Watch & Comment Live: Democratic National Convention, Day 4
What do you think of this year's Democratic National Convention?
The Democratic National Convention is in full force, with speeches from party leaders, including President Joe Biden, Barack and Michelle Obama, Gov. Tim Walz, and more. The third night of the convention held the theme of "freedom" as Democrats slammed the GOP on issues of LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, the book ban, and more.
Tonight, Kamala Harris will accept her party's nomination to be the Democrat's presidential candidate with a closing speech. Tune in from 7-11 p.m. ET for the final night of the convention.
Highlights from Nights 2 and 3:
Gov. and neighbor Tim Walz
- Gov. Tim Walz introduced himself to millions of Americans for the first time, delivering a tight speech focused on praising Kamala Harris and boosting his Midwestern background. Walz highlighted his many roles and titles, including schoolteacher, father, veteran, hunter, high school football coach, and neighbor.
"That family down the road — they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love like you do, but they are your neighbors. You look out for them, and they look out for you...No matter who you are, Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life that you want to lead because that's what we want for ourselves."
Former presidents reflect
- Former President Bill Clinton, who has spoken at 13 consecutive DNCs, used his speech to emphasize the importance of a new generation in politics. He portrayed himself as a member of "Generation Old," ready to be led by Harris. He noted:
"Lord, I'm getting old. But here's what I want you to know — if you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you will be proud of it for the rest of your life...The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I'm still younger than Donald Trump."
- The Obamas gave energizing speeches on Night 2 of the convention. Former President Barack Obama reminisced on his first convention in 2004, saying:
"I am feeling hopeful — because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where everything is possible."
- Michelle and Barack both took swipes at Trump, with the former President calling him "a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago." Michelle Obama laced into Trump during her speech with:
"For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black."
Second gentleman's speech
- Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, focused his speech on his and Kamala's love story, giving voters a glimpse into their personal lives. Emhoff gave hopeful words to Democratic voters that Harris finds "joy in pursuing justice," "stands up to bullies," and knows how to take down Trump in November.
Highlights from Night 1:
Biden's speech
- Biden took the stage as the final speech of night one of the convention, delivering a reflective and encouraging address to the nation. He passed the torch of leadership to Kamala Harris, urging voters to elect the Harris-Walz team in November to protect American democracy. He said:
"With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy had delivered, and now democracy must be preserved."
- Biden looked back on his decades of public service and his four years as president, reminding the audience that he took office just two weeks after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and during the first year of the pandemic. He told the audience that besides the troubles and tribulations, he was filled with appreciation for the tens of millions of Americans who have voted for him over the years.
"I hope you know how grateful I am to you all...I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you. For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to our nation, and I've been blessed a million times in return with the support of the American people...I love the job, but I love my country more."
Harris and Hillary take the stage
- Harris had an unexpected appearance last night to thank Biden for a "lifetime of service to our nation." Harris told delegates:
"Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always remember: When we fight, we win."
- Hillary Clinton took the stage after Harris, expressing support for the vice president and telling Democrats that the "future is here." Clinton's presence was monumental, as she was the first woman to secure a major party nomination for president.
Emphasis on equal rights
- Advocates for abortion rights, civil rights, and worker rights spoke at various points, sharing personal stories and encouraging words for the crowd.
- Abortion rights activists Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua, and Hadley Duvall spoke of the hardships of a post-Roe v. Wade America, emphasizing how harmful a second Trump term would be to abortion rights.
- President of the United Automobile Workers Union, Shawn Fain, endorsed Harris during his speech, underscoring her commitment to workers and proclaiming, "Trump's a scab." Civil rights leader Jaime Harrison, who is also head of the Democratic National Convention, stressed how Harris is making history by being the first female person of color to accept the Democratic nomination. Harrison opened the night by saying:
"Black convention chair and a Black D.N.C. chair lead us in nominating a Black and A.A.P.I. woman to be the next president."
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Gotta love it when Republicans line up for VP Harris!!! (Stephanie Grisham (press secretary) & Olivia Troye (advisor to Pence) who both served in the tRump administration, John Giles Mayor of Mesa, and Geoff Duncan former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia ).
Still to come, Adam Kinzinger
"Dump Trump! Voting for Harris makes you a patriot. "-Duncan
Thank you for this brave and bold move.
I've known Rump was despicable since 1990 when a relative was a lawyer who defended the investors Rump fucked over in his 1991 bankruptcy, so I already know I won't vote for him. The people who need to see it won't be watching the DNC.
First of all,is it true that thousands of African American democrats have been denied access to the convention? An ID is required for entrance,and we all know African Americans can't get an ID. Second,why do they have three fences around convention center? We all know fences are racist. Would the 20 people that voted in primaries for Kamala respond?
"BAD ORANGE MAN" seems to be theme. I want to hear about policies and where they will get the money to pay for their plans. The current administration has run up a huge bill to be paid for by the American citizen taxpayer and there is so little, if anything, to show for those trillions of dollars.
The DNC convention is filled with excitement & hope brought to the American people by former First Ladies, former Presidents, Senators, Congressional representatives, and current celebrities. Listening to Doug Emhoff and Michelle Obama speak to the humble beginnings of VP Harris and her history of fighting for good, makes me confident that SHE is the best choice for president.
I would be remiss if I did not contrast this convention with the RNC's, which I also watched as much as I could tolerate. The Republicans had a message of ugliness. There were no former presidents or vice presidents to speak on tRump's behalf. I guess when your cult is threatening to hang him & you sit there with your thumb up your ass, VP's will bow out of your next convention! tRump has never flipped burgers to put himself through college. He is a white male of privilege, who has done nothing in his life that didn't benefit himself, his family, or his rich friends...nothing. When he doesn't get his way, he retreats to whining, mocking others, and seeking retribution...which sums up the RNC convention.
