a new political party.
While speaking with the Impact Theory podcast posted online on Aug. 20, Shanahan argued that their campaign hadn’t been given a fair chance at winning.
Shanahan, an entrepreneur and attorney, told the podcast host that the “tens of millions of dollars” she put into her own campaign wasn’t intended to make Kennedy a “spoiler” in the 2024 race.
Shanahan indicated that the campaign is now looking into two options.
“One is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump. We draw, somehow, more votes from Trump,” she said.
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and we walk away from that and we explain to our base why we are making this decision. Not an easy decision.”
Shanahan made clear that no such decision had been made, but she sounded more sympathetic to Trump than to Harris.
Shanahan said in the interview that she believes Trump “has taken genuine, sincere interest in [the Kennedy campaign’s] policies around chronic disease; he takes it seriously.”
Still, she made clear that she maintains a large degree of skepticism toward the former president.
“The question we have to ask ourselves right now is, one, do we trust Trump and his personal sincerity? … Is he somebody that’s going to continue to invite people like Bobby and I into the conversation, or is he going to fall victim again to things that he fell victim to in his first administration?”
Kennedy has seen a strong dip in the polls, with many showing him at consistent double digit margins.
The campaign is also nearly out of money: yesterday, Kennedy’s principal campaign committee, Team Kennedy, told the Federal Election Commission it ended July with about $3.9 million in cash on hand and about $3.5 million in debts and obligations.
—Joseph Lord and Austin Alonzo
BOOKMARKS
Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will take on Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in November after both easily won their party nods in Florida’s Aug. 20 primary elections, The Epoch Times’ John Haughey reported. It’s a race that Republicans are very favored to win, but still makes up one of two Senate Democrat targets in November.
Police yesterday declared that a pro-Palestinian protest near the DNC had become unlawful, The Epoch Times’ Nathan Worcester and Joseph Lord reported. Though protestors were cordoned far from the United Center where the DNC was being held, several arrests were still made.
With Biden’s departure from the race and Harris’s accession to the top of the ticket, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said that his “fundamental mission” had been achieved. The Epoch Times’ Austin Alonzo, Jackson Richman, and Jan Jekeliek reported on the remarks by the one-time Democratic primary hopeful who had cast doubt on Biden’s capacity to serve another term.
Trump said he will not enforce the Comstock Act to restrict access to abortion pills via the mail, The Epoch Times’ Jack Phillips reported. The nineteenth century law has worried abortion activists, who fear that it could be used to ban the shipment of mifepristone and other drugs across state lines.
