Kamala-mania is about to get bigger than ever as Democrats prepare to rally around their newest political star at the Democratic National Convention starting Monday.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The presumptive presidential nominee has sparked a remarkable wave of excitement in the four weeks since President Biden stepped aside and backed her to take over the fight against former President Donald Trump.
Harris has already erased Trump’s lead in polls, picked a popular running mate in Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and drawn huge crowds to rallies in battleground states from coast to coast.
But Democratic strategists will be looking to use the DNC to showcase unity, build enthusiasm and fundraising for Harris and forge a healthy lead in the polls heading into the fall campaign.
Here are some things to watch at the DNC:
Look for the four-day celebration to burnish Harris’ image as a dynamic and relatively youthful candidate who represents change. It will portray her as uniquely qualified to turn back the threat of another Trump term.
“Harris is inherently a change candidate due to race, gender and the way in which she became the nominee,” said Basil Smikle, a Columbia University professor and Democratic strategist. “She needs to become the symbol of that change.”
Even thought she’s a sitting vice president, Harris will be introduced to the American people as a fresh face and a figure of generational change after blowing up an expected matchup between two old men in Trump and Biden.
Despite having been by Biden’s side for four years, most American voters will be focusing on Harris for the first time, which could be a huge advantage for her.
“Democrats have to tell Americans more about Harris,” said Larry Sabato, “Voters do not follow a vice president much at all. That’s a big plus for Democrats. So far Harris is not carrying Biden’s burdens.”
Democratic strategists say Harris has already honed the “not going back” slogan as the clarion call for her campaign, which has so far exceeded all expectations.
“What she’s accomplished in less than a month represents the greatest feat of political arms I’ve seen,” said Tom Watson, a Democratic strategist. “She will build on that.”
President Biden will deliver the main speech on Monday, followed by former President Obama on Tuesday, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz on Wednesday and Harris on Thursday.
Ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also speak on Monday and former President Bill Clinton will appear on Wednesday.
Some 50,000 visitors are expected to descend upon Chicago, including 5,000 delegates and 15,000 members of the media.
Biden will no doubt get a rousing reception from delegates who believe he made a selfless decision to step aside and endorse Harris instead of plowing ahead with a race that looked doomed.
He’s now the party’s preeminent elder statesman and cheerleader-in-chief, a role he started to slide into at an event with Harris on Thursday celebrating lower drug prices for Medicare.
His speech will undoubtedly be a full-throated endorsement of his hand-picked successor and he will certainly repeat his warnings about the danger posed by Trump.
But for Biden, it also marks a valedictory of sorts as it effectively marks the start of his long goodbye from public life. That poses a danger that it will turn into a backward-looking account of his own record, which could turn off voters who have soured on him.
Before Kamala, there was Barack — and Democrats wanna bring back that 2008 feeling.
Obama is still the most popular figure in the party and will be looking to hand that mantle over to Harris, who is looking to make more history as the first woman and the first Black woman in the White House.
“It will be a chance for Democrats to make history again … in electing Harris,” Smikle said.
The first Black president is the last presidential candidate to pull off a legitimate electoral landslide when he routed Republican John McCain 16 years ago.
Obama will by his very presence inspire Black and Latino voters who supported him in record numbers, a turnout feat that Harris will need to repeat if she hopes to beat Trump. But he will also try to recapture the “one America” message that transcended race to win over the broader electorate.
One so-far unanswered question: will former First Lady Michelle Obama also speak? After all, she is a blockbuster figure in her own right — and Chicago’s her home town.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is the guy who will try to sell the Democratic ticket to the heartland, and get in his share of jibes at Trump.
The child of small-town Nebraska, he was a 40-something high school teacher and football coach before he even ran for political office.
He’ll try to reassure voters in the Midwest and elsewhere who might be nervous about voting for a liberal Black woman from California.
But the veep’s main job in any campaign will always be that of an attack dog, and Walz is no different. He’ll speak in folksy tones, but will seek to land punches on Trump and his GOP running mate JD Vance.
Pro-Palestinian activists are vowing to bring tens of thousands of protesters to the streets of Chicago, starting with a demonstration they hope will attract 25,000 or more on Monday to demand a ceasefire and an end to U.S. military aid for Israel.
The war in Gaza remains one of the most divisive issue for Democratic voters, especially Arab Americans in the battleground state of Michigan.
Harris has tried to distance herself a bit from Biden’s strong support of Israel, but critics say she is equally responsible for the administration’s decision.
Singer John Legend will be headlining a concert for Illinois Gov. J.B, Pritzker, while comic Jon Stewart will be hosting his late-night show from Chicago all week long.
Hollywood’s Octavia Spencer and rapper Lil Jon are confirmed.
Convention planners have kept quiet on which superstars, if any, will turn up at the convention, especially Beyonce, who has allowed Harris to use her hit “Freedom” as her theme song.
New York’s political leadership will all be jetting out to the Windy City.
Gov. Hochul is scheduled to speak Monday night, on the undercard before Biden.
Mayor Adams will be in Chicago from Wednesday, holding meetings with fellow Democratic leaders about immigration and the border, a tricky issue for Harris.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are both slated to speak but planners have not revealed when…CONTINUE READING>>
