Recapping the DNC Day 1

Black history, democracy, abortion, the aspiring fascist, Palestine, and more

Day 1 of the DNC did not disappoint on domestic policy and issues, and could not have been more disappointing on foreign policy. We have a lot to cover so let’s dive in. As a quick reminder, your support makes my advocacy possible. So, if you are in a position to invest a cup of coffee a month, please do subscribe! Let’s Address This.

The energy on Day 1 at the DNC was palpable. I appreciated that while the RNC handed out “MASS DEPORTATION NOW” signs, the DNC handed out simple but effective “USA” signs. The convention kicked off by recognizing the critical role of Black Americans throughout American history and particularly in the 20th century. Reverend Jesse Jackson was honored on stage, as were the names of Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisolm, Harold Washington, and many more icons.

Reverend Jesse Jackson honored on stage at the start of the DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise entrance to the stage, a pre-cursor to her formal DNC nomination acceptance speech on Thursday. She stuck to her stump speech remarks that “when we fight, we win,” and quickly departed to sit with other attendees as the DNC continued. Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan emceed much of the evening, notable also because once Governor Walz is elected Vice President, LG Flanagan will be the first female Native American governor in US history.

The most significant mention of Project 2025 came from Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who brought the entire fascist manifesto as a prop with her on stage. Her poise and delivery were excellent, and most importantly, her message was received loud and clear—Project 2025 is a brazen, unapologetic, undemocratic, unhinged attempt by the MAGA Republicans to permanently instal Donald Trump as a dictator. And we cannot underestimate how massive a threat it is to our democracy. If you haven’t already read my detailed overview of Project 2025, you can read it here with additional articles linked. Unsurprisingly, most every speaker made the clear contrast between Trump and Harris, and did not mince words.

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, speaks at the DNC.

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered what is being recognized as one of the most powerful speeches of the evening. Rep AOC grilled Donald Trump as a “two bit union buster” and contrasted him with Kamala Harris, “a woman who fights every day for us.” Rep AOC was also the first to mention the words “ceasefire” and “Palestine” in her remarks. More on this later.

Nine time NBA Champion and Olympic Gold medal coach and former Chicago Bull Steve Ker returned to the United Center. As a kid who grew up watching him play, it was powerful to see him assert his platform and voice to protect our democracy. Kerr poked fun at Walz’s coaching tactics, and was blunt about Trump’s leadership failures. Steve Kerr is someone I admire not just for his athletic accomplishments, but more importantly, for his character. While many of his fame and fortune avoid ‘controversial conversations,’ Steve Kerr is someone who has consistently stood up against bigotry, Islamophobia, and has loudly condemned “the demolition of Gaza.”

One of the most powerful moments of the evening was from a Kentucky woman named Hadley Duvall, who joined two other women on stage to advocate for abortion access. Duvall is a sexual abuse survivor, who was impregnated via rape by her stepfather when she was 12 years old. In her 2:30 minute speech she spoke about the importance of protecting women and children and condemned Donald Trump’s abortion bans. But her line of the night that left every one in a gasp went as follows:

[Donald Trump] calls it 'a beautiful thing.’ What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parents' child? There are other survivors out there who have no options. And I want you to know we see you, we hear you. Kamala Harris will sign a national law to restore the right to an abortion.

Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua, and Hadley Duvall spoke on reproductive rights at the DNC. Credit: Getty Images / Newsweek

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about finally breaking the glass ceiling by electing a woman to the White House. Clinton likewise appeared visibly pleased when the crowd chanted “Lock Him Up,” in reference to Donald Trump running for President with 34 felony convictions. In complete transparency, I am not a fan of the Democratic Party beating down Trump for being a felon, given the disparate treatment of low income people and people of color in the criminal justice system. I believe this is an opportunity to instead elevate the discourse on rectifying our unjust criminal justice system, as that will additionally activate more people to vote and play a role in building that more perfect Union.

President Biden closed out the night, in perhaps his last major address to the country as President. In his remarks he acknowledged the pro-peace protestors outside as “having a point.” I appreciated this, but returning to the start of this overview, this is where things also went down hill. As President Biden spoke, peaceful protestors within the United Center unfurled a large sign calling to stop arming Israel—and were met with assault.

A yet unidentified white man took his sign and physically assaulted a hijab wearing Muslim woman holding the sign. To my knowledge he was not reprimanded or removed for his assault. President Biden insisted that he’s deputized his Secretary of State to get a deal done, and that they’ve made immense progress. Unfortunately, the deal proposed by Biden and Blinken is a complete contradiction of the deal already proposed and approved back in early June. If you recall, Israel condemned the US backed UN Security Council resolution in support of Israel’s own ceasefire deal.

Unsurprisingly, Hamas immediately rejected this new deal because it completely contradicts what Hamas and Israel agreed to months ago. Instead, this new deal does not mandate permanent ceasefire and release of all hostages, it keeps Israel occupying Gaza, and it keeps Israel in control of the Rafah border—meaning that Netanyahu can continue to block aid at will, as he has for the last 10 months. Just as revealing, Netanyahu senior aides admit to Axios that he only accepted the deal from Blinken because he knew Hamas would reject it.

The calls to stop arming Netanyahu are growing, and significantly, these calls are not just from the progressive base of the Democratic Party. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has loudly called to stop arming Netanyahu, and polling shows that doing so will better enable a victory for Kamala Harris in November. For example, as first reported by Zeteo, Among Georgia Democrats and Independents:

• 44% are more likely to vote for Harris if Biden secures a ceasefire, while just 2% are less likely.

• 39% are more likely to vote for Harris if she pledges to stop weapons to Israel, and just 5% are less likely.

This is a major contrast, and polling shows similar support to stop arming Netanyahu in swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. The bottom line is this: Americans are tired of war, tired of war crimes, and tired of our tax dollars funding these war crimes. The DNC has an opportunity to further distance Democrats from the pro-war policies of Republicans, but it cannot be mere words. We need action. Notably, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock particularly called on the need to protect all children, and mentioned Palestinian children by name. I’m hopeful we can move beyond words, and into actions to make that happen.

The DNC Day 1 was an eventful and effective day, but clearly we have work to do and cannot relent in our advocacy for justice for all. I’ll be at the DNC for Day 2 today. If you’re a paid subscriber or can become a paid subscriber, be sure to join our Let’s Address This chat group right on the Substack App, downloadable here.