I am with her and will never understand the reasoning why anyone would ever pick him... unless you are a filthy rich white guy... why???
I wish they would allow a Palestinian speaker.
All fluff, no serious ideas other than price controls and abortions.
The some billionaires don't understand free speech is a two way street! Not just for the privilege.
Kamala didn't not mention nor Warren about price cap or price control, but did mention price gouging by corporations and monopolies by corporations !!!!!!!
Comparing the DNC and RNC, on content, viewership, polls, and fundraising they were very different.
Most notable was the DNC had both former living Presidents and wives (Clinton, Obama) speak while the RNC did not have Bush speak which indicates the unity or lack there of in each party. Unfortunately Carter's health prevented him from attending but he sent his grandson to represent him.
Further evidence of a lack of unity in the Republican Party were all the prominent Republican leaders (Rich Logis, Kyle Sweetser, Stephanie Grisham, John Giles, Olivia Troye, Geoff Duncan, Adam Kinzinger) speaking at the DNC about putting country over party as well as the party's messaging (DNC USA signs versus RNC Mass Deportation signs)
Then there was Trump's 90+ minute rambling acceptance speech versus Harris's succinct, focused 37 minute speech that was autobiographical, compared her policies to Trump's and then what her administration would do for the middle class.
DNC TV ratings surpassed 20M viewers every day which didn't include streaming numbers, exceeding RNC viewership well under 20M which did not sit well with Trump as he real time commented on TruthSocial.
Harris is now leading in the polls by 4% (47% v 43%) per 538 which averages all polls.
In July, after the RNC, Harris out raised Trump by 4X, and since Jan it's 2X indicating DNC fundraising has increased overtime.
" More than 20 million people tuned in to watch the first three nights of the Democratic National Convention, beating the July Republican National Convention in total viewership on every day."
"For three nights in a row, the Democratic National Convention has hovered around 20 million viewers, opening with that amount on Monday before spiking up to 20.8 million on Tuesday and dipping back down to 20.2 million on Wednesday."
" Nielsen reports that viewership among those age 18-34 has shown growth, with Wednesday’s 966,000 viewers in that demographic representing a 13.5% bump from Monday’s."
" The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that this year's DNC numbers also passes the 2020 edition's first night, which drew 19.75 million viewers even as COVID-19 forced people to remain at home and cable TV had far more subscribers."
" viewership fluctuated for the RNC across different nights (14.8 million in the second day, 18 million on the third and 25.4 million on the fourth"
" "For a man who thinks ratings are more important than anything, that is really going to stick in Donald Trump's craw," said former Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace to a laughing CNN panel."
"The RNC's first-night lineup included several of Trump's former running mate prospects, including Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, as well as Teamsters union president Sean O'Brien. The DNC's first night featured speeches by more household-familiar names like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., former 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden, who delivered an emotional farewell after fifty years in national politics."
"combined Biden and Harris campaigns raising more than four times as much as Trump in July and erasing the ex-president’s previous cash advantage going into August."
" The Biden—now Harris—campaign committeeraised $516.8 million and Trump’s campaign committee raised $268.5 million in total between January 2023 and July 31, 2024, the most recent date for which Federal Election Commission filings are available."
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2024/fact-check-how-accurate-was-kamala-harris-2024-dnc-speech-in-chicago/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/08/21/trump-vs-harris-2024-fundraising-race-harris-erases-trump-cash-lead/
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/
https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/who-is-leading-dnc-tv-ratings-versus-the-rnc/amp_articleshow/112724723.cms
https://www.salon.com/2024/08/21/that-is-really-going-to-stick-in-donald-craw-democratic-convention-ratings-outpace-rnc/
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/dnc-ratings-viewers-1236112994/amp/
https://www.newsweek.com/dnc-tv-ratings-compared-rnc-1942197
The Democratic convention has been amazing! The energy and joy emanating from the convention is incredible and stands in stark contrast to the Rs convention which emanated only darkenss, chaos, hatred, and lies. The lineup of speakers has been amazing, each one contributing something unique to the mosaic. I am proud to see the talent, knowledge, experience and energy of the Democratic 'bench'.
She's ready to lead! Great speech, just enough policy and inspiration and personal story.
Watching calling ins on cspan… “I’m a republican and I’ve changed my mind. I’m voting democrat.”
Fantastic acceptance speech!
Great to see Maxwell Frost! He's the future and he speaks for his generation!
There were more Republicans at the DNC than the RNC.🤔🤗
Thank you for putting country and democracy first. We see you and we accept you even though this may be a one time thing but I still appreciate.
You obviously don't care
Still waiting on actual policies. Her released economics proposal is unlikely to be enacted by Congress.
Price Controls have not worked in any modern country.
Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, China, Brazil. Chile, Argentina and others all tried and failed.
I'm energized to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz this year
We need to keep the momentum going forward for another 2+ solid months. If we do, this won't be a nail-biter race.
V P Kamala Harris must win this to save our Democracy.
The DNC was excellent! 🎉 I had a blast with the DJ & Lil Jon! 🎧🔥 #TurnUp
It is refreshing to listen to people who can speak in complete sentences and make rational comments. The world can now see that the USA is NOT what the GROSS OLD PARTY has made us out to be. I'm a proud American right now. We Will NOT Go Back. But it would be helpful if the elected new age GOP returned home. We don't want to see the racist, misogynistic, bigoted, greedy so-called Republicans on the stage now or ever again. You've worn out your welcome; here's your hat; what's your hurry?